Making film portraits of artists I admire answers my desire to probe into the meaning of an artistic life. As a young artist, I remember seeing the documentary "Dancemaker," about the iconic choreographer Paul Taylor. The film startled me with its honesty, allowing me to see deep down into Taylor’s life and his fragile human-ness. It offered me a great gift - insight into what it really means to shape a life in dance, the choices and sacrifices made over a lifetime.

Those who pursue a life in dance - especially modern dance - are a unique species. We are obsessed with rigor, meaning, and excellence within an art form that many people have no idea even exists, let alone understand to be of cultural value. Risa Steinberg, modern dancer and teacher extraordinaire, is as obsessed as they come.

I met Risa while I was creating a commission for Juilliard in 2014. We were immediately drawn to each other. She understood what I was trying to pull from those young student dancers, and she gave them insightful corrections that unlocked their performances in an astonishing way. Risa’s mastery of form derived from a lifetime of infusing every part of her life with the pursuit of her craft.

In June of 2022, our tiny film crew made a home in Risa's New York City apartment for four days. As we played, bouncing between talking and dancing, Risa was incredibly generous and unguarded with her thoughts about family, legacy, dancing, teaching, devotion, aging, and the personal sacrifices that have shaped her career and life. She let us meet her as a human being as well as an artist. Thanks to Risa’s courage, RISA is infused with fearless and unapologetic self-knowledge.

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