Gideon24 Center Stage was a 2000 comedy-drama that followed the lives of various teenagers as they audition for a spot in the American Ballet Company. The film opens as students audition for the company but we learn that they have only been chosen to study at the company and are not actually members of the company yet. There is a showcase at the end of the year at which time, only a handful of students are chosen as actual members of the company.The primary characters focused on are Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull), a young girl who has the passion for dance but doesn't really have the technique. Eva (Zoe Saldana) has the technique but doesn't have the attitude. Maureen (Susan May Pratt) was pretty much pushed into ballet by her mother (Debra Monk) who works for the company and though she has what it takes in terms of technique, learns that her heart isn't really in it. We are also are introduced to Jonathan (Peter Gallagher) the egomaniacal director of the company who constantly butts head with Cooper Nielsen (Ethan Stiefel), the principal male dancer of the company who longs to have his own company and finds himself attracted to Jody. Tony winner Donna Murphy is also featured as a teacher in the company whose battle of wills with Eva keep their working relationship very tense.Yeah, it's pretty much a soap opera on pointe shoes, but the characters presented are pretty realistic for the most part, as dancers, for the most part, are not the nicest people in the world and that film makes this very clear. Jonathan and Cooper pretty much grate on the nerves throughout, only made worse because Ethan Stiefel, though a brilliant dancer, can't act his way out of paper bag.On the other hand, Schull is charming as Jody and Saldana steals every scene she is in. There is also a cute cameo by original A CHORUS LINE cast member Priscilla Lopez as a dance instructor who is an old friend of Cooper's. There is some first-rate dancing though and Cooper's final ballet, featuring Schull and Stiefel, is spectacular.

capone666 Center StageThe main difference between attending ballet school and public school is that at ballet school they encourage you to sleep with your teacher to get ahead.A fact at least one student in this drama proves.With only a few openings for the prestigious ballet academy workshop, a group of aspiring dancers (Zoe Saldana, Susan May Pratt, Amanda Schull) compete against one another and themselves for the coveted positions.Meanwhile, there is a power struggle between the troupe's current choreographer Jonathon (Peter Gallagher) and Cooper (Ethan Stiefel), the lead dancer looking to replace him.Tackling the commonplace concerns facing ballet dancers, from eating disorders to complex love triangles that can only be explained through exaggerated movements, Center Stage is a realistic yet ridiculous look at the cutthroat art form.Besides, wouldn't sex with a ballerina have to involve 5 additional ballerinas, just to make it feel like there's someone else there? (Yellow Light)

Sam Sloan (samsloan) I have watched this several times with my daughter, who is taking ballet lessons. She likes this movie and plays it over and over again.I am convinced that several of the dancers do not really dance at all and appear to dance through camera trickery or using stand-ins.Sascha Radetsky, Amanda Schull, Ethan Stiefel, Zoe Saldana and probably Ilia Kulik (Charlie, Jody, Cooper, Eva and Surgei) danced their own parts.Maureen, Emily, and Erik did not dance at all, I believe.I am not sure about Julie Kent who played Kathleen Donahue and danced the duet with Ethan Stiefel.Also, I think the dance sequences involved a lot of cutting and pasting. I think it would be almost impossible for anybody to dance that perfectly from the beginning to the end of these long dance sequences.Sam Sloan

torigemi3 We are living in a world where disorders are engrossing both male and females of all ages. Eating disorders are particularly growing in numbers and affecting more people throughout the world each day. Occurring quite commonly with young female ballet dancers the film Center Stage offers insight for the audience to grasp this issue. To introduce and expose eating disorders is an aid to help recover and possibly prevent future victims of such a seriously physically and psychologically draining issue.One main eating disorder is Anorexia Nervosa which is a psychiatric disorder that causes a person to have a warped perception of their body image. They have a constant and obsessive fear of gaining weight so severe that the person will starve themselves. Along with the psychological issues of body image distortion highly serious physical tribulations begin to plague the body. Anorexia can negatively affect organ functions such as the heart and muscles and can ultimately lead to death. This is a serious problem especially considering that many young adults have the disease greatly affecting their growing process.While the film has a light an airy tone it substantially touches on many important issues that are present in the world of a young ballet dancer. The constant insistent from instructors and peers to be thin weighs down on character Maureen, played by Susan May Pratt, and she turns to Anorexia and Bulimia. At first Maureen rejects food and starves herself but then when she can no longer control her hunger begins to eat and then force herself to throw up her food. The stress is not being eased from her mother, Nancy, played by Debra Monk. Unable to make her own dreams of being a ballerina a reality, Nancy is constantly on Maureen to achieve them.Most Anorexics conceal their disease because they are ashamed. Their original disappointment for not being "thin" enough has now doubled to their embarrassment of being sick. To tackle such an important issue of our society Center Stage is one way to help make them known to the public. The media is constantly portraying flawlessly thin woman and also men, making it hard for people to accept themselves. It is critical that our current society help changes the perception of what perfect is.