“Fall to Rise is a heart filling drama about the outstanding dedication of dancers to their art. Director Jayce Bartok beautifully captured the emotional difficulties of dancers coming to terms with age and identity.”
— Robert Redford

This award winning feature film is the directorial debut of Jayce Bartok and stars the incomparable
Daphne Rubin-Vega in a stunning performance noted by Michael Musto to be “... raw, real, funny, passionate, and full of aching humanity.”

The film also features fantastic performances by legendary dancers Katherine Crockett and Desmond Richardson.

Wendy Whelan says “This film takes a very serious look at the identity crisis every serious dancer faces when facing a loss of their art, and also gives us insight to the extraordinary bonds we all build as professional dancers within a company. This story speaks for so many of us and for the intensity, both high and low that come along with being a part of this art form. It gives a beautiful heart-wrenching nod to those special souls who come into, or back into, our lives to help us through it all.”
— Wendy Whelan

The film follows a renowned principal dancer whose injury forces her out of her company and uncomfortably into the role of motherhood. She realizes that her identity depends on dance and she struggles to return with the help of another former company dancer. This is a timeless tale with a distinctly New York flavor, revealing the conflict between art and life, between marriage and independence.