Make Work

WORLD PREMIERE  |  Make Work is both an intimate portrait of artistic creation and a broader meditation on the future of ballet. By pulling viewers directly into the creative engine of contemporary ballet, the film asks a central question: how can this centuries-old art form remain relevant in a contemporary world, and who will define its next chapter?

Directed and produced by Linda Marie Saffire, Adam Lloyd Schlesinger, and Adrian Danchig-Waring, the film is set inside the studios and stages of New York City Ballet and its experimental hub, the New York Choreographic Institute, following four contemporary choreographers as they create new work on NYCB’s dancers. Make Work emphasizes that what audiences see is never a finished product, but part of an ongoing, iterative process — rehearsals become laboratories where ideas are tested, refined, and sometimes discarded.

Interwoven throughout are reflections from leading choreographers Alexei Ratmansky, Justin Peck, Pam Tanowitz, Kyle Abraham, Christopher Wheeldon, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Lar Lubovitch, who share insight into their creative practices and grapple with the enduring influence of George Balanchine, whose legacy continues to shape both the company and the evolution of ballet itself.

Followed by a live Q&A with directors Linda Marie Saffire and Adam Lloyd Schlesinger, moderated by Amy Seiwert (Artistic Director, Smuin Ballet).