Balanchine’s former dancers reveal startling new facets of the legendary choreographer as they open the door to his private classroom - his laboratory, set against their present-day efforts to keep his legacy alive.
SYNOPSIS
In Balanchine’s Classroom premiered in 2021 at Film Forum, NYC, followed by theatrical release across the country, garnering wide acclaim. It is available via DVD and streaming (see links below).
Director Connie Hochman has recently embarked on a new venture which builds on the movie and greatly enlarges its scope. The concept for In Balanchine’s Classroom for Dancers and Teachers (IBC4D&T) is an educational docu-series of mini stand-alone episodes which picks up where the film left off. While In Balanchine’s Classroom received critical accolades, it was not possible in its 88 minutes to cover the true breadth of Balanchine’s teaching. Thus, IBC4D&T was born of necessity. The docu-series will delve deep into the nuts and bolts of his groundbreaking approach, detailing the process by which Balanchine developed his dancers’ full expressive and musical powers. Each episode will address a separate element of his class, as well as portray the worldwide efforts to keep his teaching alive.
Drawing extensively from the IBC Digital Archive of 110 interviews, IBC4D&T will give voice to dozens of Balanchine dancers over a 50 year period – many, many more than the movie could contain. Their unique perspectives present a range of varying interpretations, as well as provide necessary information, context, and inspiration for today’s dancers, teachers, and repetiteurs striving to uphold the Balanchine legacy. From technique to nuanced artistry, from concrete principles to the ineffable, IBC4D&T will make a significant contribution to dance and our cultural heritage by documenting through primary sources how Balanchine’s work at the classroom level, in tandem with his choreography, revolutionized the art of ballet and developed many of the greatest dancers of our time. We plan for this educational resource to be readily available online.
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Director Connie Hochman
Connie Hochman was a professional ballet dancer with Pennsylvania [Philadelphia] Ballet where she performed many Balanchine masterworks. As a child in the 1960s, Connie trained at the School of American Ballet and danced alongside the New York City Ballet, with Balanchine at the helm. During these years, she witnessed a profound bond between master and his dancer-disciples, which continued to inspire and fascinate her. Decades later, Connie's childhood memories of Balanchine, combined with a desire to understand more, led her on a mission to solve a mystery. What exactly happened in Balanchine’s classroom, where he developed the dancers and the dancing to serve his choreographic vision?
In 2007, Connie began a series of interviews with former Balanchine dancers - ninety in all – to explore the phenomenon of Balanchine’s classroom. Why did he teach and not just choreograph? What did he teach? How did he teach? How did his daily class relate to his ballets? Their remembrances of his unorthodox methods and transformative teaching form the basis of IN BALANCHINE'S CLASSROOM.
In addition to the dancer interviews, Connie launched an extensive search for visuals that would bring the story to life. She discovered a trove of never-before-seen archival footage of Balanchine in America. With approval from The George Balanchine Trust, Connie traveled around the country and to Europe to film Balanchine’s former dancers staging his ballets, teaching classes, and passing on their knowledge to today’s generation. This wealth of material formed the foundation for In Balanchine's Classroom.
RELATED LINKS
PROMOTE THIS PROJECT
Put a donation widget on your site. Click here for code.
ABOUT YOUR DONATION
Women Make Movies (WMM), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit media arts organization registered with the New York Charities Bureau of New York State and accepts charitable donations on behalf of this project. Your donation will be spent by the filmmaker(s) toward the production and completion of this media project. No services or goods are provided by Women Make Movies, the filmmaker(s) or anyone else associated with this project in exchange for your charitable donation.
Your contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law, and a confirmation of your donation will be sent via email. WMM will send you an acknowledgement letter in the mail to the address listed for tax purposes.