The American (Joika), Joy Womack’s Bolshoi Ballet years

The American (known as Joika in some locales) tells the true story of American ballet dancer Joy Womack. Womack was determined to become a dancer, even a prima ballerina, for the Bolshoi Ballet.

The years in The American tell only of the struggle and hardship Womack faced getting into the Bolshoi. Since leaving Russia, Womack has had an extensive and successful career as a dancer in other places.

Talia Ryder plays Joy Womack in the film. Talia Ryder is a classically trained dancer. She was coached for the film by Joy Womack herself, who also was the dance double in some of the scenes. Talia Ryder did a beautiful job showing both the courage and the pain that Joy’s ambition required for success.

Womack’s teacher in Russia was Tatiyana Volkova (Diane Kruger). Joy arrived in Moscow as a teenager, full of ambition and American boldness. Tatiyana discouraged her in many ways, emphasizing that no American had ever danced as part of the Bolshoi. Tatiyana complained that Womack “danced like an American.”

Womack actually married a male dancer, Nikolay (Oleg Ivenko), in order to “be Russian.” She went through physical and mental pain and agony but never gave up, never relented. She kept trying.

Tatiyana drove her students relentlessly. They had to be perfect. She told Joy, “The day you wake up without pain…is the day you are no longer a dancer.”

Joy finally earned the respect of Tatiyana, who found subtle ways to let her be seen by the powerful men who chose the dancers. And she made it. She became first American to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

The film stops when she performed a triumphant dance with a bruised and possibly broken foot. There’s no information in the film about how she moved on from Moscow and what the remainder of her career has been about.

Joy Womack is obviously a brilliant talent. However, this film is about never giving up on your dream no matter how hard it gets. A young American girl dreaming of becoming a prima ballerina in the Bolshoi is a very specific dream, but the film is an example of hard work paying off. It’s a story of determination and courage.

The American is streaming on Hulu or can be rented from Prime Video.