Hybrid Cinema Presents Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance

Hybrid Cinema has announced the world premiere of the feature length documentary Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance at Dance On Camera Festival's opening night in New York City on Friday, January 27, 2012 at 8:30pm.

A repeat presentation will occur at Dance On Camera on the following day, Saturday, January 28th at 1:30pm. Both Dance On Camera screenings of Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance will be held at Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center. A stellar line-up of dance world panelists will be featured in Q&A sessions at both New York City screenings of the film. Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, the first film to chronicle how the legendary Joffrey Ballet revolutionized American ballet by daringly combining modern dance with traditional ballet, will also simultaneously premiere in theaters around the country via simulcast through Emerging Pictures on Saturday, January 28th.

Dance On Camera's opening night celebration will launch with the world premiere of Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance and include attendance by the director, Bob Hercules, and several members of the cast. The film, and associated Q&A session for the Saturday, January 28th matinee screening at 1:30pm, will simultaneously premiere for dance enthusiasts in participating theaters across the country via the Emerging Pictures network of theaters. A pioneering project, this marks the first time a film has simulcast its world premiere out of a major festival. Audiences at premiere screenings across the country will be able to participate in the New York City Q&A session on Saturday through a live Twitter feed.

Synopsis –
Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance
Director: Bob Hercules
Country: USA, 2012, 90min.
This insightful documentary, executive produced by Harold Ramis and Jay Alix and produced by Una Jackman and Erica Mann Ramis, examines the dynamic trajectory of the groundbreaking American ballet company – The Joffrey Ballet – which 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 (Bill T. Jones: A Good Man) documents the struggles and achievements of the Joffrey from its newfound beginnings in 1956 to the Company's present international success. The film features rare excerpts from many seminal Joffrey works including Astarte, Trinity and Billboards, as well as breakthrough collaborations with choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Leonid Massine, Laura Dean, and Kurt Jooss. FoundersRobert 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 Emmy® 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. See list of full credits at www.imdb.com/title/tt1829041/fullcredits.

Screening Schedule –
Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance screenings at Dance On Camera are accompanied by special appearances at panel discussions related to the film:

Saturday, January 28 [1:30pm] at Walter Reade Theatre:
Moderator Sasha Anawalt, author of The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an American Dance Company(Scribner, 1996); Trinette Singleton, principal dancer 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.

Simultaneous US Premieres –
The simulcast premieres across the country mark the launch of the film's distribution by Hybrid Cinema, which brought Dance Films Association and Emerging Pictures together for this series of events. The simulcast of the Saturday screening, which includes introductions as well as the Q&A session featuring top former Joffrey stars, will also be streamed live into participating cinemas. Audience members throughout the US will be able to ask the stars questions live via a live Twitter feed.

Gerald Arpino's "Light Rain" Photo credit: Herbert Migdoll

Director Bob Hercules –
Bob Hercules is an award-winning veteran producer/director (Forgiving Dr. Mengele, Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, Senator Obama Goes to Africa). The co-founder of Media Process Group, his work has been seen widely on PBS, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and the Independent Film Channel (IFC). He has also directed commercials for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Alzheimer's Association, McDonald's Corporation, Gap Clothing Stores and the Obama For President Campaign. His documentary, A Good Man, co-directed by Gordon Quinn, chronicles the intense creative journey of Bill T. Jones – a 2010 Kennedy Center Honors recipient and two-time Tony® Award winner for Best Choreography. It premiered on November 11, 2011 on PBS' celebrated seriesAmerican Masters.

The Joffrey Ballet –
For more than a half-century, The Joffrey Ballet's commitment to taking world-class, artistically vibrant work to a broad and varied audience has created a solid foundation that continues to support the Company's unprecedented capacity for achieving important "firsts." Today, the Joffrey, which has been hugely successful in its former residences in New York and Los Angeles, lives permanently in a brilliant new facility, Joffrey Tower, in the heart of America – Chicago, Illinois. The Company's commitment to accessibility is met through the most extensive touring schedule of any dance company in history, an innovative and highly effective education program including the much lauded Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, and collaborations with myriad other visual and performing arts organizations.

Co-founded in 1956 by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey and dancer Gerald Arpino, who would become the organization's principal choreographer, The Joffrey Ballet began as a DIY dance company of six dancers touring the United States in a borrowed station wagon. What started as a childhood dream quickly grew into one of the world's most exciting and prominent ballet companies. Together, Joffrey and Arpino transformed the face of dance by merging classical ballet technique with bold new perspectives for edgy new ballets that challenged conventions. Aggressive touring took the Company from school auditoriums across America's Heartland, to the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy's invitation, on to Russia for a month-long tour during the height of the Cold War, and beyond. They also garnered extensive media attention for their daring originality, which included appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, the cover of Time Magazine, and in major motion pictures such as Save the Last Dance and Robert Altman's The Company (which is based on the Joffrey).

Classically trained to the highest standards, The Joffrey Ballet expresses a unique, inclusive perspective on dance, proudly reflecting the diversity of America with its Company, audiences and repertoire, which includes major story ballets, reconstructions of masterpieces, and contemporary works. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under internationally renowned Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater and Executive Director Christopher Clinton Conway. The Joffrey Ballet has become one of the most revered and recognizable arts organizations in America and one of the top dance companies in the world. To learn more, please visit joffrey.org.

Dance On Camera –
Dance Films Association's annual Dance On Camera Festival celebrates the immediacy, energy, and mystery of dance combined with the intimacy of film. Considered the "mother" of dance film festivals, the Dance On Camera Festival presents a broad range of independently made documentaries, short films, features, and animation. Dance On Camera Festival has been produced by Dance Films Association since 1971, and co-sponsored by The Film Society of Lincoln Center since 1996. www.dancefilms.org/festival

Emerging Pictures –
Emerging Pictures is the largest all-digital specialty film and alternate content theater network in the United States. With a network of arts institutions, media arts centers and independent art house theaters, tied together through digital technology, Emerging is able to cost-effectively exhibit art films, documentaries, foreign language films, independent cinema and cultural programming. The Emerging Cinemas Network currently consists of 95 venues and is rapidly growing. www.emergingpictures.com

Hybrid Cinema –
Hybrid Cinema was created by filmmaker and author Jon Reiss (Think Outside the Box Office, Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul) to help filmmakers navigate the ever-changing world of film distribution and marketing. Hybrid Cinema consults with filmmakers to help them with the new digital era of distribution and marketing by utilizing modern strategies of audience engagement, special theatrical events, as well as innovative merchandising and release patterns. Hybrid Cinema also supervises film releases. Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance is Hybrid's second full release of a film following the graffiti documentary Bomb It. Indicative of the innovative release and audience engagement strategies used by Hybrid, the Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance release marks the first time that a film has simulcast its film festival world premiere throughout the U.S. as the launch of its theatrical release. Hybrid Cinema orchestrated this pioneering release strategy by, among other things, bringing the participating organizations together for these milestone premiere events. For more information on Hybrid Cinema, please visit www.hybridcinema.com.

Key Links –
Official Movie Site – www.joffreymovie.com