Center Stage

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I bought this video for my daughter for Christmas. I sat and watched it with her. I found it entertaining but not anything to write home about. Obviously, it appeals to a younger crowd and I think it is a fine movie for teenagers and young adults. But it was entertaining enough to hold my attention. Very well acted for the most part, and the choreography was good.

Rating:
Summary: Girl moves to the big city, girl falls in love, girl dances
Review: This is hands down, one of my favorite movies. It's a chick flick full of pop music, cute boys and dancing, dancing, dancing! If you love ballet, you need to get this movie. Follow the struggle of a not-so-perfect dancer and her friends as they try to be a part of the most elite ballet company in the country. While the acting may be less than stellar, the soundtrack and the dancing more than compensates for it.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Fluff
Review: While I am not going to kid anyone into thinking that this movie is a deep and moving spiritual experience, it is definitely a quality movie -- lots of attractive people dancing. In my book, that's always a big hit. The plot is kind of lacking, and the acting is spotty (they are dancers, though). The dancing is great, and if you want to get some vicarious dancing thrills, check it out. Highly recommended for Saturday afternoons.

Rating:
Summary: great!
Review: this one i really loved watching (over and over!)! some amazing dancers, Ethan Steifel, Julie Kent, Sasha Radetsky, and more, all dance in this really nice movie.. the story line isn't really complicated but it does manage to make the audience feel the anxiety and happyness of the characters. the dancing bits are fantastic, with great choreographies from Balanchine, Petipa and more... if you like dancing (and not only ballet) you'll defenatly love this one!

Rating:
Summary: Ballet in the Real World
Review: First of all, as a dancer, I fell head over heels in love with this movie. Secondly, I think it brings ballet down from the upper class snobbery that most people assume go hand-in-hand with it to real-life issues of success, failure, and struggle to survive. The three main girls: Jody (Amanda Schull), Eva (Zoe Saldana) and Maureen (Susan May), represent three types of personalities in any ballet class. Jody is struggling with the "wrong body type" (though I personally see nothing wrong with her body) and "bad feet." Eva is a natural dancer with an unfortunate chip on her shoulder and an attitude problem. And Maureen is the "perfect" dancer who secretly struggles with Bolemia. These three struggle and survive while, amazingly, staying friends. This may be unlikely in an art that is, basically, murder in competition between females.
More unlikely than the friendship of the girls is the fact that three out of the four young male leads (not counting Peter Gallagher) are straight. These strapping and talented dancers are certainly more than just easy on the eyes. My mouth-watering favorite is Charlie (Sasha Redetsky), who looks like a young Peter Gallagher without the imposing eyebrows.
Anyway, the dancing is top-notch. Combined with the storyline, this is a gem of a movie which succeeds in bringing ballet to popular audiences. I consider it a must in my collection, and you will too.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have!
Review: I watched this movie today on HBO and just loved it! Now, I'm here buying it! This is a great movie even if you are not a dancer (like me) it's still enjoyable! After the movie was done I just wanted to get up and dance!... This is a must have!

Rating:
Summary: [ Title Here ]
Review: You can tell some of the actors aren't all that great, but the idea... the contents of the movie makes up for it BIG time. The choreography was great... not the stereotypical idea of ballet pointe, but really jazzy and it was cute. It had some romance, which is always a plus to me! The movie was something different for me. You know, like seeing that people eat, sleep, and breathe ballet and how they live. It gave me another perspective on ballet dancers. The movie even encouraged ME to become a dancer... It's worth it if you want to see something interesting and new or if you just like ballet/ pointe.

Rating:
Summary: All time favorite...
Review: Center Stage has become my all time favorite movie. Being a dancer I can relate to the passion the actors/dancers portray in this film. The choreography and music selection inspired me to purchase the soundtrack as well. Anyone who loves dance will find this movie enjoyable and entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: Center Stage takes Center Stage
Review: Center Stage is a great movie. One can definitely relate to the characters and some of the plot-lines. Amanda Schull plays Jody Sawyer, a girl next door, quiet type, and an aspiring dancer whose dream is to be a principal dancer in the American Ballet Company (ABC). When she finally gets accepted to the American Ballet Academy (ABA) she can only hope for a great job in the final workshop which takes place at the end of the training year, when Jonathan (Peter Gallagher) the head of ABA and ABC chooses only a few select dancers to be part of the ABC. She is already told she does not have the right feet, body type, etc. In her struggle to become a "perfect ballerina" Jody rooms with Eva (played by Zoe Saldana), a girl who wants to do ballet but wont be dictated by the strict regimen and ABA's demanding instructors, and Maureen (played by Susan May) the natural talent whom every girl envies because she is virtually already accepted to ABC, but who has to deal with a stage mother who lives vicariously through her. Handsome Sasha Redetsky plays Charlie, the guy who secretly has eyes for Jody, and he too is an amazing talent and a pleasure to watch dance. Jody however naively likes Cooper Nielson (played by Ethan Stiefel) the womanizing ballet dancer who choreographs part of the final workshop, and who is a principal dancer. There are also numerous other characters who cross paths with Jody, including one played by Olympic Gold Medalist Ilia Kulik. The movie raises some good issues about pressure to succeed, eating disorders, and sends out a good overall message about being true to yourself and doing only what you want to do in life. There are also heartwarming moments like when Eva dances her dream towards the end of the movie. The scene stealer by far though is definitely the ending dance sequence with Schull, Stiefel, and Redetsky dancing with great choreography to songs like Michael Jackson's "the Way You Make Me Feel" and Jamiroqui's "Canned Heat" in the final workshop. Stiefel and Schull also do a great dance routine along with other dancers in a sort of "Broadway dance center" type of place, which is also great fun to watch in the middle of the movie. The acting overall is pretty good, but the dance scenes make the movie (obviously because it is a ballet movie). More traditionally, we also see Stiefel dance a scene from Romeo and Juliet, but it is in the final dance sequence with Schull that we really see him shine, and we stand in awe of what an amazing dancer he is. Stiefel's dancing makes most of the movie. In the end, Jody also realizes that she is just her, "bad feet and all" so and she is comfortable with herself and, as we see in the last dance number in which she sports amazing bright red Pointe shoes just to highlight some of her attire, and great confidence, with her dancing as well.

Rating:
Summary: An in-depth look at the real world of ballet
Review: As an actress and a dancer, I know that you sometimes have to struggle to be perfect. Too many kids I know lose weight for movie roles. Performing arts should be taken seriously, but be enjoyable, and when you're pushed to the limit, it becomes too much. That is exactly what happens in this movie;one girl, who isn't the slightest bit overweight, is sent away from the American Ballet Academy for being too fat. Even the prima ballerina who everyone envies is a bulemic. And the lead character, Jody, is so nervous by everything that she ends up getting picked on for not being perfect in her moves. If this movie were a documentary, it wouldn't be half as interesting. Instead, it's fit into a very interesting and realistic story, along with great music and excellent acting by people who are mostly dancers, not actors. A movie for every performer and person to see whenr eady.