Joffrey Ballet documentary goes behind the scenes of the next generation of dance

What happens when five emerging choreographers are given just two pressure-packed weeks to turn personal stories into original works of dance? That is the question at the heart of “Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement,” a new feature-length documentary from Chicago’s Kartemquin Films that follows five choreographers through the Joffrey Ballet’s Winning Works program.

The documentary premieres Friday, Sept. 18, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS, with streaming available through PBS.org and the PBS app. Locally, WTTW will air the film Friday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. 

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Directed by Chicago filmmaker Cam Be, the film takes viewers inside the creative process as the artists develop new works with dancers from the Joffrey’s Grainger Academy. Rather than simply documenting the finished performances, the film follows the artists through rehearsals, setbacks, personal reflections and the mounting pressure of opening night. 

The five choreographers featured in the documentary are Manoela Gonçalves of Brazil, Jainil Mehta of India, Martha Nichols of Brooklyn, Xavier Núñez of Puerto Rico and Chicago-born Houston Thomas. Each came to the 2024 Winning Works program with a different artistic background and personal story. 

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For Be, that human element was central to the project. The filmmaker was particularly interested in the experiences of people of color navigating the ballet world and in the stories behind the artists themselves. The documentary explores how their identities, backgrounds and life experiences influence the choreography they create.

The film also captures the less polished side of artistic creation: ideas being tested and changed, bodies pushed through demanding rehearsals, creative challenges and the uncertainty that comes with trying to create something meaningful under a deadline.

For Houston Thomas, the experience carried an especially personal connection to Chicago. Born and raised in the city, Thomas began his dance training through the Joffrey Ballet’s Outreach Program before continuing at the Joffrey Academy and Chicago High School for the Arts. He later studied at the School of American Ballet and joined Dresden Semperoper Ballett in Germany. 

His return to Chicago for Winning Works represented a return to his artistic roots. His choreography, “Dear Chicago: A Love Letter,” is scheduled to be performed by the Joffrey Ballet in February 2027. 

The other artists bring equally distinctive perspectives. Gonçalves, born in Rio de Janeiro, is a multidisciplinary artist whose work crosses dance, film and music. Mehta, from Mumbai, brings choreography informed by his experiences and challenges gender expectations within his community. Nichols, an award-winning choreographer and educator, draws from the identity and values passed down through her family. Núñez, a Joffrey company artist originally from Puerto Rico, has performed internationally and is expanding his creative career through choreography. 

Winning Works itself is an annual Joffrey choreographic competition designed to give emerging artists the opportunity to create original work with dancers from the Grainger Academy. The program has become an important platform for artists whose voices and perspectives have historically had fewer opportunities within classical ballet.

The documentary follows the 14th annual Winning Works cohort, whose original pieces culminated in world premieres at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in March 2024. Kartemquin’s film crew captured the artists' journeys through interviews, observational footage and archival photography and film. 

The result is less a traditional ballet documentary than a behind-the-scenes look at how art is actually made, and at the people trying to find their voices within a demanding and evolving art form.

As the PBS trailer puts it, these five choreographers are creating world premieres under intense pressure, transforming personal stories into choreography while helping shape what comes next for ballet. 

For Chicago dance lovers, “Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement” offers a rare peek behind the curtain at the artists, dancers and creative process that audiences don't normally see once the house lights go down.

“Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement” premieres Friday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. on WTTW and at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS, and will stream on PBS.org and the PBS app. 

Sources:

• Joffrey Ballet — The Next Movement

• PBS — Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement

• Kartemquin Films — The Next Movement

• WTTW — September programming

• Joffrey Ballet — Winning Works