"Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance" Los Angeles Premiere February 1, 2012

Hybrid Cinema, The Colburn School and the California Dance Institute (CDI) present the Los Angeles Premiere of "Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance" with a special live panel made up of notable Los Angeles-based Joffrey alumni.

"Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance" tells the story of this groundbreaking cultural treasure. The film weaves together a wealth of archival footage, behind-the-scene photos and interviews with former and current Joffrey star dancers to document the struggles and achievements of The Joffrey from its newfound beginnings in 1956 to the company’s present international success.

Founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino and a host of ballet notables, including Gary Chryst, Trinette Singleton, Helgi Tomasson, Kevin McKenzie and more, are featured in the film. Narrated by Tony and Academy Award winner Mandy Patinkin, the film is a rich chronicle of a ballet company that continues to reinvent itself, raise the bar and invigorate audiences worldwide. Directed by Bob Hercules (Bill T. Jones-A Good Man), the film documents how The Joffrey Ballet revolutionized American ballet by daringly combining modern dance with traditional ballet technique, combining art with social statement and setting ballets to pop and rock music scores.

Los Angeles based Joffrey alumni will participate in a panel discussion at the event regarding their time with the company.

Moderator: Sasha Anawalt, author of The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an American Dance Company and Director, Arts Journalism Programs at USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. Panelists: Leslie Carothers-Aromaa, Artistic Director of The Colburn School Trudl Zipper Dance Institute and former Joffrey principal dancer; Carole Valleskey, Founder and Director of the California Dance Institute and former Joffrey principal dancer; and Francoise Martinet Moriarty, former Joffrey dancer from the company's earliest days in the late 1950s.

Official Website: http://www.joffreymovie.com/