Row of ballet dancers practicing.

TuTuMUCH

9 Girls, 4 Weeks, 1 Dream
Winner
Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
Winner
China International Film Festival
Official Selection
Zlin Film Festival for Children and Youth
Official Selection
Gimli Film Festival
Official Selection
Leeds Film Festival for Young People
Canada Perspective Showcase Selection
Cannes Marche du Film
Best Film for a Teenage Audience
Cinemagic Finalist
Best Documentary
Foyle Film Festival Finalist
Official Selection
Seoul International Film Festival

A raw look at an exclusive world that’s fascinating but mostly invisible.

National Post

A rare and tantalizing glimpse into auditioning for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School.

Ballet News

Astonishing and inspiring! It’s astonishing to see the determination that a 10-year-old girl has when it comes to a possible profession in ballet!

Edmonton Vue

If you’re into dance, don’t miss it!

Uptown Magazine

A real look at ballerinas trying to make it into the professional world. It’s full of excitement and disappointment, tears and laughter, and hard decisions regarding years of sacrifice.

See Magazine (Canada)

The Story

TuTuMUCH takes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how it feels to be a twelve-year-old girl and embark on a career as a professional ballet dancer - all before you’ve even had your first date. This fascinating feature documentary follows nine young ballet dancers as they plié, pirouette and compete for highly coveted spots in an intensive four-week professional ballet summer program at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Leaving behind their families and friends, often for the first time, each girl confronts the painstaking and sometimes rewarding realities of actually living her dream.

As the girls learn during the course of the auditions, talent and passion alone are not enough. The classes are grueling as their physical and emotional limits are stretched and tested daily. “You’ve even got to love the pain” says twelve-year-old Sidnie, one of the prospective ballerinas. But dedication is not enough. The success of a dancer often comes down to the shape of a foot or the length of the neck. In the last few days of the program the girls find out which of them will take the next step toward the dream of becoming a professional ballerina, and which ones don’t.

Directed by Elise Swerhone (Ballet Girls, Ballet High), TuTuMUCH illustrates the artistic beauty and sometimes harsh reality of a career in professional ballet. Which girl will prove to be the dancer they are looking for? Who will have the passion, the drive and the endurance to make it? And will she and her family be ready to make the sacrifices?

Co-produced with Emmy award-winning vonnie VON HELMOLT film.

Directed by:

Distribution & Educational Sales

Not available for distribution.

Production Format: 

For Distribution and Sales information (World, excluding USA), please contact Merit Entertainment Inc.

For Distribution and Sales information (USA), please contact First Run Features.

Educational Sales: 

For education sales, please visit our educational DVD shop.

Duration(s):

83 minutes.

Press Materials

Here you will find the TuTuMUCH press kit.

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About The Team

Photo of director
Director
Elise Swerhone

a vonnie VON HELMOLT film & MERIT MOTION PICTURES production


MERIT JENSEN CARR + VONNIE VON HELMOLT WITH TELEFILM CANADA AND THE ROGERS GROUP OF FUNDS THROUGH THE THEATRICAL DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM PRESENT 

“TuTuMUCH”

EDITED BY BRAD CASLOR WITH DAVID MCGUNIGAL + ROBERT LOWER

CINEMATOGRAPHY CHARLES KONOWAL,CSC + KEITH EIDSE

ORIGINAL MUSIC SHAWN PIERCE

WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF CANADA’S ROYAL WINNIPEG BALLET, SUPERCHANNEL + BRAVO!, A DIVISION OF CTV LIMITED

POST PRODUCTION MIDCANADA PRODUCTION SERVICES

WRITTEN BY VONNIE VON HELMOLT + MERIT JENSEN CARR

PRODUCED BY MERIT JENSEN CARR + VONNIE VON HELMOLT

DIRECTED BY ELISE SWERHONE

Released:
2010