Ballet Docu-series ON POINTE Premieres Dec. 18 on Disney Plus

Disney+ announced today that the complete original six-part docu-series "On Pointe" will premiere exclusively on the service on Friday, December 18, 2020. On Pointe captures a season in New York City's world renowned School of American Ballet (SAB). Featuring unprecedented access to one of the top youth ballet institutions in the world, the series follows the lives of the students ages 8 to 18 pursuing their dreams to become ballet dancers. While older students from all over the country rigorously train for professional careers, younger students from New York City are put through their paces as they rehearse and perform in New York City Ballet's holiday classic "George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®" onstage at Lincoln Center.

The series is produced by Imagine Documentaries and DCTV, with Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes executive producing from Imagine Entertainment; Matthew O'Neill serves as executive producer from DCTV. Directed and produced by Larissa Bills, "On Pointe" premieres Friday, December 18, with all episodes streaming only on Disney+.

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Imagine Documentaries was formed in 2018 by Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard with a focus on developing and producing premium feature documentaries and non-scripted television. Based out of New York, Imagine Docs is run by Academy Award-nominated and multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producers Justin Wilkes and Sara Bernstein. The division expands on Imagine's rich history in the documentary space which includes the hit documentary series Mars and Breakthrough (NatGeo) as well as the Ron Howard-directed films Jay-Z's Made in America, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2017 Grammy winner for Best Music Film) and Pavarotti. Recently released films include Rebuilding Paradise (NatGeo); Dads (AppleTV+); Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band (Magnolia Pictures); and D Wade: Life Unexpected (ESPN Films). Upcoming projects include José Andrés: World Central Kitchen (NatGeo); On Pointe (Disney+); Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine (Showtime); Gossip With Cindy Adams (Showtime); The Supermodels (Apple TV+); a definitive documentary on Julia Child (CNN films); a Martin Scorsese directed documentary on New York's 1970's music scene; a feature documentary on musician Louis Armstrong; and the Rory Kennedy docu-project investigating the Boeings 737-Max airplane crashes. www.imagine-entertainment.com

Founded in 1972, Downtown Community Television Center, Inc. (DCTV) has grown into one of the leading documentary production and film education centers in the country. A community of and for documentary filmmakers, DCTV is a unique space where community screenings, master classes, youth education programs and affordable production resources all exist side by side with award-winning documentary work. DCTV's film and television productions have been recognized with 16 Emmy Awards, four duPont-Columbia Awards, two Academy Award Nominations, a Peabody Award, 6 New York Emmy Awards and accolades at film festivals and competitions around the world. Recent works includes the ongoing news and documentary series Axios on HBO (HBO), the decades-spanning documentary Cuba and the Cameraman (Netflix), Life on Parole (FRONTLINE), Alternate Endings - Six New Ways to Die in America (HBO), Finding the Way Home (HBO), and the documentary series 15: A Quinceañera Story (HBO). In 2021, DCTV will open a new documentary-only cinema in its landmark firehouse home in Manhattan's Chinatown.

The School of American Ballet (SAB) is widely regarded as America's leading ballet academy. A constituent of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, SAB recruits and trains talented youngsters between the ages of 6 and 18 for careers in classical ballet. Founded in 1934 by the legendary choreographer George Balanchine and the visionary arts patron and writer Lincoln Kirstein, the School produces almost all of the dancers that comprise New York City Ballet, America's largest ballet company, as well as dancers for companies around the globe. Approximately 20 advanced students embark on professional dance careers annually. Beyond the footlights, SAB's alumni have made their mark over the past 86 years as founders, artistic directors, choreographers and teachers for dance companies and schools around the world.