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CENTER STAGE: ON POINTE
With Nicole Munoz, Barton Cowperthwaite, Peter Gallagher, Kenny Wormald, Chloe Lukasiak, Sarah Jane Redmond, Maude Green, Kyle Toy
Written by Nisha Ganatra
Directed by Director X.
It has been 17 years since the first Center Stage made its debut (with a sequel in 2008, Turn It Up).
This third installment kind of goes the route of the 'So You Think You Can Dance' TV show, mixing classic and street dance.
Gallagher returns as the head of the American Ballet Company. He needs to keep its doors open and in an attempt to do so, bend the rules by allowing non-classical dancers to audition. These selections attend a training camp (in a beautiful, green wooded location out of the city) where only a handful of them will get to join this sought after company. One of these hopefuls is the sister of an ABC star and does so anonymously as to not have that be an influence.
With in-fighting, allegiances, rivalries, childish and adult issues, it all boils down to the dancing.
The first movie is a huge favourite amoung dancers and dance fans alike, and very much captures that feeling of a lively, bustling dance school like the classic Alan Parker movie Fame - this one may not reach the same heights, but will certainly satisfy many.
The only other time I heard of Director X was when I accidentally saw an (uninspired) music video on a train / subway carriage with a (tired) R. Kelly as guest… This is a far better attempt, but besides the cinematographer capturing the action as it needs to be, the direction does have many flaws in staging a lot of the scenes (especially the large production numbers).
A far cry from the first Canter Stage, but entertaining enough.
3 / C
- Paul Blom
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