For those who remember the Pacific Northwest Ballet debacle here decades ago, or who love ballet, or who simply enjoy a good story, there’s “Dancing Across Borders,” a new film by Anne Bass that documents the life of a 16-year-old boy from Angkor Wat, Cambodia, and his introduction to American ballet.
Sokvannara “Sy” Sar had studied traditional Khmer dance in his homeland since age 10. Bass, a longtime dance patron, saw him perform and invited him to audition for the School of American Ballet in New York. The film chronicles Sy’s ambivalence about American culture and the ballet world, while offering a behind-the-scenes look at a young man’s adaptation to both. The film even ventures on the stage of the Pacific Northwest Ballet, for one of Sy’s performances with the company.
For a trailer, go here.
Various times, through May 27. Lagoon Theater, Minneapolis. $7-$9. 612-825-6006.
