He won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (1983).

He profiled dancers and choreographers for their Dance in America and Live from Lincoln Center series.

Ardolino won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the 1983 film He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'.

[3][4] He found commercial success with the Academy Award-winning 1987 hit Dirty Dancing.

His last films, The Nutcracker (based on George Balanchine's New York City Ballet adaptation) and the television production of Gypsy starring Bette Midler, were released and shown posthumously.