EXCLUSIVE: Abramorama has acquired North American distribution rights to Make Work, the documentary commissioned by the New York Choreographic Institute (the Institute) and directed by two-time Emmy-nominated filmmakers Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger (Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan) and produced by Saffire, Schlesinger and Adrian Danchig-Waring.
The North American theatrical release is being lined up for March 5, 2027. The film will play at next month’s Doc NYC.
Set inside the studios and stages of The Institute and New York City Ballet, Make Work “offers rare, intimate access to the creative process behind contemporary ballet. The film follows four choreographers, Harrison Ball, Sarah Foster-Sproull, Caili Quan and Houston Thomas, as they develop new work with NYCB dancers, revealing the pressure, experimentation, collaboration and uncertainty that take place before a ballet reaches the stage. With only two weeks to create original work during the Institute’s residencies, the choreographers navigate the delicate balance between honoring ballet’s traditions and pushing against its boundaries.”
Interwoven are reflections from leading choreographers Kyle Abraham, Lar Lubovitch, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Pam Tanowitz and Christopher Wheeldon, who share perspectives on their creative practices and the enduring influence of George Balanchine on New York City Ballet and the evolution of ballet itself.
The announcement comes as Danchig-Waring took his final bow with NYCB on Sunday, October 18, 2026, during a farewell performance marking the conclusion of his more than 24 years with the company. In the film, Danchig-Waring, who serves as a producer on Make Work and as Artistic Director of the New York Choreographic Institute, NYCB’s hub of creativity, gives his perspective on the institution and the artists working to shape its future.
Saffire and Schlesinger previously co-directed and produced Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan, which premiered at the New York Film Festival and was released by Netflix, and Sporting Dreams. They also co-produced Smash His Camera, which won Best Director at the Sundance Film Festival. Schlesinger’s producing credits include Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, which received the Sundance Special Jury Prize and was shortlisted for an Academy Award, as well as Page One: Inside the New York Times and God Grew Tired of Us, winner of both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
“We’ve always been drawn to the moments audiences never get to see,” said co-directors Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger. “With Make Work, we wanted to sit in the room while a ballet is being born, when ideas are fragile, when dancers and choreographers are taking real risks together, and when failure is part of the process. What we found was an art form deeply rooted in Balanchine’s legacy and fiercely committed to reinventing itself. These choreographers are asking what ballet can be, and who it can be for, and we hope the film lets audiences feel what it takes to answer that question.”
“For more than two decades, New York City Ballet has been my home, and the studio has been where I’ve learned the most about what it means to be an artist,” said Adrian Danchig-Waring. “The Institute exists to give choreographers the time, space and trust to experiment, and to fail, and that is where the future of ballet is being written. Make Work honors that process and the courageous artists who are shaping ballet’s next chapter.”
“Make Work gives audiences a rare and intimate window into the creative process at one of the world’s most influential ballet institutions,” said Karol Martesko-Fenster, CEO of AB2 Media Group / Abramorama, and Damon G. Smith, SVP of Business Growth and Creative Strategy. “The film captures something universal about making art — the uncertainty, the risk, the collaboration and ultimately the courage required to create something that has never existed before.”