why are ballerinas always so unhinged in movies? 🩰🎥

From the 40's to present day, the world of ballet has been used as a backdrop for dramatic stories that often feature young women and their relationship with themselves (and their peers). As a former ballerina myself, I've always been drawn to these stories, due to the subject matter, and decided to take a look at the stereotypes that frequently show in these movies. Horror movies have an especially strong relationship to ballerinas, especially after the release of "The Red Shoes" (1948). Classic ballet stories have always embodied an element of fantastical fairytale-like horror, so this link isn't as "modern" as you'd think. Letterboxd companion list: https://boxd.it/xqCNK Sources: https://www.cracked.com/article_31672_horror-movies-and-ballet-a-match-made-in-hell.html https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CreepyBallet https://filmschoolrejects.com/ballet-in-horror/ https://www.swarthmorereview.com/posts/2-17-2021-death-demons-doppelgangers-and-dance https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/jan/07/black-swan-ballet-movie-cliches#:~:text=In%20Korean%20horror%20Wishing%20Stairs,revenge%20from%20beyond%20the%20grave. https://www.washington.edu/news/2020/09/29/diplomacy-on-point-anne-searcys-book-explores-role-of-ballet-in-us-soviet-cold-war-relations/#:~:text=During%20the%20Cold%20War%2C%20American,greater%20emphasis%20on%20the%20music. https://www.spymuseum.org/exhibition-experiences/about-the-collection/collection-highlights/josephine-baker-s-sheet-music/ https