Stream with KPBS+ / Premieres Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2
Witness five rising choreographers creating world premieres for The Joffrey Ballet’s Winning Works. Under intense pressure, these artists from diverse backgrounds transform their personal stories into bold choreography, shaping ballet’s future.
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Credits: Produced for PBS by Kartemquin Films. Directed by Cam Be. Stacy Robinson is the executive producer, and Ingrid Roettge, Mar Garvey and Ian Kibbe are producers.
About the Choreographers:
Manoela Gonçalves is a Brazilian choreographer and multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges dance, film, and music. Born in Rio de Janeiro, she trained at the Maria Olenewa School at the Theatro Municipal before receiving a scholarship to study in London. While dancing with Zurich Ballett, she created Frida, which premiered at the Zurich Opera House. Her choreography, Benteveo, gained international attention following performances in Italy. Gonçalves has also choreographed music videos for artists including Kerala Dust and Nightbell and directed the dance film Lisa, featured at the San Francisco and LA Dance Film Festivals. She is currently based in Switzerland.
Jainil Mehta is a choreographer and dancer from Mumbai, India, and a former company member of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. He trained at Shiamak Davar International and graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, earning a Discovery Scholars Distinction. Mehta has performed works by leading choreographers including William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Barak Marshall, and Alejandro Cerrudo. His work challenges gender stereotypes within the Indian community and has been featured in outlets including BBC News and Good Morning America. Mehta has choreographed music videos and stage works and teaches internationally across Asia, Europe, and the United States. He is currently based in New York City.
Martha Nichols is an award-winning choreographer, dancer, teacher, and speaker, and the recipient of the 2021 Princess Grace, Brian, and Amy France Choreography Honor. Her work spans film, television, stage, and live performance, with credits including Spirited (Apple TV+), In the Heights, The Greatest Showman, and La La Land, as well as projects with The Metropolitan Opera, Cirque du Soleil, and artists including Madonna, Rihanna, and Khalid. Nichols is the 2016 Capezio A.C.E. Award winner for choreographic excellence and was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch.” She recently served as Associate Choreographer on Disney’s live-action film Snow White.
Xavier Nuñez, a choreographer and Company Artist with the Joffrey Ballet, was born in Puerto Rico and began training at age ten at The Hartt Community Dance Division in Hartford, Connecticut. After studying at the International Ballet Academy in North Carolina, he won the silver medal at the 2012 World Ballet Competition, leading to a position with American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. Nuñez later performed with Tulsa Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet before joining The Joffrey Ballet in 2018. At Joffrey, he has performed leading roles in productions including Anna Karenina and The Little Mermaid. Based in Chicago, Nuñez is also the co-founder of the video production company Action Lines and a Zach Lazar Fellowship recipient.
Houston Thomas is a Chicago-born dancer and choreographer who began training with The Joffrey Ballet’s Outreach Program before studying at the Joffrey Academy and Chicago High School for the Arts. He later trained at the School of American Ballet and joined Dresden Semperoper Ballett in 2013, rising to the rank of second soloist. Thomas began choreographing in 2018 with Moonlit Variants and has since collaborated with the New York Choreographic Institute, Cincinnati Ballet, ABT Studio Company, Juilliard, and Ballet San Antonio. In 2022, he premiered Follow the White Rabbit in Biarritz, earning a commission to create Skywatcher for Opéra National de Bordeaux. His Winning Works ballet, Dear Chicago: A Love Letter, will be performed by the Joffrey Ballet in February 2027.
