Center Stage

I don't know if anyone will actually read this considering how old the film is, but this was such a great movie that I wanted to encourage anyone else who happens to come upon it. I'm not really a fan of ballet... the only reason I found this movie in the first place is because I was looking up Mandy Moore videos and saw her 'I Wanna Be With You' song was featured for Center Stage, and after reading some other reviews, I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm always up for inspirational movies with a good ending (which, without spoiling anything, this movie has a great ending). If you're not into ballet, if you're totally disgusted by it, think it's a sissy's activity, then you probably won't like this movie at all. But if you don't really mind it and you're open to it, and you want a good story with a happy ending, then I recommend this. Center Stage is a pretty standard story - children enrolling in a school geared toward a specific talent, and only a handful will actually be able to succeed in the end. While the story is mostly about the three main girls, I was interested in the stories and contributions of everyone as it went on. I expected in a school mixed with new and veteran, intermediate and pro dancers competing for spots that there would be cliques, bullying, petty fights - lots of annoying, spiteful drama - but thankfully there was really none of that in the film. I think what I loved most about Center Stage was the way the characters change or the way you see them differently as it goes on. Within the first half hour, you'll probably think you know exactly what each one of them will do, and if you're like me, you might end up disliking most of them. But you'll be very surprised by the end when you actually wind up liking and cheering for all of them. The acting was pretty good and enjoyable. Most of it was realistic, nothing quite too over the top or unbelievable. A character might take a totally different shift, but it's actually nice to see them growing up. There's some romance in the story, not too much that it overshadows everything else, but enough. So the ballet... like I said, I'm not a ballet fan, I was not particularly interested in a couple of the scenes, but you have to give credit where it's due. Watching the dancers, as someone who does not do ballet, was awe inspiring for me at times. The dedication and grace of ballet itself, and not knowing if the scene was going to be end up being about a success or a flop for one of the characters (obviously it's not a real live performance, but you still never really know where the scene/story is going until it's over) made it very interesting to watch. My only comment about the packaging itself is that the current picture on Amazon shows it in a box with a pink border. Mine does not have that, just the same picture of the characters without any border, with a silver trim on top that says Special Edition, and a black case. Just putting that out there for anyone who didn't want a pink case on their shelves (although I can't guarantee there isn't another version that does have a pink case). In terms of extras, there were a couple of deleted scenes, a couple of extended dance scenes, some commentaries, and couple of other extras I didn't really care about, and the 'I Wanna Be With You' music video. Like I said before, if you want an inspirational movie of kids trying to find their place in the world, who grow up and make their own decisions and find out they can enjoy life, and you don't hate ballet, I would definitely recommend Center Stage.

In some ways, this is a "grade B" movie, with a predictable story and, for the most part, blandly attractive actors. However, for anyone who likes ballet,a Center Stage is a real treat, as there is wonderful dance in this movie from beginning to end. In some regards, the entire story is told through dancing. The plot follows a group of mostly 18-year-olds newly admitted to a ballet school that's clearly modeled on the School of American Ballet, the institution created by George Balanchine, and which is affiliated with the New York City Ballet. The characters are mainly stock characters, so you have the pretty one, the ambitious one, the gay, the straight, the rebellious one, and so on. But from the very beginning, you are plunged into the world of the dancer. The movie opens with auditions for new students, and many of its scenes portray ballet class, including barre work, stretches, and floor work, as well as teaching of parts and creation of new choreography. There is a lot of drama here, but Center Stage avoids the superheated fantasy of Black Swan, and also avoids the trivial personal stuff in Turning Point. The entire and genuine focus of the film is on the dancing, and it presents a real and realistic look at the sorts of pressure that dancers and dance students face every day in service to their art. Many of the actors and extras in the movie are actually ballet dancers, and their presence contributes greatly to Center Stage. Among the lead actors, Donna Murphy, who had a long career as a dancer in Broadway shows, is outstanding as the very demanding ballet mistress. Ethan Stiefel, one of the male leads, is a well-known dancer of the first rank. Aside from the many scenes of class, practice, and workout, the film contains some significant choreography. These include the Four Cygnets dance from Swan Lake, the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, and an excerpt from Balanchine's Stars and Stripes. The film includes a complete, original ballet choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. Interestingly enough, the director is so sensitive to dance that he presents the entire Wheeldon work, over ten minutes, straight through, with almost no reaction shots or quick cuts. Although you can watch Center Stage via streaming video services, I would like to recommend purchase of the "special edition" DVD (or Blu-ray) for its special features. These include a director's commentary, wherein the director (Nicholas Hytner) explains why he chose to film ballet and how he did so; extended movements from the Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Sousa ballets, and a couple of extra scenes, including one with a rehearsal of Stars and Stripes. In short, a fine movie for anyone who loves ballet.

