Center Stage (2000 film)
Center Stage is a 2000 American teen drama film, directed by Nicholas Hytner, about a group of young dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at the fictitious American Ballet Academy in New York City. The film explores the issues and difficulties in the world of professional dance, and how each individual copes with the stresses.
After a series of countrywide auditions,young dancers gain entry to the American Ballet Academy which is loosely based on the School of American Ballet. They work hard, attending classes every day for weeks to make them the best dancers they can possibly be, and in preparations for a final dance workshop which will determine the three boys and three girls who will be asked to join the American Ballet Company which appears to be based on either the American Ballet Theatre or the New York City Ballet. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for the students to showcase their talent to other ballet companies across the country. Gaining a leading part in the workshop is therefore essential.Tensions mount between Jonathan Peter Gallagher, the companys aging choreographer and director, and Cooper Nielson Ethan Stiefel, his best dancer, who also wants to choreograph. They also have issues because Kathleen, Coopers exgirlfriend and fellow ballet dancer, left him for Jonathan. Star student Maureen Susan May Pratt, a closet bulimic who seems poised for success, discovers that life is passing her by when she meets a premed student who shows her life without ballet. Sweet Jody Sawyer Amanda Schull, despite body type issues and bad feet, is determined to dance professionally but it appears less and less likely as the movie progresses that she will be good enough. The talented but smartmouthed Eva Zoe Saldana loves to dance but seems destined to be stuck in the back of the corps because of her attitude. Tensions also arise between Charlie a naturally gifted fellow student and Cooper. Charlie has a crush on Jody, who had a onenight stand with Cooper and remains infatuated with him. ........
Source: Wikipedia
