In The Little Match Girl Ballet, contemporary artist Eleanor Antin dons a tutu to adopt the role of her “Ballerina Self,” who dreams of conquering New York to finally make it big as a famous ballerina. Desperate to be discovered by George Balanchine, she recounts her strategy for success to a silent, seated audience, then acts all the parts of an imagined ballet with music by Stravinsky and sets by Picasso. However, despite all the exuberance of her presentation, the ballerina never actually dances, and, like the hallucinations of the original Little Match Girl as well as contemporary celebrity culture, her stories waver between reality and fantasy.

The Little Match Girl Ballet screens from 1 December through 31 December on a media station in the ART building located on the corner of East 23rd Street and San Jacinto Boulevard.