On Friday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. CT, PBS will premiere Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement, a new documentary produced by Kartemquin Films that follows the winners of the 14th annual Joffrey Ballet’s Grainger Academy of Dance’s Winning Works program. (The program showcases emerging minority choreographers and provides them with a platform to showcase their original and innovative works.)
Over a fortnight, the film follows five choreographers from Brazil, India, Puerto Rico, Brooklyn and Chicago as they race against the clock to transform personal stories into bold choreography. Viewers will witness their highs and lows in the choreographers’ personal and professional lives before they present at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
Windy City Times spoke with documentary filmmaker Cam Be as well as Winning Works choreographer Jainil Mehta about the film, dance and more.
Note: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Windy City Times: Cam, tell me about the genesis of this film.
Cam Be: I was actually approached by Kartemquin about the potential of doing this film about the Winning Works program. [Joffrey Ballet] hadn’t chosen the choreographers at that point. And it was on me to pitch my idea of what the film would look like to the Joffrey, and they liked my idea. After they had chosen the choreographers, I began to do research and pre-production.
But it was just my relationship with Kartemquin that actually led me to be involved in the film. I think Kartemquin had a conversation with the Joffrey about [its] programs [like] Diverse Voices in Docs, which I was part of in 2017.
WCT: What do you remember about the first time you two met, which was a couple years ago?
CB: Well, I have found out about Jainil because [the Joffrey] had picked the choreographers. So I was able to check out his Instagram, which is very entertaining; I could see that he was an extremely talented and charismatic individual, so I was excited. I think we then had a Zoom call or a phone call before he came. He has a warm personality, and he’s very creative and funny. So I just have such a warm regard for Jainil and his artistry as well.
Jainil Mehta: I believe that the first time we met, it was at a hotel. [CB: Yes, it was.] And I had no idea as to what was happening because I was obviously really focused on creating the work. Then we got an email saying that there was going to be someone filming us—and I love to be filmed so I was really excited.
It was very easy to talk to Cam. He was very understanding of boundaries and not stepping in the creative process—but he also took in all the information that he required. We’ve still been in touch after the past two years, and we’ve been seeing each other’s work.
WCT: Cam, you’ve been so involved in the arts; you’re a DJ, filmmaker, musician—and possibly a chef. [Be and Mehta smile.] I assume you got involved in the arts at a young age.
CB: Oh, yeah, I’ve always kind of had an interest in the arts. I feel like I’m a grown kid, like I’m still just playing like what I did when I was a kid. I grew up with my cousins and we made films and made music together. Then, I had the opportunity to be in a television program when I was in high school; I got to really like work with equipment, which really kind of led to a further passion and the pursuit of a career as a filmmaker.
But I’ve always been into music as well and play instruments—like the bass and guitar—and produce music. So it’s just another creative outlet for me. It all feels kind of the same. I feel like I’m just a storyteller, no matter what art form I’m doing.
JM: Storytelling—I feel like that was one common thing that we kind of had. While we were interacting with each other, it was about storytelling.
WCT: Jainil, when I saw this film, I wrote down two phrases about you. [Mehta makes a wry smile.] I promise these are good things. The items were “bold choices” and “challenges conventions.” However, because of those things, I imagine that you’ve had some pushback over the years.
JM: Yeah, I think what you just said is so true about my work and how I am in general, even just through my social media. But I feel like the more backlash I get, the more strength I have to actually do it, which is so interesting. I’m really strong-headed; you can call me stubborn in many ways. I think I was very determined [regarding] what I wanted to show. And though the Joffrey has its own sort of prestige, I was there to shake things up. [For example,] there was this entire section where there were 16 turns on their heels, which they’ve never done because it’s the opposite of ballet technique.
WCT: And Cam, obviously, there were four other choreographers. What did you learn about them, as a group?
CB: I thought they all had very incredible stories. I tried to find things that were different about them but that also tied them together. I think they all had points about their families, but a lot of the choreographers actually lost people who were significant to them. I thought that was very relatable. I think they all just are incredible artists and they all have their own paths and dance styles—but I think they’re all great human beings as well.
I think that’s what made the process so fun for me. I got to highlight some people that I really respect and admire, and I got to learn more about them and their artistry.
WCT: And Cam, what was one of the most surprising things you discovered while filmmaking?
CB: I hadn’t really been in the ballet world. I’ve covered [forms of] dance, like street dance and stuff. But in the world of ballet, there’s the type of dedication there is to the art form and the storytelling that exists. From the staging to the costumes to just the purpose of movement, there are all these moves that mean something..
Jainil wasn’t directly doing ballet, but he was working with ballet dancers and how he kind of translated his style to their approach. It was incredibly impressive. So I feel like I learned so much about that world. I’ve gained a whole new respect for dancers.
WCT: Jainil, what was something that surprised you about the dancers who worked with?
JM: The one thing that was really surprising was how malleable and flexible the dancers were, in terms of style. I thought that, with the Joffrey, they were going to be really poetic. It’s sometimes very difficult to get them out and actually shake them up.
WCT: Something I noticed was that the diversity of the choreographers wasn’t reflected in the dancers themselves, for the most part. Did either one of you want to comment on that?
CB: I think that we do address some of that in the film, especially through [choreographer] Houston [Thomas’] story. And then we talked to Pierre Lockett, and we were able to go on the South Side and see a group of young Black girls learning ballet.
I think that, obviously, we got to push for more diversity overall. And I’m all for that and creating conversations around it. I don’t think it’s going to happen overnight; it’s a process. I hope that my film and others continue to push those stories to help open the doors for other people of color to be in those spaces.
JM: I actually did not pay attention to that because I felt they were diverse in my own spectrum. So that never actually came up to me when I was working with them. But when I think about it in retrospect, as Cam mentioned, [more diversity] is not something that would happen overnight. And Winning Works is for BIPOC artists.
WCT: Jainil, your piece is entitled “Burning Bread,” and it literally involves dancers and bread [in a commentary on greed]. What was the inspiration for that piece?
JM: [Smiles] It was me toasting bread while I was in L.A. It was literally me toasting bread, and I burned it—and then I burned another one; that happened two or three times. And then I was very philosophical, as I could actually just have them; they were not that burnt.
It was me just thinking about wanting something better and wanting something more. And I realized that I could actually see that in a lot of things around me. So, right after that, I went back to India and then I saw that same pattern with my parents and my family. I saw people investing and wanting more, but then sacrificing their present and actually not enjoying that.
WCT: Cam, what’s one thing you want people to take away from the film?
CB: First of all, I mean, I like people to feel inspired by my films. There are different films that touch on very serious subjects and different things, and we touch on some very serious things here. These are incredible choreographers and they’ve had incredible journeys.
I also want [viewers] to just see the dedication it takes to do something like this—to be a choreographer. And I want people to feel like they’re in the room dancing with them; that they’re in the costume room working and seeing the costumes; and that they’re on the stage practicing the rehearsal for the performance.
WCT: Lastly, what does representation mean to each of you?
JM: I think representation is personal but, at the same time, I feel it’s also a responsibility to your community. It involves a lot of other factors, but that’s the first thing that came to my mind.
CB: Yeah—that’s a great question. I would say representation is a voice for your story. Like whatever you’re going through, that’s represented. And you can find other voices that also have that same experience or that same story or something similar. And whatever your perspective is, there’s a story from that perspective—not somebody else looking in from the outside, but that internal perspective that’s being displayed and shared.