JOFFREY BALLET: THE NEXT MOVEMENT to Premiere on PBS
Choreographers from Brazil, India, Puerto Rico, Brooklyn and Chicago are featured in the Kartemquin Films production.
PBS has announced the premiere of JOFFREY BALLET: THE NEXT MOVEMENT, a documentary produced by Kartemquin Films that follows the winners of the 14th annual Joffrey Ballet Grainger Academy of Dance Winning Works program. The film is set to air on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app, tracing the choreographic competition that supports emerging artists in developing and presenting original work while broadening access for artists historically excluded from ballet.
Often considered the pinnacle of collaborative artistry, ballet has not been equally accessible to all for generations, and JOFFREY BALLET: THE NEXT MOVEMENT traces the process of rewriting that legacy. The film premieres Friday, September 18, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS app.
Over two pressure-filled weeks, the film shadows five choreographers from Brazil, India, Puerto Rico, Brooklyn, and Chicago as they race against the clock to transform personal stories into bold choreography. Each artist is at a pivotal moment in their career, entering the high-stakes world of choreography not just with ambition, but with everything to prove.
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Manoela Gonçalves arrives in Chicago at a personal crossroads, looking towards her future as a choreographer. Jainil Mehta, originally from Mumbai, brings fearless creativity to the studio, challenging gender expectations within the Indian community. Award-winning choreographer and educator Martha Nichols draws from a deeply rooted sense of identity instilled by her mother and grandmother. Xavier Núñez is facing the realities of a dancer's limited stage life and seeking to expand his creative path. And for Houston Thomas, returning to Chicago carries emotional weight: once a student in the Joffrey Ballet's Outreach Program, he now returns years after the loss of his mother.
In the studio — where sweat, ambition, and artistry collide — the film captures the intensity of their processes. Each rehearsal becomes a crucible: bodies pushed to the limit, ideas tested under pressure, and a looming deadline to deliver something extraordinary. Between studio sessions, glimpses of their lives beyond the dance floor reveal the sacrifices, inspirations, and uncertainties of navigating a field still shaped by systemic inequities. And as opening night approaches, the choreography itself becomes a form of autobiography — powerful works shaped by each creator's identity, heritage, and the world around them. These five artists are not just making dances; they are reshaping ballet's future.
JOFFREY BALLET: THE NEXT MOVEMENT will stream simultaneously with broadcast and be available on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, VIZIO and LG Smart TVs.
JOFFREY BALLET: THE NEXT MOVEMENT is produced for PBS by Kartemquin Films. Directed by Cam Be. Stacy Robinson is the executive producer, and Ingrid Roettge, Mar Garvey and Ian Kibbe are producers.
About the Choreographers
Manoela Gonçalves is a Brazilian choreographer and multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges dance, film, and music. Born in Rio de Janeiro, she trained at the Maria Olenewa School at the Theatro Municipal before receiving a scholarship to study in London. While dancing with Zurich Ballett, she created Frida, which premiered at the Zurich Opera House. Her choreography, Benteveo, gained international attention following performances in Italy. Gonçalves has also choreographed music videos for artists including Kerala Dust and Nightbell and directed the dance film Lisa, featured at the San Francisco and LA Dance Film Festivals. She is currently based in Switzerland.
Jainil Mehta is a choreographer and dancer from Mumbai, India, and a former company member of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. He trained at Shiamak Davar International and graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, earning a Discovery Scholars Distinction. Mehta has performed works by leading choreographers including William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Barak Marshall, and Alejandro Cerrudo. His work challenges gender stereotypes within the Indian community and has been featured in outlets including BBC News and Good Morning America. Mehta has choreographed music videos and stage works and teaches internationally across Asia, Europe, and the United States. He is currently based in New York City.
Martha Nichols is an award-winning choreographer, dancer, teacher, and speaker, and the recipient of the 2021 Princess Grace, Brian, and Amy France Choreography Honor. Her work spans film, television, stage, and live performance, with credits including Spirited (Apple TV+), In the Heights, The Greatest Showman, and La La Land, as well as projects with The Metropolitan Opera, Cirque du Soleil, and artists including Madonna, Rihanna, and Khalid. Nichols is the 2016 Capezio A.C.E. Award winner for choreographic excellence and was named one of Dance Magazine's '25 to Watch.' She recently served as Associate Choreographer on Disney's live-action film Snow White.
Xavier Núñez, a choreographer and Company Artist with the Joffrey Ballet, was born in Puerto Rico and began training at age ten at The Hartt Community Dance Division in Hartford, Connecticut. After studying at the International Ballet Academy in North Carolina, he won the silver medal at the 2012 World Ballet Competition, leading to a position with American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. Núñez later performed with Tulsa Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet before joining The Joffrey Ballet in 2018. At Joffrey, he has performed leading roles in productions including Anna Karenina and The Little Mermaid. Based in Chicago, Núñez is also the co-founder of the video production company Action Lines and a Zach Lazar Fellowship recipient.
Houston Thomas is a Chicago-born dancer and choreographer who began training with The Joffrey Ballet's Outreach Program before studying at the Joffrey Academy and Chicago High School for the Arts. He later trained at the School of American Ballet and joined Dresden Semperoper Ballett in 2013, rising to the rank of second soloist. Thomas began choreographing in 2018 with Moonlit Variants and has since collaborated with the New York Choreographic Institute, Cincinnati Ballet, ABT Studio Company, Juilliard, and Ballet San Antonio. In 2022, he premiered Follow the White Rabbit in Biarritz, earning a commission to create Skywatcher for Opéra National de Bordeaux. His Winning Works ballet, Dear Chicago: A Love Letter, will be performed by the Joffrey Ballet in February 2027.
About PBS
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The documentary follows five choreographers, Manoela Gonçalves, Jainil Mehta, Martha Nichols, Xavier Núñez and Houston Thomas, over two weeks as they develop original pieces from personal experience, capturing the rehearsal process alongside glimpses of their lives outside the studio.
