Make Work | 2026 SF Dance Film Festival

Make Work

Inside the studios of New York City Ballet, four emerging choreographers wrestle with the future of an art form in motion.

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?

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).

Directors: Adam Lloyd Schlesinger, Linda Marie Saffire
Choreographers: Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Justin Peck, Pam Tanowitz, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Lar Lubovitch, Kyle Abraham, Caili Quan, Houston Thomas, Sarah Foster Sproull, Harrison Ball
(United States, 2026) 95 minutes

Tickets purchased at the door will cost $1 additional per ticket.

4:00p | House Opens

4:30p | Program begins

Runtime: 95 minutes

Venue Accessibility: Brava Theater is located at 2781 24th Street. Curb cuts for the sidewalk to the Brava Theater Center are located on the corner of York and 24th Street. The entrance of the theater is on the ground floor and there is an elevator to seating in the upper level of the theater.

About the 2026 San Francisco Dance Film Festival: 

The San Francisco Dance Film Festival marks its seventeenth year this fall with over 80 films celebrating dance in all its forms, from world-class ballet to endangered folkloric traditions. Eighteen in-person screenings run October 23 through November 8 at venues across San Francisco, complete with artist Q&As, panels, and community gatherings, followed by an Online Festival from November 9 through 30 featuring short film programs and online-only features. Join SFDFF 2026 for intimate documentaries, dazzling screendance, and thrilling live performance captures that celebrate the ever-evolving intersection of dance and film.

For more info please visit our website.