A Special Screening and Q&A Will Be Held With the Director and Producers of AN AMERICAN BALLET STORY

An American Ballet Story, a documentary about Rebekah Harkness that takes us into the stages and studios of the Harkness Ballet through the stories of the dancers who were there, will be screened at the Bruno Auditorium at the New York Public Library at the Performing Arts at 111 Amsterdam Avenue in NYC on Thursday, April 20 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with producers Leslie Streit and Robin McCain led by Walter Rutledge, a former dancer with the Harkness Ballet and editor-in-chief of Out & About NYC. The performance is FREE to the public with a reservation.

1964 - A time of major shifts in civil rights, women's and gay rights. New York City was alive - you could feel it on the streets. The Joffrey Ballet splits in two over a struggle for artistic control and the HARKNESS BALLET bursts onto the American arts scene. Bold and controversial, the Harkness revolutionizes the way dance is performed forever.

The Harkness Ballet produced two international touring companies, a youth ballet and its very own theater. They were invited to perform at the White House, seen on national TV and were an international sensation wherever they toured.


Founder Rebekah Harkness gave opportunities to emerging American artists no matter their race or heritage. Her goal was to create a truly American dance company. Yet she was hated by the New York critics and faced never-ending misogyny and ridicule. Ultimately the companies failed. But Rebekah had begun a movement of contemporary art, music and dance that still impacts artists and audiences today.