NY Export: Opus Jazz November 5, 2010

NY EXPORT: OPUS JAZZ is an ambitious and jaw-droppingly gorgeous adaptation of Jerome Robbins' beloved "ballet in sneakers." Directed by Henry Joost (CATFISH) and Jody Lee Lipes (BROCK ENRIGHT: GOOD TIMES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME), the SXSW Audience Award winner makes its New York theatrical run with a week-long engagement, November 5 - 11.

In 1958, Jerome Robbins' "NY Export: Opus Jazz" became a smash hit when it was broadcast on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and toured around the world. Set to an evocative score by Robert Prince, the dance told the story of disaffected urban youth through movement that blended ballet, jazz and ballroom dancing. Now, the work comes full circle in this street-cool adaptation, the first film to return Robbins' choreography to the city that inspired it since WEST SIDE STORY.

Shot on location and in 35mm, and featuring a young ensemble cast of New York City Ballet dancers, NY EXPORT: OPUS JAZZ re-imagines the original ballet for a whole new generation. Along with the film is a documentary where dance luminaries speak to the extraordinary history of the piece, while stylized screen tests of the cast reveal the enduring significance and appeal of the ballet.

The screenings will also include "Jerome Robbins' Ballets: USA," a never-before-seen documentary commissioned by the State Department in 1958.

"It's austere in purpose and yet lush and expansive in execution, suffused with summer heat and Terrence Malick cinematic light."
- James Wolcott, VANITY FAIR

"This film is just about the purest, sexiest thing going in ballet."
- Rebecca Mitzoff, NEW YORK MAGAZINE

"The finest new American film of 2010."
- Michael Tully, HAMMER TO NAIL

Official Website: http://opusjazz.eventbrite.com/