THE COMPANY Special Screenings

In THE COMPANY, the esteemed Robert Altman (M*A*S*H, NASHVILLE, THE PLAYER, GOSFORD PARK) teams up with the Jeffrey Ballet of Chicago to provide a vivid and gritty insight into the working life of a busy dance company.

The story revolves around one woman, played by Neve Campbell (herself an experienced dancer, having trained with the National Ballet of Canada), who is on the verge of becoming a principal dancer with the company. Attendant to this dream are the enormous physical and emotional demands made on her, especially by the troupe’s autocratic artistic director (played with style and exuberance by Malcolm McDowell).

delight here is in experiencing the contrast between the punishing reality of a dancer’s life-the sweat, injury and rejection-and the sheer beauty and magic when the dancers appear-poised, elegant and ready to delight. The camera captures all of this and more, with a fondness and respect for the art that is evident in every colorful movement.