Center Stage

A film about young dancers admitted to a ballet academy in New York. Jody is not among the technically best but she is taken. The school is merciless: body measurements are discussed, the shape of a foot is judged insufficient, who will be taken into the company after the end-of-year performance is unknown, and everyone is everyone else's rival. What is interesting is the casting: most of the parts are played by real professional dancers. So the dance scenes are not saved by doubles or by cutting; the camera shows the whole body and the movement runs unbroken. Amanda Schull plays Jody, a dancer who came from American Ballet Theatre. Zoe Saldaña is also in the cast, in one of her first films. The closing performance is the most discussed part: a choreography that brings classical ballet together with popular music, unusual for its moment. One of the well-loved examples of its genre for anyone who likes dance films and backstage stories. The narrative is predictable; the film takes its strength not from the story but from the dancing itself.