Black Swan Drama: How Much Did Natalie Really Dance?

Natalie Portman 'can't move,' squawks dancer-double Sarah Lane
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 28, 2011 4:25 AM CDT
Black Swan Double: I Did 95% of Dances
Ballet dancer Sarah Lane claims she did 95% of the full body shot dances in the Black Swan.   (AP)

Uh-oh. The black swan is emerging in the ballet dancer who doubled for actress Natalie Portman. Sarah Lane, a performer with the American Ballet Theatre, now says she performed some 95% of the "full body shot" dances in Black Swan. "I would say 5% are Natalie," says Lane. "From a professional dancer's standpoint, she doesn't look like a professional ballet dancer at all, and she can't dance in pointe shoes. And she can't move her body—she's very stiff." Ouch. Lane says she was warned by the producers not to talk about how much she danced, reports ABC News.

Lane lashed out after Portman's fiancé, Benjamin Millepied, boasted recently that the Academy Award-winning actress was largely responsible for the dance scenes. "Articles now talking about her dance double are making it sound like Lane did a lot of the work but really, she just did the footwork, and one diagonal in the studio," Millepied said. "Honestly, 85% of that movie was Natalie." Lane was only named in the movie credits as "Hand Model," "Stunt Double," and "Lady in the Lane." Producer Fox Searchlight issued a statement denying Lane's remarks; click for more on that. (More Sarah Lane stories.)

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