you will love this one. let's face it, you watch a movie like this because you love to watch beautiful people moving in beautiful ways. Also you might be like me and have misplaced dreams of wishing you were a dancer. I never stuck with it, my parents didn't make me practice and they let me off the hook too easily when I didn't want to keep pushing to do it. You never get to the reward if you don't push through that phase. Oh well.... the story in this movie is excellently done and it's never stupid or unbelievable. I've got enough dance background to know that they did their research when filming it. Also one of the male leads, Ethan Steifel, is a professional ballet dancer and you can really tell. His dancing is phenomenal. Character tensions are developed nicely without making you hate the bad girl.... issues like eating disorders, bloody toes from pointe shoes, frustration and sexual chemistry are present but not made into a soapbox. You'll really be rooting for them all at the end.... My favorite part is the jazz class the ingenue character takes midway through the movie. The class is shown doing a warmup routine and then a dance routine that is actually very stimulating to watch and makes you feel really good. I have to admit I actually put this DVD in every morning and skip to that scene so I can use the warmup to help stretch myself out before I begin my day. I have a better day emotionally as well as physically when I do this. =) I can't believe how old this movie is, or that I only just discovered it. It's great though..... you'll love it if you love dance!

This movie is great. I love it. I first saw it on a flight from Los Angeles to Toronto back in 2000. I was as tired as hell, but I couldn't not watch it. I fell in love with the dancing, the music and Sascha Ridetski. It's about a group of up and comming dancers who want to make it into the best ballet school and their struggles with their performances, weight and love lives. It's not necessarily only a chick flick, but obviously has that as it's main fan base. A lot of the main characters are actuall ballet dancers in real life and therefore their acting isn't as strong as it could have been, but even so, it's done well overall. It even stars Ilya Koulik who is an Olympic Gold medalist in ice-skating. Mandy Moore's song I Wanna Be With You is featured in the movie, and it's such a beautiful song even on it's own, that it made the movie more of a solid hit with me. The full video of that song is feautred in the bonus' on the dvd. Peter Gallagher will be recognised with so many people (While You Were Sleeping and The O.C), but it's definately a must see movie and I'm sure it will change your mind about ballet, and it will grab you. I took it with me to a dvd night at a friends house and even though the guys moaned and groaned about having to endure it, they all loved it by the end. I highly recommend this to anyone. See it.

I'm not going to tell you that the acting is Oscar-caliber or that the plot is daring and original. The "actors" are mostly dancers and the plot lines tend toward the stereotypical. I am going to tell you, however, that this movie is simply great fun. Whenever I want to put I smile on my face, I pop in this DVD. The dancing in this movie is spectacular - especially Ethan Stiefel(Cooper)who is amazing. Too often dance movies are made with actors who can't dance so that the "dancing" is shot in a way to disguise the fact that no dancing by the actor is actually occurring. The fact that Cooper, Jody and Charlie are all played by dancers, and in Ethan Stiefel's case one of the best dancers in the world, allows the film to end with a bang up dance sequence that you'll want to watch again and again. Other reviewers have said that the DVD extras aren't worth it, but the extras are worth it just for the extended dance sequences of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Stars and Stripes". And yes, the plots are contrived, but they are engaging. Not every movie has to be edgy or deep or meaningful. It's often quite enough for a movie to make you feel good which this movie does in spades. If you love dance, you won't regret buying this DVD.

