CENTER STAGE

US, 2000, 115 minutes, Colour.
Amanda Schull, Ethan Stiefl, Susan May Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Peter Gallagher, Donna Murphy, Debra Monk, Eion Bailey.
Directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Center Stage is a film about the American Ballet Theatre, a year in its life, the students arriving, the details of their training, the build-up to the performance and the graduation and judgments whether the students be in the company or not. In a way, it is a ballet parallel to Fame.

A similar kind of film was directed by while Robert Altman, with Neve Campbell, The Company.

The cast of young dancers have the opportunity to show their skills in both ballet and modern dance. Ethan Stiefl, as Cooper, is quite outstanding in his abilities. He worked with the American Ballet Theatre and, the parallel with what he doesn’t the end of the film, in 2005 he established his own company.
Veterans Peter Gallagher and Donna Murphy portray the key members of the teaching group and the management of the ballet.
The film was directed by Nicholas Hytner, who directed The Madness of King George, The Crucible, The Object of my Affection and, later, The History Boys. He also spent many years as the director of Britain’s National Film Theatre.
The film will be of great interest to those who love ballet, wanting to know stories about training, rehearsals, the performers themselves - and with a great number of ballet sequences.

1. The popularity of films about ballet? Training? Performance?
2. The status of the American Ballet Theatre, Lincoln Center, performances, school and classes, instructors, management? What insight did the film give about the life of the American Ballet Theatre?
3. The choreography of the training sessions? The popular ballets like Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet? The innovative ballets, the rehearsals, the performance on the evening, Jonathan’s ballet and its classic style, Cooper’s ballet and its modern dance style?
4. One year at the ballet school? The eager applicants from all over the country, their auditions at home, being selected to go to New York?
5. The arrivals, the rooms and roommates, issues of smoking…? Personality clashes? The group getting to know each other over the months? Greater sympathies? Ambitions? Hopes?
6. The initial talk from Jonathan, realistic about possibilities of success? His reputation? The gossip about his taking Cooper’s girl? The rivalry with Cooper, allowing him to choreograph the students’ ballet? The nature of their interactions, envy and jealousy, spite?
7. Juliette, her role in the ballet, instructor, stern, especially with Eva? Eva standing up to her, her warming to her, helping her? With the other girls? With Jonathan? Her judgments about who should be accepted?
8. Jody’s arrival, with her parents, their hesitations? Her eagerness? With the group? Her trying hard, her technique not good enough, the wrong body shape, Jonathan’s comments? Her response? At the social, Cooper remembering her name, going out with her, dancing, going home with her, the affair, her earnestness and devotion to Cooper, his choosing her for the ballet, training her, the hard work, dropping her personally, Charlie and his support, her walking out in front of Joan Wilson, Charlie and his persuasiveness, her return, the night itself, her nervousness, the performance and the applause? Her parents and their joy? Cooper and his offer, going in to confront Jonathan and Juliet, being the star dancer in Cooper’s company?
9. The contrast with Maureen, the dominance of her mother and her past, not getting into the company because of her feet, working with the ballet, in the office, familiar with Jonathan and Juliet, urging her daughter, the meals together, her insistence on talking about what Maureen wanted? Maureen, having no friends, arrogant? Her skill as a dancer, the star amongst the students? Her being persuaded to go out, enjoying herself, the pizza? Her anorexia and vomiting? Meeting Jim, the relationship, her enjoying herself? Her not concentrating on her dancing? Juliette concerned and talking to her mother? Her confrontation with her mother? Walking out on Jim, his talking plainly about her anorexia? The evening of the ballet, her wish that she could injure herself and not perform? Her happiness with Eva’s success? Her mother walking out, the confrontation, talking about unhappiness, knowing what she wanted and whom she would be happy with, her mother’s response?
10. Eva, Hispanic, arrogant in manner, surly in dealing with people? Her love of dancing? Her friendship with Erik? With the group, at rehearsals and her attitude towards Juliette, talking to Jonathan? Being late? Joining going out? Her self-esteem, Eric comforting her? Rehearsing privately, Juliette finding her, encouraging her? Wanting to be accepted, to dance? The surprise of her taking Maureen’s place, her success and the ballet, the applause? Jonathan and his shock? The interview and her being accepted?
11. Emily, within the group, her lack of success, going out, enjoying eating, criticised by Jonathan, her leaving, with her mother?
12. Cooper, his being the star dancer, in England, his return to America? Rivalry with Jonathan? His girlfriend and leaving him for Jonathan? Yet his dancing professionally with her? The power of the ballet sequence? Man about town, charming Joan Wilson so that she would invest? Her coming to the rehearsal? His picking on Jody for a relationship? The sexual relationship? Her puppy love? His letting her down? But getting her for the dance, training her, her reaction against him, her return and success on the night? His inviting her to be the lead dancer for his new company, financed by Joan Wilson?
13. Charlie, from Seattle, a good dancer, his skills seen in the rehearsals? Attraction to Jody, supporting her, encouraging her? His performance on the night? His being accepted? A future with Jody?
14. Sergei, from Russia, his going out with the group, the tender dancing? Rehearsals for the main ballet, his success on the night? His girlfriend arriving from Russia?
15. Audience interest and the characters, their skills and dancing, their emotions, their clashes, the enjoyment of the outings together, building up a group?