Center Stage

Infobox Film
name = Center Stage


caption =
director = Nicholas Hytner
writer = Carol Heikkinen
starring = Amanda Schull
Peter Gallagher
Ethan Stiefel
Susan May Pratt
Zoë Saldaña
Sascha Radetsky
producer = Laurence Mark
editing = Tariq Anwar
distributor = Columbia
budget = $18,000,000
released = flagicon|US 12 May 2000
runtime = 115 Minutes
country = USA
language = English
preceded_by =
followed_by = Center Stage 2 (2008)
imdb_id = 0210616

"Center Stage", directed by Nicholas Hytner in 2000, is about a group of young dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York City. The film explores the issues and difficulties in the world of professional dance, and how each individiual copes with the stressors.

Plot

After a series of country-wide auditions, 12 young dancers gain entry to the American Ballet Academy (which is loosely based on the School of American Ballet). They work hard, attending classes every day for weeks to make them the best dancers they can possibly be, and in preparations for a final dance workshop which will determine those (three boys and three girls) who will be asked to join the American Ballet Company (which appears to be based on either the American Ballet Theatre or the New York City Ballet). The workshop will also provide an opportunity for the students to showcase their talent to other ballet companies across the country. Gaining a leading part in the workshop, is therefore essential.

Tensions mount between Jonathan (Peter Gallagher), the company's aging choreographer and director, and Cooper Nielson (Ethan Stiefel), his best dancer, who also wants to choreograph. They also have issues because Cooper's ex-girlfriend and fellow ballet dancer, left him for Jonathan. Star student Maureen (Susan May Pratt), a closet bulimic who seems poised for success, discovers that life is passing her by when she meets a pre-med student who shows her life without ballet. Sweet Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull), despite body type issues and bad feet, is determined to dance professionally but it appears less and less likely as the movie progresses, that she will be good enough. The talented but smart-mouthed Eva (Zoë Saldaña) loves to dance but seems destined to be stuck in the back of the corps because of her attitude. The final workshop will decide their fates.

After the final workshop, Cooper starts his own dance company and asks Jody to be a principal dancer as her dance, though technically behind, is perfect for the kind of dance he wants in his company. Maureen decides to give up ballet because she finally realizes that ballet is just something she does well, and not what she wants from life. She decides to attend regular university and also seek help for her eating disorder. Eva is picked by Jonathan to join the prestigious American Ballet Company after proving her worth in the workshop. Jody's boyfriend Charlie, and their friends Anna and Erik are also asked to join the American Ballet Company, and Sergei (a Russian dancer who also befriends them) joins his girlfriend in the San Francisco Ballet Company.

Details and cameos

* Of the main characters who are dancers, four are professional ballet dancers (Amanda Schull, Ethan Stiefel, Sascha Radetsky and Julie Kent), one is a professional figure skater (Ilia Kulik), one had ballet training (Zoë Saldaña), and two were actors with no ballet training (Susan May Pratt and Shakiem Evans). Body doubles were used for many of the major dance sequences.
* After being accepted into the ABA, Jody's mom says to her, "Indiana has a great dance program." Schull, who plays Jody, attended Indiana University for two years in real life.
*Sergei (Kulik) is picked to join the San Francisco Ballet Company after performing in the workshop. Schull, who plays Jody, was a member of the SFB's corps de ballet for several seasons.
* As Cooper, Stiefel makes a stage appearance astride a Harley. In real life, he is an avid motorbike rider and owns a Harley-Davidson "Wide Glide".
* There is a subplot in which Cooper attracts the financial support of a flirtatious wealthy female philanthropic (played by Elizabeth Hubbard). A 15 August 2004 New York Times article entitled "How Much Is That Dancer in the Program?" revealed that Stiefel has a very similar real-life sponsorship relationship with a philanthropist named Anka Palitz.
*After the performance of "Stars and Stripes", Cooper (Stiefel) shuns Jody and walks out of the theatre with another woman. This woman is played by Gillian Murphy, Stiefel's actual girlfriend and a Prima-ballerina of American Ballet Theatre.

Cast

*Amanda Schull – Jody Sawyer
*Zoë Saldaña – Eva Rodríguez
*Susan May Pratt – Maureen Cummings
*Peter Gallagher – Jonathan Reeves
*Donna Murphy – Juliette Simone
*Debra Monk – Nancy Cummings
*Ethan Stiefel – Cooper Nielson
*Sascha Radetsky – Charlie Sims
*Julie Kent – Kathleen Donahue
*Ilia Kulik – Sergei
*Eion Bailey – Jim Gordon
*Mauricio Sanchez – Dancer at Salsa Club
*Shakiem Evans – Erik Jones
*Elizabeth Hubbard – Joan Miller
*Victor Anthony – Thomas
*Victoria Born – Emily
*Katie Cirone – Latisha

oundtrack

1. I Wanna Be With You – Mandy Moore
2. First Kiss – i5
3. Don't Get Lost In The Crowd – Ashley Ballard
4. We're Dancing – P.Y.T.
5. Friends Forever – Thunderbugs
6. Get Ued To This – Cyrena
7. A Girl Can Dream – P.Y.T.
8. Cosmic Girl – Jamiroquai
9. Higher Ground – Red Hot Chili Peppers
10. Come Baby Come – Elvis Crespo and Gizelle D'Cole
11. The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson
12. If I Was The One – Ruff Endz
13. Canned Heat (song) – Jamiroquai
14. I Wanna Be With You (Soul Soul Solution Remix) – Mandy Moore

External links

*imdb title|id=0210616|title=Center Stage
*rotten-tomatoes|id=center_stage|title=Center Stage