Center Stage is greater, better than the sum of its parts. It's easy to quibble about the acting being a bit amateurish, or plot elements being inane, or some of the characters being clichés. But that misses the point, which is that Center Stage is perfectly wonderful entertainment of the sort we don't often see on film these days. Young Amanda Schull, who plays Jody, would be a drop-dead gorgeous American beauty even if she couldn't dance a step. But she's a fine ballerina, and in the modern dance number that she performs with her two rival suitors, Cooper and Jonathan, she's so sexy you'll forget all about Flashdance (where I believe a double did the dancing for the star). Zoe Saldana (who plays Eva) is just as beautiful, ten times as saucy, and perhaps even more talented than Schull. She's the only one of the young "actors" who seems totally comfortable and credible in her acting. Her performance of the dance from Swan Lake will bring tears to some eyes. And if you're into guys, step right up: Center Stage has guys! -- and they're just as numerous, handsome, and talented as the girls. Years go by without a chance to see the talent and entertainment value you'll find in Center Stage. Don't miss it!

If you are thinking about watching "Center Stage", you should first read the plot summary and view the trailer. If neither impresses, you would be wise to give "Center Stage" a wide berth because they are very accurate representations of the film. The story is fairly simple, the focus is on three girls who aspire to a position with the fictional American Ballet Center in New York City. Well, they sort of aspire. The bulimic one (Maureen) is only doing it because her mother is pushing her, the girl next door one (Jody) is wondering if the company is too restrictive, and the angry one (Eva) is considering getting work as a Hooters waitress instead. Eva's seemingly bad attitude disguises the fact that she actually has the best attitude, she is there because she loves to dance. There is a love triangle between Jody and two guys, she sleeps with the one she loves (Cooper), he does not love her but he gives her the female lead in a ballet he has choreographed. He gives the male lead to the guy who loves her. Coincidentally Cooper's ballet is about a similar love triangle. This is not exactly new territory, think "Flashdance", "Fame", and "Brave New Girl". Don't expect Fellini's "Variety Lights". The plot is painfully contrived but the saving grace is the wonderful dancing and the realistic portrayal of the grind of dance school. The DVD has a ton of nice special features including extended dance sequences. The acting is nonprofessional but the director knows the limitations of his ensemble and does not ask them to do anything very difficult, at least acting-wise. The movie is full of mild melodrama, but stays nicely real life and doesn't amp the conflicts and love stories into an overwrought mess. The theme is the standard one about going after your dream through hard work and dedication, but they also focus on the necessity of first making sure that it is actually your dream. Bottom line: "Center Stage" is a joyful celebration of dance and the talented folks who make it their profession. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

fav one never on tv so ya bought it don’t judge me!

On me redemande maintes fois de faire les memes commentaires!? Ca suffit là.Une fois,deux fois ,trois fois le meme article.Feriez mieux de demander aux achetteurs amazon de commenter les vendeurs.Personne ne commente mes ventes.mais moi je dois commenter trois fois le meme dvd?! Bon bref.Le dvd est bien .Un peu lassé de me repeter.Achetter le.il est bien.

Parfait et respect de la description !

Enttäuscht von der Bestellung.

voici ce qu'était Zoe Saldana, avant d'être Neytiri dans Avatar: une vraie danseuse et déjà une belle nature rebelle - un régal!

A behind the scenes look at a school for the performing arts. It shows how hard these dancers work with a little romance thrown in for interest. I would recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in the world of dance. It won't disappoint!