Movie Review: Center Stage

Got this movie from my sister long long time ago but always didn't have the time to write something about it! :(

So, the story begins with a girl, Jodie Sawyer, going for an audition for entry into American Ballet Company (ABC).

Of course, for the story to continue, she got into the compnay as Apprentice and still need to go through a round of selection where only 3 girls and guys will be chosen.

Then things starts to pick up with a scene where by ABC dancers were trying hard to season their pointe shoes! Quite surprised by the different methods to season the shoes! There is:

Knocking

Using the door

Stepping

'Hammering'

'Scratching'

And after so many 'seasoning', they go on their pointe!

Proper ballet started with the barre work by instructress Juliet, a supposedly very good dancer in her younger times.

If the girl on the left is attending Yongwei's lessons, she would have been murdered. LOL Juliet then realised that she got a unperfect student in her class because she got a turnout that is deemed as not enough in the show! :'(

So she pushed herself to greater turnout but has not been used to it!

Juliet then meets another trouble student Eva! A supposedly great dancer with a lousy attitude!

And she is so good that those girls who has already been training with American Ballet Academy (ABA) gets shocked and jealous, an very ugly scene and portrayal of dancers although it remains very much a fact!

Then after some fillers in the show to attract people in the feild to watch, the show went back to how Jodie was struggling in the lessons in ABT, being corrected by several instructors.

Eve then became very pissed because she feels that the teachers were over scrutinizing Jodie in whatever she did.

But she was very hardworking so she kept training herself to be able to make the mark in the company that she yearns to enter.

And she ends up suffering from physical pain!

Then she was called in by Juliet and the company director Jonathan Reeves as they wanted to explain that she still have a chance at normal academical life instead of joining the company because they felt that she dun have the natural qualities needed in a great ballet dancer!

Then they started preapring for their Graduation showcase items that will determine if they would enter the company. Eva got into the corps in Jonathan's ballet. And she was not happy. So her attitude towards Jonathan and Juliet was extremely bad. Thus Juliet wanted her to stay back after class and talk to her. This is also my favourite part in the show as it is very inspirational, at least to me.

'Headstrong, egotistcal, unforgiving, arrogant does not help. The thing is you would be hardpressed to find any choreographer or company director who isn't like that. The unwise dancers blame him. He[a choreographer Juliet has worked for] didnt like me. He was unfair. I should have had that role. The smart ones know where to look to when things get rough. It isn't there[looking at the practice space]. It's here[tapping at the barre]. No matter what happened in class, in performance, last week, 5 minutes ago, if you come back here[hands stil at the barre], you will be home.'

That scene really touched me alot. Because what was acted out had truly reflected many things. In dance, you do meet competitions or a lousy part in a choreography. But does grumbling and not cooperating helps? No. You will be even more condemned to that role. Action speaks louder than words, much. We have to go back to our basics, our practises to prove ourselves, not by just sprouting nonsense in class. And if you are willing to put down that ego and train up yourself from the basics, you will be a greater dancer or human as a whole. You will be home.

And I am really inspired by that scene alot. Although the show also bought out alot of ugly facts about dance/ballet, which includes the unacceptance of people with undesirable qualities such as being out of shape.

The show then went on about the graduation showcase which displayed the strong technicalities of ABT dancers. No pics will be posted lo. But I think would recommend dancers to go and watch the show because many scenes are so familiar and yet lets you see things in another perspective.

Many turns in plot of the story. Keeps one's attention on the show rather well.

Enjoy!