Make Work, a documentary commissioned by the New York Choreographic Institute and directed by filmmakers Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger, has been acquired by Abramorama.
Set inside the studios and stages of The Institute and NYCB, 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.
“We’ve always been drawn to the moments audiences never get to see,” said two-time Emmy-nominated co-directors Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger (Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan). “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.”
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. Rehearsals become experimental laboratories where ideas are trailed, refined and sometimes abandoned, offering audiences a view of choreography as an evolving process rather than simply a finished product.
Interwoven throughout the film 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 film world premiered at the 2026 San Francisco Dance Film Festival and will have a premiere festival screening at the upcoming DOCNYC film festival, followed by its North American theatrical release beginning March 5, 2027.
“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, producer of Make Work and Artistic Director of the New York Choreographic Institute. “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.”
Saffire and Schlesinger are award-winning documentary filmmakers whose work has been recognized at Sundance and major festivals around the world. Together, they 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. Saffire’s credits include acclaimed films and series for HBO, Netflix, Disney, and Al Jazeera, often centered on performance, power, and representation. 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.
Danchig-Waring joined New York City Ballet in 2003 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2013. During his more than 24 years with the company, he has performed an extensive repertory spanning works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and contemporary choreographers. He took his final bow with NYCB during the special Adrian Danchig-Waring Farewell Performance on October 18, 2026.
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