Typically when we think of ballet, we picture the epitome of girliness and grace: ballerinas on their toes, beautiful pink tutus, and let’s not forget all of the swirling and twirling. However, if you have ever seen powerhouse ballerina Misty Copeland in action, she proves that ballet is just as athletic and powerful as it is beautiful. When it comes to male dancers there are even more misconceptions involved. Men who dance are stereotypically seen as being weak and not very masculine. Anyone who believes this to be true clearly has not seen Sergei Polunin perform highly strenuous and complicated choreography to Hozier’s “Take Me to Church.”
If you watched the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, you saw the models strut down the runway to Hozier’s hit song. While walking in six-inch heels with massive wings on your back and attempting not to completely wipe out any of the musical guests is definitely a very impressive feat, it is not nearly as impressive as the stunning, emotional movement of the former Royal Ballet principal dancer. Known for being “ballet’s bad boy” due to his numerous tattoos, the 25-year-old is definitely pirouetting himself into Internet fame with the help of choreographer Jade Hale-Christofi and director David LaChapelle. LaChapelle is notorious for his out-there pop culture photography and this video does not fail to perpetuate his reputation of making of statement. Thank goodness for Polunin being able to capture the emotional distress in his dancing that we can only dream of expressing when we channel our inner So You Think You Can Dance moves in the comfort of our own rooms… behind closed doors.