Superb modern revival of classic 50s choreography shot on location in NY. “Few ballets capture what it means to be young in New York City like Jerome Robbins’s 1958 NY Export: Opus Jazz.” — New York
Few ballets capture what it means to be young in New York City like Jerome Robbins's 1958 NY Export: Opus Jazz.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2010
NY Export: Opus Jazz 2010
“A visual feast of color and physical beauty unfolds throughout this ‘ballet in sneakers,’ a film adaptation of the 1958 gem by Jerome Robbins, who choreographed the piece as a companion to his famed West Side Story. Shot on location in New York, the cast, made up of New York City Ballet dancers, stays true to the theatrical and musical rhythms of the 50s… The characters jump, jive, and roll with the grit and restless spirit of urban youth. Like good dialogue, good dance can leap off the screen and leave you in wide-eyed amazement… A short documentary by Anna Farrell and Matt Wolf follows this stunning performance.” — Amy Smith, Austin Chronicle
“[The film] couples camera and dance with vanguard intimacy and marvel …[and] is the creation of New York City Ballet soloists Ellen Bar and Sean Suozzi, whose passion for the project is realized in each breathlessly innovative expression of the dance… New York’s urban landscape becomes a veritable stage for expressing the dynamic mettle of youthful frustration, lust, escape, and freedom.” — Durga Chew-Bose, Interview