In 1957, Gloria Contreras arrived in New York City, where she began studies at the School of American Ballet and became a disciple of George Balanchine. During the next several years, she created her first pieces-El mercado, Huapango, The Wise and Foolish Virgins, Vitlitas, and Ocho por radio. She also choreographed for the New York City Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, and other professional companies. She went on to found the Gloria Contreras Dance Company, and, upon her return to Mexico in 1970, the Taller Coreogrfico de la UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico), which she directs to the present day. What I Learned from Balanchine, set from 1958 to 1959, records Contreras's struggle to belong to the world of classical ballet and traces the genesis of her career as Mexico's leading choreographer of neoclassical dance.