I get the Ayn Rand joke, but. . .it is obscure.
From your description of the clunky to graceful, I kind of wonder how good those dancers were.
And also, from the four years of ballet that I took, I remember hearing tons and tons about the pressures of ballet dancers to be skinny and light. Horrible pscyhology, but it does make sense, so that the girls will be light enough to pick up and sometimes, even, throw. It's kinda screwed up what humans do to themselves.
I think the Boston Ballet is rated pretty well...it's just these little moments, like you know, getting ready to jump or what not...
http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2000-05-26&res=l
WANG!
When I was in Uni, the National Ballet of Canada (in Toronto) would sell rush tickets to students at cheap prices. But, unlike the rush tickets for the rest of the public, the students got seated from the front back. So I (and my girlfriend, now wife) saw quite a few ballets from the front row. There were some dancers who would land very lightly, while others would thump.
That's one of the few things I really miss about being a student.