Like many athletes, dancers can't strut their stuff into old age.

The demands of their discipline are too great. Yet Ballets Russes is a heartening affirmation of the spirit that helped many dancers to thrive in their heyday more than half a century ago and to survive as teachers, dance devotees and priceless raconteurs.

Mixing sparse archival footage with recent interviews of dancers, some in their 90s, Ballets Russes concerns the famed nomadic troupe of Russian expatriates and its rocky but triumphant road over several decades, till it sputtered to a stop in 1962.

That road split when two troupes were formed after a feud between founder Vassili de Basil and artistic director Leonide Massine. But despite bitter rivalries, both Massine's Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo and de Basil's Original Ballets Russes brought grace and elegance to the world, advancing dance in tours of Europe, Australia, Latin America and the United States.

Grainy black-and-white clips give enticing looks at their often trailblazing performances, but the best dance footage, in terms of clarity and length, is culled from forays into Hollywood in the '40s and later.

The film's barrage of details can be wearisome — too much dry history and not enough fresh insight. But chatty, cheerful talks by former dancers compensate. Many were filmed at a 2000 reunion in New Orleans, and some have died since then.

Most endured what they call "a cruel business," back before dancers were unionized. But though they were treated badly, the dance companies didn't discriminate, hiring dancers of many nationalities and ethnicities, including American Indians and an African-American.

If there was a prejudice, it was against very young female dancers, often in their early teens. Some were known as "baby ballerinas."

No matter their age, the dancers faced the daunting demands of travel and performing. But as Mia Slavenska says, "I wouldn't have missed it."

Choreographers such as George Balanchine and Agnes de Mille got their shots with Ballets Russes, and pop-culture geeks will get a kick seeing Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl on TV's Batman in the '60s, as a Ballets Russes dancer in the '50s.

She contributes to this film's oral history, along with George Zoritch, Irina Baronova and other colorful folks who delight in their memories. Each endured hardships to achieve what they did, yet seem grateful for the opportunity. They may no longer dance but still do pirouettes in their hearts.