Sofia Coppola directs a special film for the presentation of the New York City Ballet's 2021 Spring Gala. Opening with an introduction from Principal Dancer Maria Kowroski, Executive Director Katherine Brown, Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford, and Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan, Coppola takes us back to the days of classic Hollywood cinema by shooting the black and white.

Coppola's intimate and minimalist directing style works hand-in-hand with the exquisite nature of the ballet, letting the dancers and movement speak for themselves. New York City Ballet 2021 Spring Gala is an introduction to the company's first ever virtual offering of live dance, which was created by resident choreographer and artistic adviser at City Ballet Justin Peck. Each performance was filmed in various locations around the Lincoln Center, which has remained closed since the beginning of the pandemic.

"I’ve enjoyed going to the ballet over the years, but I have never filmed anything with a dance component," said Coppola in an interview with The New York Times. "and my shooting style is pretty stationary, so to do something where there was so much movement, I had to think about using the camera differently. What was very helpful was getting Justin’s films, shot on his phone, of his rehearsals with Anthony. It was interesting to see his sense of movement."

The film features music by Samuel Barber, Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Igor Stravinsky.

New York City Ballet 2021 Spring Gala will be available to watch until Thursday, May 27 at 8pm EDT