The young, ambitious ballerina leaves her home and loved ones in her native Texas for the world of Russian ballet as one of the first Americans admitted to the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. Working with the legendary teacher – Tatyana Volkova – Joy Womack trains to one day become a prima ballerina.
However, behind the beauty of dance there is a world full of pain and brutal competition. Joy is forced to push the boundaries of her physical and mental self, putting her health, her relationships, and perhaps her entire life on the line, on a journey to discover and understand what it truly means to be the best.
Film script “Joika” James Napier Robertson (“The Dark Horse”, “I Am Not Harry Jenson”) is inspired by the life of the American ballerina Joy Womack. She played it Talia Ryder.
She played Joy Womack’s mentor, Tatiana Volkova Diane Kruger (“Troy”, “Inglourious Basterds”). The cast also included outstanding Polish artists: Karolina Gruszka, Tomasz Kot and Borys Szyc.
“I love ballet, this world is absolutely fascinating. But it can also be cruel. There is a lot of competition there, and getting to the top requires huge sacrifices and titanic work. It is truly an activity for tough guys. Pain is an integral part of this activity. Joika has done amazing things, in such a way “she actually became a ballet legend at a young age. And she is now 29 years old. She is also a very nice and open girl who was responsible for the choreography in the film. I think it was an extraordinary experience for her to watch her life being transferred to the screen” – argued Borys Szyc.
“In the film ‘Joika’ I am the director of the Bolshoi Theater. I was a bit stressed as Diane Kruger’s boss. I was even more stressed by the fact that I play a former ballet master who arouses the admiration of the main character, knowing that Talia Ryder has been undergoing rigorous training for many months under the supervision of Joika itself,” said Tomasz Kot.
Joy Womack herself was also involved in the production of the film. The artist participated in the preparations for the film and is the author of the choreography of the ballet scenes.
The drama “Joika” is an American-New Zealand-Polish co-production. The Polish producer of the film is Madants.