CENTER STAGE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: sexual innuendo, implications, and sensual dancing

Rated:

Ballet is every little girl's dream. When I was a child, I used to walk around the house on my toes. It was an exercise I enjoyed, and one that worried my parents. I never did take to ballet other than the occasional seat at a performance of The Nutcracker, but I do enjoy the art for its grace and majesty. The director for Center Stage says above all else he wanted the audience to become enthralled with the dance. He achieved his goal. The film is not just about ballet, but all the work that goes into it... and the people who choose this brief but glorious and difficult career. The pain, the heartache, the disappointment, and the triumphs. It's all there.

Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull) is an aspiring ballerina. All she's ever wanted was to be accepted into the ABC (American Ballet Company). Pitted against hundreds of other girls for the scholarship, her ballet is not perfect, her body is not perfect, and her toes are not perfect... but her glowing charisma on stage lands her one of the twelve coveted spots for the final tryouts. She is roomed at the school with two other girls: Eva (Zoe Saldana), a cynical and rebellious ballerina who'd rather be a waitress, and Maureen (Susan May Pratt), one of the finest dancers in the academy. This is no longer amateur ballet. Competition is rough. The teachers are rougher. The classes are tougher. The hours are longer. The stress is higher. The students are far more competitive. Jody finds herself struggling to keep up with others while her roommates face dissimilar problems. 

Eva has made an enemy of the director, which jeopardizes any chance of winning a spot in his ballet company. "Perfect" Maureen has met a non-dancer she really likes, but if she spends time with him, her art will suffer, and her mother will crack down hard. That's not to mention their problems as friend! Then there are the boys. Handsome and accomplished Cooper Nielson (Ethan Stiefel) is one of the world's finest dancers. His passion is chorography, and his reputation that of a playboy. He has begun to work his charms on Jody, while sweet tempered Charlie (Sascha Radetsky) watches from afar. The entire school is in preparation for a grand recital to determine who will join the ABC as a permanent dancer. There are only three openings for females, and over a hundred competitors. When it comes down to the wire, who will have the beauty, stamina, and grace to begin a long and difficult career?

I'm afraid my own experience with ballet is a trifle rusty but I do know beautiful dancing when I see it. If you're a dancer, you'll be enthralled with the chorography of this film. It mixes modern dance with classical performances. You'll also recognize some familior faces from the world of ballet.... and even 1998 Olympic Gold ice champion Ilia Kulik has a supporting (and often hilarious) role. The story is fairly predictable... the accomplished playboy, the struggling ballerina, the bulimic, the homosexual, the girl who has to fight for every victory. It doesn't skim over how truly difficult the art is... and how harsh the competition. Traditional mingles with modern techniques of the dance.. and therein lies some of its flaws. In the final performance, the dancing turns risqué as they dance out a sensuous love scene. There's also a short scene of freak dancing, although it's not as offensive as Save the Last Dance. One of the male dancers is gay. He makes a few remarks on how cute some of the other guys are.

Language consists of mild profanity and a few anatomical references, but sadly several abuses of Jesus' name and one f-word make it into the script. One of the girls is bulimic and throws up after she eats on a regular basis. (She is forced to come to grips with this later.) Overall, the film takes a rather cavalier attitude toward premarital sex. Jodie sleeps with Cooper only just having met him; she's then crushed when he moves on to other girls. What did she expect, a long-term relationship? Maureen sleeps at her boyfriend's house. A dirty joke is told at a party. 

The script is worldly, the characters flawed and sometimes immoral. The conclusion is that Jody may be wrong for traditional ballet, but she is ideal for flashy, sexy dance chorography. The dancing is breathtaking and songs by pop star Mandy Moore keeps the pace lively. My greatest concern is that young ballerinas "with the wrong body type" will be intrigued by Jody's more sensual interpretation of the dance and allow it to take Center Stage in their own career.