BREAKING FORM

"Breaking Form" is a feature documentary about choreographer Jane Comfort, a maverick of New York City’s downtown dance scene who is known for her issue-oriented works that integrate text and movement since the late 1970s. Directed by Peabody Award-winner Alexandra Nikolchev, "Breaking Form" delves into a creatively rich yet under-examined chapter in dance, charting Comfort’s transformation from a polite Southern transplant to a globally celebrated performer renowned for her bold political and irreverent social commentary. The film invites viewers to be inspired by an artist who defies expectations and challenges audiences to engage with the social injustices of the day. 

Produced by Comfort and co-produced by award-winning artists Sean Donovan and Leslie Cuyjet, "Breaking Form" features a talented cast from over 40 years of Jane Comfort and Company, edited by Bara Jichova Tyson, Alexandra Nikolchev and additional editing by Sean Donovan, with an original score by Obie Award-winning composer Heather Christian.  

Winner - Best Documentary - Sky Arts Film Festival

Winner - Audience choice Honorable Mention - San Souci Festival of Dance Cinema

Official Selection -  Dance on Camera Festival - Film at Lincoln Center

“In the 1980s and ‘90s, Jane's work helped plant the seeds for looking at race and gender in downtown dance. This is why her work looms so important now; she was doing this stuff back then.”

- Wendy Perron, Writer, Dancer & Choreographer