Never heard of Mr. Gomes before seeing this movie, although I, too, am a dancer, 61. The best part about this bio was how very humble, sensible and sweet Mr. Gomes came across. When he was explaining partnering technique to a classroom of student dancers, he came across as very rational, calm, and knowledgeable. The film exposed how ballet takes a rapid toll on the human body - that by age 30, the most gifted male ballet dancers have hit their peak and are now in noticeable decline - mostly due to pain and accumulating injuries and NOT loss of muscle strength or stamina. Although Mr. Gomes was gay, he looked manly and danced explosively with a masculine flair while he was performing. The cover picture, however, is not a good choice as the position of his hands drooping, bird like, does not look manly. It was nice to see a supportive family back in Brazil. The pace was good. Both the behind the scenes shots of Gomes and his stage performances were good. The comments made by other ballet dancers, teachers and artistic directors who knew Gomes were enlightening. I do think an ethical question needs to be raised about any endeavor that typically leads to life long disabilities. Is it something that as a culture, we should be encouraging? In ancient Rome, crowds loved competitions that led to death. It seems modern cultures love seeing performances that lead to disability. The difference is only in degrees.
