Plot

"Balancé" is a short documentary telling the story of working ballet dancer, Laura Purkiss. She is a soloist with Birmingham Royal Ballet with a unique difference; she is also Laura Tye; mother of two.

The portrait of Laura not only affirms the difficulties of balancing everyday family life with the hard work and dedication it takes to dance with a world class ballet company; but seeks to uncover the social challenges in returning to the work place after child birth. Laura fell in love with ballet at the age of 8, a reluctant beginner who found it difficult to fit in at first but with family support and natural ability went on to ballet school in London 3 years later and soon after found employment with Birmingham Royal Ballet, where she continues working as a Soloist. In this time Laura made the tough decision to start a family, a rare thing in the ballet world. Her two children were both delivered by Cesarean section. With family support and Birmingham Royal Ballet, Laura has returned to work and to the requisite fitness to continue performing at a top level. A day in life for Laura is not easy, but she maintains a steadfast approach to her family and career. Laura shines a light on the important things in life and sets an important example to her daughters by revealing what it takes to be a 21st century working mother.—Paul Griffin