This evening, the incredible NY Export: Opus Jazz is playing for one night only at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema in Toronto.  After premiering to much acclaim at South by Southwest back in 2010, this is a rare and very worthwhile opportunity to experience this mesmerizing film on the big screen, programmed through the hard work of James McNally of Shorts That Are Not Pants.

Directed by Henry Joost and Jody Lee Lipes, the film is made up of spectacular dances staged across New York, all captured through strikingly vivid cinematography.  Adapted from the rarely performed 1958 composition “ballet in sneakers,” which was choreographed by Jerome Robbins three years before his Oscar-winning masterpiece West Side Story, NY Export: Opus Jazz is a beautifully shot and highly cinematic film that brings this magnificent dancing to the screen in an unforgettable way.

There is some great stuff happening right now at the Bloor, with the wonderful Good Ol’ Freda having just finished a successful run and the inspirational 15 Reasons to Live playing for the last time this afternoon.  Tonight’s presentation of NY Export: Opus Jazz should prove to be another memorable experience at the theatre.

The 46 minute film screens at 9:00 PM, followed by a 15 minute documentary about the production and a talk with Rex Harrington, Artist in Residence at the National Ballet of Canada.  You can purchase tickets for the event right here.

-John C.