Imagine "Fame." Then add the choreography of "The Turning Point," and replace Baryshnikov with American Ballet Theater (ABT) principal Ethan Stiefel. Now add a dash of "A Chorus Line," and just a pinch of originality. Cook it for about two hours and then you'll have "Center Stage."
This new addition to the dance movie franchise has everything you could want in a dance movie - amazing choreography, grueling footage of bleeding feet, tough teachers, bad actors, and most importantly, it actually does make you want to dance. Writer Carol Heikkinen even adds some eating disorders, sexual escapades, typical teenage problems, and of course, the obligatory pushy stage mother.
At the center of all this is Jody Sawyer, a cute Jennie Garth look alike (actually played by the San Francisco Ballet's Amanda Schull) who wants nothing else but to be a principal dancer in the fictional American Ballet Company (which seems to be based loosely on the New York City Ballet). As she unloads her luggage, Cooper Nielsen (Stiefel) rides up in his oh so cool motorcycle, immediately setting up the love triangle which dominates most of the plot. Jody is immediately infatuated with Cooper, who is a dead ringer for Baryshnikov, not only in his dancing style, but in his reputation with women. Unfortunately, Cooper has better things to worry about, like Kathleen (ABT's Julie Kent). Also competing for Jody's affection is Charlie, who genuinely cares for her, but can't compete with Cooper's bad boy image.
The rest of the film chronicles Jody and her new friends as they each compete for one of the three spots offered within the company. Among her diverse gang are: Eva (Zoe Saldana), an amazing dancer with a bad attitude; Maureen ("10 Things I Hate About You"'s Susan May Pratt) whose pushy stage mother a la Mama Rose doesn't realize that her heart is just not in it; and Sergei, (figure skater Ilia Kulik) the token Russian. However, the plot seemed secondary in this movie, being overshadowed by the inspiring choreography. Director Nicholas Hytner ("The Object of my Affection") intersperses the weak dialogue with fresh dance sequences, making the movie that much more exciting for dance fans.
The movie opens with the chaotic audition into ABA, where the audience is introduced to the characters, not by their personalities but through their dancing. Jody has bad turnout, Eva has a bad attitude, and Maureen is a snob. The initial dance sequence illustrates these qualities, mostly through movement, which is the goal of a good choreographer. Ironically, the best dance scenes in the movie were those in which the students were not performing, but rather auditioning, taking class or rehearsing. These sequences featured not only interesting choreography, but because these actors can dance better than they can act, the audience gets to know the characters better than through the unconvincing dialogue.
The opening sequence also introduces the audience to Juliette (Donna Murphy), the retired ballerina who is now a teacher, and Jonathan (Peter Gallagher) the Balanchine-like head of the company and choreographer. These two eventually become the most interesting characters in the movie, providing the audience with another perspective and the characters with advice, whether its what they want to hear or not.
At one point, Jody gets sick of the strict world of ballet, and opts for an up tempo jazz class at a popular studio on Broadway. Representing the complete opposite of the stifled feeling she gets from ballet, the class features an enthusiastic teacher, colorful clothing, and choreography by Broadway veteran Susan Stroman. Although it was hard to believe that these students would be able to perform the choreography perfectly after only one class, the audience was willing to suspend disbelief in order to revel in the excitement of Jody's liberation from ballet, and harbor their own dreams of becoming dancers.
The film culminates in a recital reminiscent of "Fame," where each student gets to show off his or her talent to scouts from ballet companies. The highlight of the show is Cooper's ballet, starring Jody, also choreographed by Stroman. Cooper reaffirms his bad boy image by choreographing a rock ballet which inevitably reflects the events of the film. Alternating between a Broadway dance number and an MTV video, the dancers change costumes every thirty seconds, which is also about every time the music changes. However, the powerful choreography made this one of the best moments in the film, allowing the dancers to really shine. The dancing is so believable that for a moment you forget you're watching a movie and want to applaud for these talented dancers. Returning to ballet pays off for Jody, as she enjoys her standing ovation and puts her faith back into the dream of becoming a ballerina.
