Dance life

I just finished watching Center Stage.  This dance movie came out before dance movies were cool and before it was acceptable to make sequels for every movie that became popular…this unmemorable time was 2000.  let me try to explain how I feel about this movie…not only is Center Stage a good dance movie (a movie with dancers instead of actors), it is a dance movie that is so good it could pass for a regular movie.  The reason: all the dancer who play the main roles in the film are beginning actors.  They all continue to act after this film, they weren’t just a bunch of good dancers being filmed; they were genuinely good actors who were putting together an interesting story. 

This movie has some classic scenes.  The point shoe scene, where all the ballerinas are breaking in their new shoes, is one that always scared me.  You see girls burning, banging, and ripping up their shoes so they fit better, but even as a dancer it seemed a bit extreme to me.  Cooper Neilson’s motorcycle is hilarious, it’s reappearance in the sequel which just came out was priceless.  But this movie is really about the dancing, and it has the best ballet dancing of any dance movie.  All the scenes of class rehearsals are unbelievable.  I’ve never seen jumps to high, I’ve never seen flexibility like that, and I’ve never ever seen more turns in a movie than in Center Stage.        

Although the story of the love triangle and the dancer who comes out on top despite the fact that she was told she wasn’t good enough seems pretty redundant for a dance movie, but it was original when it came out.  This movie rises above the rest because of the side stories.  I love Eva with her cigarettes, her swearing and her attitude. I love Cooper Neilson because his package always seems to be right in your face.  Maureen, the bulimic one’s boyfriend, is so hot and they are so cute together.  The gay guy is such a sweetie, but not as sweet as the guy Jody ends up with. 

The best pert of the movie, by far, is the final performance.  No other movie has such a well put together final dance sequence.  There were so many dancers to look out for during the finale, not just the typical lead guy and girl like most dance movies.  The finale performance seems to last forever because, there are difference dances, different scenes, and different costumes (at one point Jody’s toe shoes even change color and become red).  Ballet is such a mechanical but graceful and elegant dance and in this last performance the twists and meanings behind the movements made the dances that much more interesting.  Basically…it’s a fantastic movie, with incredible dancing…watch it.

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