Dance Documentaries

Defying the idea that ballet is an art form steeped in the history of the wealthy white elite, this documentary captures the dreams of two black children from the Favela in Brazil, who, despite constant prejudice and doubt, are both determined to beat the odds and follow their dreams to use dancing as an escape rarely found in their tough day to day lives.

After finding that her husband is unfaithful and cheats her with a lover, Sun-jae moves to a decadent cheap apartment at Goksung Station with her daughter Han Tae-soo. While traveling home in the subway, Sun-jae finds a pair of red shoes and brings them home. Tae-soo becomes fascinated by the shoes, which brings greed and jealousy to whoever sees them, while Sun-jae has visions and nightmares with ghosts and blood. When her friend Kim-mi Hee steals the shoes, she has an accident and dies. Meanwhile, the architect decorator Cho-in Choi that is dating Sun-jae, researches and discloses that the mystery is related to a picture of 1944. His further investigation unravels the tragic fate of the original owner of the shoes.

There was nothing in her background to prepare Loïe to become the toast of the Folies Bergères in Paris and stages across the world. Then she created the 'Serpentine Dance'... 1887. After the death of her gold prospector father, 25-year-old Marie-Louise leaves her life in the American West to join her mother in New York and pursue her heart's dream - becoming an actress. One night on stage, becoming tangled in her long dress, she avoids falling by spinning the fabric in a graceful, magical gesture: the "Serpentine Dance" is born. The audience - shocked, then overwhelmed - calls out for more. Marie-Louise has become Loïe Fuller. She embarks on a new, hectic life, leaving New York, where imitators try to steal her radical innovations, for Paris. At the Folies Bergères, she dazzles the capital, and illustrious admirers fall at her feet. Toulouse Lautrec, the Lumière Brothers, Rodin... the Electric Fairy becomes an icon, the blazing symbol of a generation. But fame isn't all. An encounter with the young, spellbinding Isadora Duncan will disrupt her turbulent love affair with Louis and her complex relationship with her devoted assistant Gabrielle, and risk the very essence of her art.

A behind-the-scenes look at Moscow's prestigious Bolshoi Theatre as it's rocked by an acid-attack scandal in 2013.

In 2008, world-famous dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch selected 40 teenagers who had never heard of her to be part of her dance piece "Contact Zone".

The film follows the production of seven ballets by the Paris Opera Ballet.

"5...6...7...8" is a feature-length documentary that captures the emotions and excitement of a year in the life of Nova Jazz, an elite girls dance company. The dancers, ranging in age from 10 to 18, are based out of The Pulse Performing Arts Studio, in Bedford Hills, NY. Opening with Registration at the Pulse, Jennifer Dell, Artistic Director and Owner and in her late 30s. She is a married mother of two, is the choreographer for Nova Jazz. She hand-picks new members from the 500-plus students at the Pulse, and few of them have what it takes to survive the year. From there, we meet the new Nova captains, and see how they cope with leadership, and the infighting that nearly tears the group apart. In addition to parties and sleepovers, we travel with Nova as they perform at Six Flags, the Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, DC, dance festivals, shopping malls and more. The film culminates with the year-end concert. For the older girls, this concert is their last performance with Nova. For the younger ones, it is a rite of passage that marks their transition from apprentice to full member. 41 girls. 10 performances. 104 rehearsals. 473 costumes. 2,197 miles. One incredible year. Spend a year with Nova Jazz. "5...6...7...8"

Ohad Naharin, artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company, is regarded as one of the most important choreographers in the world. Meeting him at a critical turning point in his personal life, this spirited and insightful documentary will introduce you to a man with great artistic integrity and an extraordinary vision. Filmed over a period of eight years, director Tomer Heymann mixes intimate rehearsal footage with an extensive unseen archive and breathtaking dance sequences. This story of an artistic genius who redefined the language of modern dance is guaranteed to leave you skipping.

First Position follows six talented young dancers (ages 9-19) from five continents as they prepare for a worldwide ballet competition that could transform their lives overnight.

Ballet 422 is a record of the creative process of a young choreographer Justin Peck, just 26 years old, hired to create a new ballet for the winter season of the New York City Ballet in 2013. The New York City Ballet is considered one of the best companies in the world. Since 1990 he is led by Peter Martins, his Ballet Master in Chief. The documentary describes the intense backstage work that takes place during the process of creating and learning this new ballet: "Paz de la Jolla". It shows Peck working with his fellow dancers (Justin Peck is also a soloist at NYCB!), with musicians, lighting technicians, and costume designers in the composition of a new work, his third creation for the NYCB. It is the first time the New York City Ballet is exposed during the creation of a new a ballet.

In modern dance since the 1970s, few choreographers have had more influence in the medium than the late Pina Bausch. This film explores the life and work of this artist of movement while we see her company perform her most notable creations where basic things like water, dirt and even gravity take on otherworldly qualities in their dancing.

Reveals a groundbreaking dance phenomenon that's exploding on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles. Taking advantage of unprecedented access, this documentary film bring to first light a revolutionary form of artistic expression borne from oppression. The aggressive and visually stunning dance modernizes moves indigenous to African tribal rituals and features mind-blowing, athletic movement sped up to impossible speeds. We meet Tommy Johnson (Tommy the Clown), who first created the style as a response to the 1992 Rodney King riots and named it Clowning, as well as the kids who developed the movement into what they now call Krumping. The kids use dance as an alternative to gangs and hustling: they form their own troupe and paint their faces like warriors, meeting to outperform rival gangs of dancers or just to hone their skills. For the dancers, Krumping becomes a way of life--and, because it's authentic expression (in complete opposition to the bling-bling hip-hop culture), the dance becomes a vital part of who they are.

STEP documents the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore. As each one tries to become the first in their families to attend college, the girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in the troubled city.

Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes hilarious perspectives, these kids are transformed, from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen," on their way to try to compete in the final citywide competition. Providing unique insight into the incredible cultural diversity that is New York City, this film profiles several kids from three schools (out of 60) at this dynamic age, when becoming that "cool" teenager vies for position with familiar innocence, while they learn the merengue, rumba, tango, the foxtrot and swing.

In the basement of a Tokyo office building, 85 year old sushi master Jiro Ono works tirelessly in his world renowned restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. As his son Yoshikazu faces the pressures of stepping into his father's shoes and taking over the legendary restaurant, Jiro relentlessly pursues his lifelong quest to create the perfect piece of sushi.