Narrated by Tony and Emmy Award winner Mandy Patinkin and directed by Bob Hercules (Bill T. Jones: A Good Man), this film documents how the Joffrey revolutionized American ballet by daringly combining modern dance with traditional ballet technique, combining art with social statement and setting ballets to pop and rock music scores. The film features rare excerpts from many seminal Joffrey works including Astarte, Trinity and Billboards.
SCREENING SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE FILM'S WORLD PREMIERE AT FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY, INCLUDING A LIVE, INTERACTIVE PANEL/Q&A WITH TALENT FROM THE JOFFREY.
This event marks the first time that a film has simulcast its world premiere out of a major festival.
This insightful documentary, produced by Jay Alix and Una Jackman, examines the life and times of America's premiere ballet company The Joffrey Ballet who daringly combined traditional ballet and modern dance at a time when it was not routinely accepted. Weaving a wealth of archival footage, behind-the-scene photos and interviews with former and current Joffrey star dancers, director Bob Hercules documents the struggles and achievements of The Joffrey from its newfound beginnings in 1956 to the company's present international success. Founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino and a host of ballet notables, including Gary Chryst, Trinette Singleton, Helgi Tomasson, Kevin McKenzie and more, are featured in the film. Narrated by Tony and Academy Award winner Mandy Patinkin, the film is a rich chronicle of a ballet company that continues to reinvent itself, raise the bar and invigorate audiences worldwide.
This occasion marks the launch of the film's distribution by Hybrid Cinema who brought DFA and Emerging Pictures together for this event. The introductions and the Q&A after the Saturday screening will also be streamed live into participating cinemas.
JOFFREY: MAVERICKS OF AMERICAN DANCE will screen at the Walter Reade Theatre in New York on Saturday, January 28 at 1:30PM, and stream live at participating cinemas through Emerging Pictures.
Special appearances for panel discussion will include: Moderator Sasha Anawalt, author of The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an American Dance Company (published by Scribner's 1996); Bob Hercules, Director of the film; Trinette Singleton, one of original dancers of The Joffrey Ballet, who appeared on Time Magazine's cover in 1968 for rock ballet "Astarte"; current Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater; and former Joffrey principal Christian Holder
