By American Repertory Ballet
PRINCETON, NJ – American Repertory Ballet is pleased to bring Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance to Princeton’s Garden Theater for a special viewing and event Thursday, July 12 at 7:30pm. Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance tells the story of this groundbreaking cultural treasure, known as the first truly American dance company.
Narrated by Tony® and Emmy® Award winner Mandy Patinkin and directed by Bob Hercules (also Director of Bill T. Jones-A Good Man), the film documents how The Joffrey Ballet revolutionized American ballet by daringly combining modern dance with traditional ballet technique, combining art with social statement and setting ballets to pop and rock music scores.
Douglas Martin, American Repertory Ballet’s Artistic Director and former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, will introduce the film and lead a post-viewing discussion along with some other special guests.
Martin was invited to join the Joffrey Ballet in 1984 where he performed roles in ballets by Ashton, Arpino, Cranko, Balanchine, Joffrey, Taylor, Pendleton, Kudelka and many other great 20th century choreographers. Mr. Martin was featured in performances of Dance in America on the PBS network and was an original cast member of the historic recreation of Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps. He was among the last dancers of the Joffrey Ballet to spend the majority of his career in the company working under founder Robert Joffrey. After dancing with Cleveland Ballet 1991-1993, Martin was invited to join the American Repertory Ballet and was a leading dancer in the Company until his retirement from performing in 2002.
In 2010, Mr. Martin became Director of American Repertory Ballet. Since then, he has premiered a new production of Nutcracker(2010), and world premieres of several new repertory works: Ephemeral Possessions, the Balcony pas de deux and Ballroom scene from Romeo and Juliet, and Pathways, commissioned by the Career Transition for Dancers Gala.
Martin has always wanted to direct a ballet company with an artistic structure similar to The Joffrey’s – a company with a repertory of classical and contemporary choreography. Under Martin’s directorship, ARB has become just that. The Company has even performed choreography by Joffrey greats. In 2012, ARB revived Gerald Arpino’s Confetti. Arpino was co-founder of The Joffrey Ballet alongside Robert Joffrey, who later succeeded Joffrey as Artistic Director. ARB has also performed works by famous dancer alumni of The Joffrey Ballet, including Martin, Mary Barton, Trinette Singleton, and Patrick Corbin. This upcoming 2012-2013 season, Anne-Marie D’Angelo will be added to American Repertory Ballet’s list of Joffrey-affiliated choreographers. As part of his post-film talk, Martin will speak about how his experiences and connections from The Joffrey Ballet have affected his work as Artistic Director of this local professional company.
Click here for more information about and to view the official trailer of
Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance.
About American Repertory Ballet
American Repertory Ballet’s mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization is comprised of: American Repertory Ballet, the preeminent contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and the Access and Enrichment initiatives, ranging from the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program to the newly launched On Pointe series.
The professional company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th century alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today. Founded in 1963, the company is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. American Repertory Ballet has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council and was voted People’s Choice for Best Dance Company in 2008 and 2011.

