New PBS Documentary Goes Inside Joffrey Ballet’s Winning Works Competition
Looking for some dance inspiration this weekend? A new PBS documentary, Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement, goes inside the studio with five choreographers over two weeks as they create for Joffrey Ballet’s annual Winning Works competition. The film premieres Friday, September 18, at 9 pm EDT (check local listings) on PBS, as well as on the PBS app and PBS.org, and will be available to stream after the broadcast.
Since 2011, Winning Works has given emerging artists the opportunity to create a new work in collaboration with dancers from the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet. The competition, which has recognized past creatives like Jennifer Archibald, Amy Hall Garner, Omar Román de Jesús, and Chanel DaSilva, aims to broaden access to the art form by empowering choreographers from backgrounds historically under-represented in ballet. Each year, the company selects five winning choreographers to receive a $5,000 stipend, a minimum of 30 rehearsal hours, and travel and accommodations. The program culminates in a performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Edlis Neeson Theater, in Chicago.
Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement follows the competition’s 2024 cohort: Manoela Gonçalves (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Jainil Mehta (Mumbai, India), Martha Nichols (Brooklyn, New York), Xavier Núñez (Caguas, Puerto Rico), and Houston Thomas (Chicago, Illinois). Produced for PBS by Kartemquin Films and directed by Cam Be, the documentary captures the intensity in the studio as the artists’ performance deadline looms, while also exploring their personal stories. One example is Thomas, who began his training with Joffrey Ballet’s Outreach Program. His return to Chicago as a Winning Works choreographer—years after his mother’s death—represents both an emotional homecoming and a full-circle moment in his career.
The exclusive clip below features Núñez, a Joffrey Ballet company member, during his last day of rehearsal as he reflects on how his piece has evolved and the crossroads he feels in his own career.
For more information, visit PBS.org
