Facing financial challenges and constant risks of injury, an innovative ballet company strives to bring the iconic Canadian story of Anne of Green Gables to new diverse audiences.
In early 2013, it was announced that choreographer and dancer Benjamin Millepied, known as the man behind the ballet of Black Swan, would take over as director of the Paris Opera Ballet. Reset finds Millepied on the eve of his first gala with the Opera, designing and refining his inaugural choreography for the esteemed institution. As a film, Reset possesses of the same artistic assuredness as its subject as he blocks out the preliminary steps for his choreography. It explores various concepts of space simultaneously: the digital space, the space of the opera house (each scene opens with a declaration of which studio it’s in) and the space of the stage, the distance from stage right to stage left. It’s a portrait of a watershed moment for one of the ballet's oldest institutions and one of its brightest new stars, both on the cusp of great transition.
An insight into the life of the world's most famous male dancer, Rudolf Nureyev.
For many, modern ballet began with the Ballet Russe of Monte Carlo, originally made up of Russian exiles from the Russian Revolution. This film tells the story of this landmark company with its stars and production as well as its power games, rivalries and tribulations that marked its turbulent history.
On a cold night in Milwaukee high art meets pop culture as award winning choreographer Margo Sappington (OH! CALCUTTA!, BILLBOARDS) premieres her latest ballet, "Common People", set to the music of William Shatner and Ben Folds from their album, Has Been. GONZO BALLET explores the genesis of this unique artistic collaboration by fusing the music, poetry, and dance of "Common People" with interviews of the creators, dancers, and audience members.
Three days leading up to Tiler Peck's direction and performance of a ballet exhibition in Los Angeles.
A documentary on the Kirov School of Ballet in Russia, narrated by Princess Grace of Monaco.
A Portrait of Giselle is a documentary film featuring Patricia McBride and Anton Dolin along with famous ballerinas who danced the role of Giselle in the past.
Vaudeville dancer Amy Muller performs a portion of her stage routine, which features dancing on her toes. She dances on one toe for part of the performance. Later, she also twirls and does cartwheels.
A group of women dressed up as Commedia dell'Arte characters dance together.
A documentary on the legacy of ballet in Cuba that aired on PBS in Rochester, NY. Filmed on location in Havana, Cuba July – August, 2016. Featuring Laura Alonso, the history of the National Ballet of Cuba, and interviews with staff and dancers attending CUBALLET at or studying at The Center Prodanza of Cuba.
Ballet in Cuba is a national institution, revered by all. It is also a way to climb out of poverty and achieve a better life. Yet for one young ballerina, even that isn't enough.
Seven-year-old Polina and her 13-year-old sister Nastia live and breathe ballet. Both of them are studying at the Boris Eifman Dance Academy in frigid Saint Petersburg. They’re currently awaiting their grades to find out if they’ve done well enough to be promoted to the next year, with Nastia lovingly guiding he little sister through the process. But in the meantime, Nastia also has to deal with the high demands that the academy places on its students. The gorgeously styled shots are sometimes calm, even clinical, and sometimes warm, lively and funny.
A documentary about 15-year-old Oksana who follows her mother's dream to see her become a prima ballerina.
Alonzo King, winner of the San Francisco Foundation 2007 Community Leadership Awards (the Helen Crocker Russell Award). Alonzo redefined classical ballet and builds community through his commitment to dance. His racially diverse company transformed the dance scene and our collective perception of dance by combining cultural traditions with classical ballet. His striking and creative performances exhilarate audiences around the world.
Documentary that tells the story of how several of the most prestigious ballet companies and academies in Puerto Rico, with much love, effort and work, manage to carry their majestic productions to the theatre. The film portrays the journey from the first steps in the classroom until the big day on the stage of the theatre.
A documentary focusing on the prevalence of disordered eating and eating disorders among dancers.