Dance in Film · 2015
Bolshoi Babylon (2015)
Nick Read's unprecedented access to the Bolshoi's 2013–14 season places classical ballet's physical labor beside the institution's acid-attack aftermath, management conflict, and Kremlin symbolism, making the company itself—not scandal alone—the documentary's subject.
Bolshoi Babylon is a 2015 dance documentary centred on ballroom and social dance. For dancers, it's a chance to see the style performed on screen — the phrasing, partnering, and musicality that the same dances carry onto a real floor.
Jump to the 3 indexed dance sequences ↓
Where to watch: No U.S. stream, rental, or purchase option was verified on 2026-08-10: JustWatch lists the title unavailable in the United States, while Prime Video marks its listing unavailable. Availability may change.
Trailer
Official trailer.
The dance sequences in Bolshoi Babylon
3 sequences — what is danced, by whom, and where to find it.
La Bayadère: Kingdom of the Shades opening
Classical BalletDanced by Bolshoi Ballet dancers
The serene La Bayadère performance becomes the film’s first image of the sublime public art that conceals a turbulent private world.
Opening with the Kingdom of the Shades lets the documentary establish the Bolshoi’s hypnotic stage beauty before turning to the institution’s offstage scandal and rivalry.
Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. No edition-specific timestamp was inferred. Altitude lists an 86-minute film, while DOC NYC and the opened U.S. Prime Video page identify 83-minute editions; Prime and Netflix currently say the title is unavailable in the United States.
Spartacus performance
Classical BalletDanced by Bolshoi Ballet dancers
Viewers remember the company’s commanding stage power even as the surrounding documentary exposes the ambition and rivalry required to sustain it.
The Spartacus excerpt displays the scale and force of Bolshoi spectacle, sharpening the film’s contrast between triumphant performance and institutional conflict.
Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. No edition-specific timestamp was inferred. Altitude lists an 86-minute film, while DOC NYC and the opened U.S. Prime Video page identify 83-minute editions; Prime and Netflix currently say the title is unavailable in the United States.
Swan Lake performance
Classical BalletDanced by Bolshoi Ballet dancers
The iconic swan imagery and the company’s public grandeur remain a visual counterweight to the documentary’s backstage tension.
The gorgeously filmed Swan Lake material preserves the company’s polished classical identity while the documentary contrasts it with fear, injury, and internal politics.
Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. No edition-specific timestamp was inferred. Altitude lists an 86-minute film, while DOC NYC and the opened U.S. Prime Video page identify 83-minute editions; Prime and Netflix currently say the title is unavailable in the United States.
Poster artwork from TMDB.
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