“Visually stunning and dramatically engrossing, this film doesn’t just tell Ms. Womack’s story. It brings the viewer along for an unforgettable ride from the optimistic beginnings through corruption and despair to the eventual triumph of one ballerina’s unique and fascinating story. “

— Bill Waldinger, Classical Ballet and All That Jazz

“Womack herself is very much a documentary filmmaker’s dream: outspoken and always willing to take center stage, she is a force of nature to be reckoned with…. Lively and action-packed throughout its running time, this portrait of a woman bulldozing herself through life, taking no prisoners is impressive. “

— Meredith Taylor, Filmuforia

As the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy’s prestigious main training program, and the first American woman to sign a contract with the Bolshoi Ballet, Joy Womack made history. And though she’s only 27, her remarkable rise to an international stardom has been chronicled in JOY WOMACK: THE WHITE SWAN, a feature-length documentary from filmmakers Dina Burlis and Sergey Gavrilov.

JOY WOMACK: THE WHITE SWAN offers a years-long perspective of the dancer’s time in Russia. Though Joy grew up in a typical American family, from a young age, she yearned to be a ballet dancer, and moved to Russia when she was 15 to follow her dream. Without a word of Russian, not completely fit for the physical requirements of Russian ballet dancers, Womack showed her strength and dedication to ballet and accomplished her dreams. The film follows Joy’s personal and professional life: from her daily challenges, injuries, and performances to becoming a ballet dancer with Bolshoi Theatre group and then prima ballerina of Kremlin Ballet, where she has the performance of her lifetime — Swan Lake, before closing this chapter of her life and returning to her home country to join the Boston Ballet.

Directed by: Dina Burlis, Sergey Gavrilov

Written by: Dina Burlis, Daria Kiseleva

Produced by:Dina Burlis, Sergey Gavrilov

Co-Produced by: Daria Kiseleva

Executive Produced by: Denis Krupnov, Anna Krupnova

Director of Photography: Sergey Gavrilov

Editing by: Dina Burlis, Danila Kuznetsov

Genre: World Cinema/Documentary

RT: 90 minutes

Aspect Ratio: 1.78: 1

Sound: 2.0 Stereo

Language: Russian with English Subtitles, English