Dancing Bare
06 Nov 2020.

Anima Ardens is a naked male ballet conceived by Belgian choreographer Thierry Smits. The making of the project, called Bare, is documented by Aleksandr M. Vinogradov. The eleven dancers are, as to be expected, stunning beauties and being European, very natural in terms of grooming. I loved all the beards and chest hair, though I was less fond of the undersides of feet, often bruised and caked with dirt. 

The ballet is presented on a bare white stage. No one including Thierry is initially identified as homosexual, but how can all this male nudity not be homoerotic? Later, during a smoke break, a bunch of them talk about their boyfriends, and whether or not they are in open relationships. My prurient mind boggles. Did any of the dancers fuck around with each other after rehearsals? Did it make the show better as a result? 

The dancers have some difficult moves, including piling on top of each other, or struggling to break free from a mass. They endure a lot of physical contact, but they are professional enough to not get boners. (I would not be so professional.) There’s a fun moment where the boys loosen up by flapping their cocks around like strippers. It’s hard to pick a favourite from among the eleven. Dancers are also actors, often called upon to re-enact abstract concepts like creation or suffering. It’s a whole performance. Watching them rehearse the contortions and dance moves is actually thrilling. Honestly, the hardest part to watch was when some of these gorgeous guys get cut from the audition, inevitably leading to disappointment. There’s nothing sweeter than a sad handsome face. 

It’s also hard not to enjoy that this is an all-male world. As the movie unfolds, we get to know the dancers as individuals. We recognize them from their piercings and tattoos, from the shape of their cocks, and from their facial expressions. All the nudity has a curious effect of making them seem more real. There’s a great scene set in the shower, and you realize they are no different from high school basketball players, or coal miners. Except these dancers are very aware of their erotic allure.

Bare is a terrific little documentary. Even if it wasn’t, the nudity in itself would be entertaining. But this movie, a sort of a nude A Chorus Line, is sober and even dignified. Some might wonder if it will be used as jerk-off footage, but so what? It is still a valuable document of the intense process leading to a fascinating show. 

Prior to its DOC NYC debut, BARE held its World Premiere at Toronto’s own Hot Docs, its US Premiere at Cinema Diverse and also screened at DocEdge.