This new addition to the dance movie franchise has everything you could want in a dance movie - amazing choreography, grueling footage of bleeding feet, tough teachers, bad actors, and most importantly, it actually does make you want to dance. Writer Carol Heikkinen even adds some eating disorders, sexual escapades, typical teenage problems, and of course, the obligatory pushy stage mother.
At the center of all this is Jody Sawyer, a cute Jennie Garth look alike (actually played by the San Francisco Ballet's Amanda Schull) who wants nothing else but to be a principal dancer in the fictional American Ballet Company (which seems to be based loosely on the New York City Ballet). As she unloads her luggage, Cooper Nielsen (Stiefel) rides up in his oh so cool motorcycle, immediately setting up the love triangle which dominates most of the plot. Jody is immediately infatuated with Cooper, who is a dead ringer for Baryshnikov, not only in his dancing style, but in his reputation with women. Unfortunately, Cooper has better things to worry about, like Kathleen (ABT's Julie Kent). Also competing for Jody's affection is Charlie, who genuinely cares for her, but can't compete with Cooper's bad boy image.
The rest of the film chronicles Jody and her new friends as they each compete for one of the three spots offered within the company. Among her diverse gang are: Eva (Zoe Saldana), an amazing dancer with a bad attitude; Maureen ("10 Things I Hate About You"'s Susan May Pratt) whose pushy stage mother a la Mama Rose doesn't realize that her heart is just not in it; and Sergei, (figure skater Ilia Kulik) the token Russian. However, the plot seemed secondary in this movie, being overshadowed by the inspiring choreography. Director Nicholas Hytner ("The Object of my Affection") intersperses the weak dialogue with fresh dance sequences, making the movie that much more exciting for dance fans.
The movie opens with the chaotic audition into ABA, where the audience is introduced to the characters, not by their personalities but through their dancing. Jody has bad turnout, Eva has a bad attitude, and Maureen is a snob. The initial dance sequence illustrates these qualities, mostly through movement, which is the goal of a good choreographer. Ironically, the best dance scenes in the movie were those in which the students were not performing, but rather auditioning, taking class or rehearsing. These sequences featured not only interesting choreography, but because these actors can dance better than they can act, the audience gets to know the characters better than through the unconvincing dialogue.
The opening sequence also introduces the audience to Juliette (Donna Murphy), the retired ballerina who is now a teacher, and Jonathan (Peter Gallagher) the Balanchine-like head of the company and choreographer. These two eventually become the most interesting characters in the movie, providing the audience with another perspective and the characters with advice, whether its what they want to hear or not.
At one point, Jody gets sick of the strict world of ballet, and opts for an up tempo jazz class at a popular studio on Broadway. Representing the complete opposite of the stifled feeling she gets from ballet, the class features an enthusiastic teacher, colorful clothing, and choreography by Broadway veteran Susan Stroman. Although it was hard to believe that these students would be able to perform the choreography perfectly after only one class, the audience was willing to suspend disbelief in order to revel in the excitement of Jody's liberation from ballet, and harbor their own dreams of becoming dancers.
The film culminates in a recital reminiscent of "Fame," where each student gets to show off his or her talent to scouts from ballet companies. The highlight of the show is Cooper's ballet, starring Jody, also choreographed by Stroman. Cooper reaffirms his bad boy image by choreographing a rock ballet which inevitably reflects the events of the film. Alternating between a Broadway dance number and an MTV video, the dancers change costumes every thirty seconds, which is also about every time the music changes. However, the powerful choreography made this one of the best moments in the film, allowing the dancers to really shine. The dancing is so believable that for a moment you forget you're watching a movie and want to applaud for these talented dancers. Returning to ballet pays off for Jody, as she enjoys her standing ovation and puts her faith back into the dream of becoming a ballerina.