This film tells the story of the first quintessentially American dance company, the Joffrey Ballet. Founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino revolutionized American dance by combining modern with traditional ballet to create a new and daring art form. 

Mavericks is largely structured around pivotal dances throughout the Joffrey’s sixty-year history. Job one was figuring out which dances—and dancers—would tell this story of a groundbreaking dance company that had to continually resurrect itself after devastating financial and artistic setbacks. Insightful (and often humorous) interviews are the backbone of the film, but it’s the photographs and archival footage that make it soar. Narration by Tony- and Emmy-Award-winner Mandy Patinkin moves the story from one era to the next. 

Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance was the opening film in the Dance on Camera Film Festival at Lincoln Center in January, 2012, followed by a national theatrical release playing in over 130 theaters, and it aired on the PBS series American Masters in December 2012.

Director: Bob Hercules

Executive Producers: Harold Ramis, Erica Mann Ramis, Jay Alix and Una Jackman