Movies like Ballet Now (2018)
The best movies like Ballet Now (2018) are Dancer (2016), Nureyev (2018) and Black Ballerina (2016). If Ballet Now hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPina (2011)7.4/10 from 291 votes
- NewestMasaka Kids, A Rhythm Within (2025)Released 2025
Dancer (2016)
Sergei Polunin is a breathtaking ballet talent who questions his existence and his commitment to dance just as he is about to become a legend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNureyev (2018)
An insight into the life of the world's most famous male dancer, Rudolf Nureyev.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Black Ballerina (2016)
BLACK BALLERINA tells the story of several black women from different generations who fell in love with ballet. Six decades ago, while pursuing their dreams, Joan Myers Brown, Delores Browne and Raven Wilkinson confronted racism, exclusion and unequal opportunity. Today, young dancers of color continue to face formidable challenges breaking into the overwhelmingly white world of ballet. Moving back and forth in time, this lyrical, character driven film shows how far we still have to go and stimulates a fresh discussion about race, inclusion and opportunity across all sectors of American society.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Polina (2016)
Polina is a young dancer from a modest family. After years of ballet academy, she is accepted by the Bolshoi; still, she decides to try and audition of a modern dance company in France. She makes it, but her journey will not end there...
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fits (2016)
While training at the gym, 11-year-old tomboy Toni becomes entranced with a dance troupe. As she struggles to fit in, she finds herself caught up in danger as the group begins to suffer from fainting spells and other violent fits.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNational Gallery (2014)
A portrait of the day-to-day operations of the National Gallery of London, that reveals the role of the employees and the experiences of the Gallery's visitors. The film portrays the role of the curators and conservators; the education, scientific, and conservation departments; and the audience of all kinds of people who come to experience it.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBirds of Paradise (2021)
Two dancers at an elite ballet academy in Paris must compete for a contract to join the highly coveted Opéra National de Paris as they confront their competitive nature, sexual awakenings and how far they would go to win.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMasaka Kids, A Rhythm Within (2025)
The story behind the Uganda-based YouTube dance sensations who have endured devastating personal loss from famine and war, and use the power of dance and song to overcome hardship.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Step (2017)
The senior year of a girls’ high school step team in inner-city Baltimore is documented, as they try to become the first in their families to attend college. The girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in their troubled city.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Let's Dance (2019)
After his crew breaks up, a gifted but insecure hip-hop dancer teaches at a top ballet school in Paris, where he falls for an aspiring ballerina.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Art: In the Absence of Light (2021)
An introduction to the work of some of the foremost Black visual artists working today, inspired by the late David Driskell's landmark 1976 exhibition, "Two Centuries of Black American Art."
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
In Jackson Heights (2015)
Legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman explores the culture, politics and daily life of the Queens, NYC district of Jackson Heights, which lays claim to being the most diverse neighborhood in the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Nude (2017)
NUDE explores perceptions of nudity in art by chronicling the creative process of photographer David Bellemere as he's commissioned by NU Muses founder Steve Shaw to shoot a fine art calendar of nude photographs.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDance Dreams - Hot Chocolate Nutcracker (2020)
This documentary spotlights Debbie Allen's career and follows her group of dance students as they prepare for Allen's annual "Hot Chocolate Nutcracker," a reimagining of the classic ballet.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Ailey (2021)
Alvin Ailey was a visionary artist who found salvation through dance. Told in his own words and through the creation of a dance inspired by his life, this immersive portrait follows a man who, when confronted by a world that refused to embrace him, determined to build one that would.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Cunningham (2019)
The iconic Merce Cunningham and the last generation of his dance company is profiled in Alla Kovgan's 3D documentary, through recreations of his landmark works and archival footage of Cunningham, John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, and more.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
First Position (2011)
A documentary that follows six young dancers from around the world as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEx Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPina (2011)
Pina is a feature-length dance film in 3D with the ensemble of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, featuring the unique and inspiring art of the great German choreographer, who died in the summer of 2009.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMarina Abramović: The Artist Is Present (2012)
Performance artist Marina Abramovic prepares for a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Walk on Water (2020)
At night, the streets of Harlem are haunted by lost souls. Bodies that drift around in the darkness and bear the weight of the past on their shoulders. The Haitian man Frenchie is one of them, and his accentuated stutter bears witness to exile and years of abuse. But he is more than just that in Khalik Allah's new, hypnotic film opus, which turns the American tradition of social realist street photography into its own art form.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018)
Exploring the pre-fame years of the celebrated American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, and how New York City, its people, and tectonically shifting arts culture of the late 1970s and '80s shaped his vision.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Ballets Russes (2005)
For many, modern ballet began with the Ballet Russe of Monte Carlo, originally made up of Russian exiles from the Russian Revolution. This film tells the story of this landmark company with its stars and production as well as its power games, rivalries and tribulations that marked its turbulent history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Strip Down, Rise Up (2021)
The feature documentary follows women of all walks of life, all ages and ethnic backgrounds, as they shed trauma, body image shame, sexual abuse and other issues locked in their bodies, and embark on a journey to reclaim themselves. The film also gives a rare window into the world of Pole artistry and expression.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisUnited Skates (2018)
When America's last standing roller rinks are threatened with closure, a community of thousands battle in a racially charged environment to save an underground subculture.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Ballet 422 (2014)
The film shadows Justin Peck, wunderkind choreographer of the New York City Ballet, as he undertakes the Herculean task of creating the company’s 422nd original piece. Following the creative process from its embryonic stages to its highly anticipated premiere, BALLET 422 is a powerful celebration of the skill and endurance of New York’s most talented dancers—as well as those who remain hidden in the wings.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Cercando La grande bellezza (2015)
Drama, documentary
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Looking for Richard (1996)
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Mom Jayne (2025)
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Ballet Now?
The closest matches to Ballet Now are Dancer (2016), Nureyev (2018) and Black Ballerina (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Ballet Now?
People who watched Ballet Now most often go on to Dancer (2016), Nureyev (2018) and Black Ballerina (2016).
What is the highest-rated movie like Ballet Now?
Pina (2011), rated 7.4/10 by 291 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Ballet Now?
Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Ballet Now?
Yes: Dancer (2016), Nureyev (2018) and Black Ballerina (2016).
How are movies similar to Ballet Now chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Ballet Now, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.