The 27-minute documentary follows Triche’s mother, Joyce Triche, and explores her 50-year career running a small-town dance studio and the challenges she faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This Mother’s Day, PBS NC’s North Carolina Channel invites audiences to meet a beloved dance teacher whose impact reached far beyond the stage. “Curtsy,” a heartfelt documentary by Nicole Triche, associate professor of cinema and television arts, will air on Sunday, May 11, at 9 p.m.
At the center of “Curtsy” is Triche’s mother, Miss Joyce – a beloved dance instructor who spent more than five decades helping young performers find their rhythm in a small-town studio in King, North Carolina. But it is more than a film about ballet shoes and recital nights. It’s a story of resilience, creativity and a mother’s influence on generations of dancers.
“When the world shut down during COVID, my mom kept dancing,” Triche said. “She adapted, improvised, and showed up — not just for her students, but for a whole community.”
Through archival footage, candid interviews, and tender family moments, “Curtsy” captures a legacy built one pirouette at a time.
The documentary will be broadcast and livestreamed on the North Carolina Channel several times throughout May. The 27-minute documentary originally premiered at the 2023 RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem.