The Chicago History Museum, in partnership with The Joffrey Ballet, the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Gerald Arpino Foundation, presents the premiere of Christian Holder: My Life Is Dance on Friday, October 30, 2026, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 pm. Directed by Academy Award®-winning producer and director Brigitte Berman, the documentary follows the life and career of the multi-talented Christian Holder, a celebrated Joffrey Company Dancer of the 1970s, up to his death in 2025. The screening takes place at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street, and includes a Q&A with Berman. Admission is free; RSVP is requested at chicagohistory.org.
Revealing interviews and rare archival dance footage portray the trajectory of Holder’s career in ballet and his extraordinary achievements in choreography, theater, music, and costume design. Over the course of several years, Holder designed costumes for Tina Turner, forging a close friendship with the celebrated singer and dancer that lasted until her death.
Through Holder’s acclaimed autobiographical cabarets—which debuted in New York and London—Holder commands the stage, using the power of musical storytelling to bring his personal story to life. These cabarets form the spine of Christian Holder: My Life Is Dance.
The film places Holder’s life and artistry within the social and political forces of his time, examining the struggle for civil rights and the prejudices he confronted. The film connects Holder’s lauded dance performance of Death in Kurt Jooss’s The Green Table to his opposition to the Vietnam War and explores the devastating impact of the AIDS crisis. Featured participants include former Joffrey Company Artist Trinette Singleton; close friend, dancer and choreographer Margo Sappington; Christian’s cousin Leo Holder; Christian’s aunt and Dance Pioneer Carmen de Lavallade; and The Joffrey Ballet’s The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE, alongside former Joffrey Company Dancer Gary Chryst; Dancer and former artistic director of the Dance Theater of Harlem Virginia Johnson; Lucie Conrad, Kurt Jooss’s granddaughter; Artistic Director and Dancer Desmond Richardson and more.
“I felt deeply honored that Christian Holder entrusted me with his life story,” Berman says in her director’s statement. “I knew the film had to be guided by Christian’s own voice and perspective. His cabaret performances – those luminous, deeply personal, autobiographical works that he acted, sang, spoke, and brought to life became the natural spine of the film…It was essential to me that this film not only portray Christian as an artist and a man, but also clearly place him squarely within the charged political and social currents of his time. Art does not exist in isolation – it collides with injustice, intolerance, fear, and the need for change.”
Seven years in the making, Christian Holder: My Life Is Dance incorporates Holder’s personal archives, including photographs, paintings, drawings of costume designs, home movies, and stunning footage of Christian dancing, along with materials from personal collections contributed by friends and colleagues. The Joffrey Ballet, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Gerald Arpino Foundation, and the Jooss Archives in Germany also contributed important archival materials.
Christian Holder died on February 18, 2025. The documentary spotlights Christian Holder’s voice, spirit, and artistry, offering audiences a rare and personal glimpse into the creative vision, passion, and purpose that drove him.
Christian Holder: My Life Is Dance is directed, written, and researched by Brigitte Berman. Executive producers: Chaz Ebert and Dan Lyon. Producers and editors: Brigitte Berman and Lee Cochran. Original music composed by Ken Myhr.
About Christian Holder
Christian Holder was born June 18, 1949 in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and came to London at age 2 with his father, Boscoe Holder, a famous musician, dancer, choreographer, and artist, and his mother, Sheila Holder, who danced and sang with ‘Boscoe Holder and his Caribbean Dancers’. Christian became one of The Joffrey Ballet’s most acclaimed artists during his tenure with the Company from 1966 to 1979 and spent forty-four years in New York before returning to London.
In 1963, Martha Graham offered Holder a scholarship as part of a select group of young dancers, and a year later, at the young age of 15, Christian arrived in New York, where he moved in with his aunt and uncle, Geoffrey Holder and Carmen de Lavallade. He enrolled at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City, where he was discovered by Robert Joffrey, who invited him to join The Joffrey Ballet. His performances with the Company included the role of Death in a revival of Kurt Jooss’s 1932 deeply haunting antiwar ballet, The Green Table. From 1979 to 1981, Holder appeared as a guest solo dancer with San Francisco Opera, where he also choreographed The Merry Widow and Aida. His choreographic work included Weren’t We Fools? for American Ballet Theatre and Transcendence for Atlanta Ballet. He appeared in repertory theater productions and musicals and designed costumes for ballets, including Margo Sappington’s Toulouse-Lautrec for the Ballet du Capitole in Toulouse, France.
Holder also taught ballet at Steps on Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, and Peridance, as well as for Cedar Lake Dance. After returning to London, England, in 2009, he continued his creative work, writing the book and lyrics for Verse of Fortune, writing and directing Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act, and directing One Man – both staged at the Playground Theatre. In 2024, the limited-edition fine art book Boscoe Holder: Travels in Rhythm, A Life of Art and Dance, written by Christian about his father, Boscoe Holder, was published by David Roe of Rosenstiels.
About Brigitte Berman
Brigitte Berman is an Academy Award®-winning producer, director, editor and writer born in Frankfurt, Germany. She has produced and directed over 200 documentaries – both independently and with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Her films have screened at numerous international film festivals and won many international awards, including the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got.
About The Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for 71 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works.
Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron.
The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of its 2026–2027 Season Sponsors: The Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, The Florian Fund, Gallagher, Anne L. Kaplan, Lynda Sue Lane, M.D., and The Women’s Board of The Joffrey Ballet. Season-long sponsorship of the Company Artists is generously made possible by Margot and Josef Lakonishok.
Live Music Sponsors: Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, and The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music. The Joffrey also acknowledges our Season Partners: ATHLETICO and Chicago Athletic Clubs.
For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
