The Company

The Joffrey Ballet announces Alberto Antonelli as the new artistic director, a warm yet demanding figure who will shape the company’s training and performances. He signals a balance of high standards with supportive leadership, guiding dancers through the season’s challenges. The film begins in the rehearsal room with his steady presence establishing the guiding ethos for what follows.

Antonelli spots Loretta 'Ry' Ryan as a talented dancer and gradually elevates her to more prominent parts within the company. Her rising profile comes with tension among peers who resist changes in cohesion and group dynamics. The new spotlight reflects the director’s confidence in her potential as a leading performer.

Like many company members, Ry balances demanding rehearsals with a second job at a trendy bar. Her mother’s protests underscore the financial pressures that drive her to keep performing while supporting herself. The grind tests her stamina as the season intensifies.

Ry meets Josh Williams, a young chef whose ascent in the kitchen mirrors her own ascent on stage. They begin a happy relationship after Josh sees Ry playing pool to Elvis Costello’s My Funny Valentine. The couple’s chemistry adds warmth amid the studio's intensity.

Robert Desrosiers casts Ry as the featured female dancer in Blue Snake after she impresses them by dancing outside during a thunderstorm to My Funny Valentine. The outside show becomes a turning point, cementing her as the leading star for the new work. The choice marks a pivotal shift in the company’s creative direction.

The staging of Blue Snake proves demanding, with the production pushing the dancers’ limits. An actual career-threatening injury to another dancer’s Achilles tendon interrupts rehearsals and tests the company’s resilience. Ry’s own performance demands also intensify under this pressure.

The intensive rehearsal schedule strains Ry’s personal life, causing her to miss a complicated dinner prepared by Josh. The conflict between romantic life and professional commitments highlights the sacrifices involved in pursuing stardom. Her resilience is tempered by the real-world costs of demanding performances.

Between Blue Snake preparations, the company rehearses several other pieces, including a dance on a swing set to Julee Cruise’s The World Spins. The number functions as a tension-reliever and showcases the troupe’s versatility. It also illustrates the variety of choreographic styles the company embraces.

To release tension, the dancers host an impromptu roast night, lampooning Antonelli and Desrosiers’ personalities. The festive gathering provides comic relief amid the season’s pressures. The event reinforces the camaraderie that sustains the company during tough rehearsals.

Blue Snake debuts at the Kennedy Center, delivering a resounding success despite on-stage drama. Ry injures her arm at the end of a solo, forcing Desrosiers to improvise until another dancer can be fitted into her elaborate costume. The premiere cements the production as a triumph for the company and its leadership.

Josh, who has also suffered a kitchen accident, sneaks onto the stage during the bows to congratulate Ry. His presence on stage seals their shared victory over adversity and highlights the personal stakes behind the season’s achievements. The moment ends with the couple’s celebration as the main curtain falls.

With the main curtain descending, Ry and Josh share a final celebratory moment, acknowledging the emotional and physical costs of the season. The company’s success with Blue Snake is celebrated while tensions and injuries are tempered by the triumph of performance. The film closes on a note of perseverance and artistic achievement.