Charlize Theron raises the barre

There's a reason why Charlize Theron looks so at ease strolling the red carpet at the Oscars. The tall, slender blond studied ballet when she was growing up on a farm in South Africa and later joined the Joffrey Ballet in New York. And if it hadn't been for a bum knee, she might have stayed there.

By Elizabeth Snead, Special to The Times

December 5, 2007