NY Export: Opus Jazz
dirs. Jody Lee Lipes, Henry Joost
(61m, U S A)

A 'ballet in sneakers” by the legendary Jerome Robbins (West Side Story), NY Export: Opus Jazz was a smash hit in 1958 when it was broadcast on the Ed Sullivan Show. Set to a rousing jazz score by Robert Prince, the ballet portrayed the experiences of urban youth through movements that blended ballet, jazz, and ballroom dancing to create a contemporary and powerfully expressive style. Our modern-day scripted adaptation takes the ballet off the stage and back to the streets that inspired it, with the ensemble cast of disaffected youth played entirely by dancers from the New York City Ballet. Shot on location all over New York City on anamorphic 35mm by co-director/DP Jody Lee Lipes (Afterschool, Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be The Same, one of Filmmaker Magazines 2009 “25 New Faces of Independent Cinema”), the film takes advantage of some of New York City’s rarest and most stunning locations (the pre-renovation High Line and McCarren Pool). The stylized cinematography captures the majestic landscape of New York City as well as the subtle beauty and sensuality of the dance piece.

Following the dance film is a documentary by director Matt Wolf (Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell) where dance luminaries speak to the extraordinary history of the piece, while stylized screen tests of our cast of young New York City Ballet dancers provide contemporary insight into what makes this ballet so appealing.


Sunday, 6/26/11
8:00 - 9:00 pm
at Bananas