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In this compelling, fictional Ballet documentary, former Prima Ballerina, Lydia Carmichael, shares her extraordinary journey from 1950s Nebraska to New York's prestigious School of American Ballet, and beyond.

Inspired by a childhood trip to see Margot Fonteyn perform Swan Lake at the Met Opera House in New York, and then trained by her late father, sixteen-year-old Lydia leaves home to pursue her dream of becoming a Prima Ballerina. Through candid recollections, Lydia reveals the harsh realities of living in 1970s Manhattan, training under the legendary choreographer–George Balanchine, and her unrelenting devotion to her art. At the same time she offers us a rare glimpse into the unforgiving world of professional ballet.

With the exception of the original short story and adapted screenplay, accompanying soundtrack and a small selection of licensed stills, all Visual Production for this short film has been created using GEN Ai, combining traditional filmmaking techniques with current digital tools. No performance capture was used.

All creative direction, narrative storytelling, structure, editorial decisions, grading and final assembly were authored and supervised by the filmmaker.

BALANCHINE is a Trademark of The George Balanchine Trust