In May of 2000, famed theater director Sir Nicholas Hytner released his film Center Stage in movie theaters across the globe. Critics were generally lukewarm with their reception, noting that the ballet drama was filled with cliches, stereotypes, bad dialogue and an extremely thin storyline. However, they all agreed that the dance performances were top-notch. The New York Post even went as far as saying that the film was the best “dance movie” since the influential 1983 hit Flashdance.
Today, Center Stage is considered a cult movie for ballet fans, dance lovers, and especially millennials who are intrigued by the world portrayed on the screen.

The film follows one year in the life of a group of teenages studying at the American Ballet Academy (loosely based on the School of American Ballet). There is Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull), an aspiring Principal Dancer suffering from imposter syndrome. She quickly starts a temperamental affair with the company’s star choreographer Cooper Nielsen (Ethan Stiefel). We also follow Eva Rodriguez (Zoe Saldana), who struggles with anger issues that limit her full potential. Finally, there is Maureen Cummings (Susan May Pratt), a ballet prodigy struggling with bulimia and parental expectations. The storylines of Center Stage reads like an Early Aughts TV teen drama–complete with tears, screaming, and easy conveniences to get the characters from point A to point B.

Despite its flaws, the film truly shines when the focus shifts to the dancing. Beyond the three principal female leads (who needed a little bit of movie magic for their ballet scenes), most cast members were actual students from the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). The two male leads, Ethan Stifel and Sascha Radetsky, are particularly notable as the company’s respective real-life principal dancer and soloist. In addition, 1998 Olympic Champion figure skater Ilia Kulik plays a supporting role as talented Russian ballet dancer Sergei.

Most of the female ballerinas required doubles for more intense dance sequences so that they were able to focus on their acting. However, leading lady Amanda Schull also came from a dance background, having studied at the Indiana University Bloomington on a ballet scholarship. Director Hytner’s effort to bring all these talented young people to the film has allowed Center Stage to endure as a dance classic with distinct, authentic performances.

One of the most notable aspects of the film is its effort to make ballet feel more modern. Jody and Cooper’s connection is built on their passion for revolutionizing art for the new millennium. The most memorable performance in Center Stage is certainly Cooper’s ballet, which reflects the love triangle happening between himself, Jody, and other male dancer Charlie (played by Sascha Radetsky). While the usual movements are present in the choreography, the ballet makes use of music from Michael Jackson and other contemporary artists.

The result is a truly dazzling ballet that will leave viewers excited about the possibilities of the classical art form. Ethan Stifel certainly steals the show with his incredible skill and control. Every movement, every jump, every turn is mesmerizing. Adding to the greatness of the performance is the playful production design, clever costume transitions, and cheeky libretto. It is the one scene in the entire movie worth waiting for. Stifel would go on to have a brilliant career. He would continue to be the principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre until 2012, before moving to the other side of the world where he worked as the Artistic Director at the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Many of the other young dancers featured in the film would flourish after the release of Center Stage. Sascha Redetsky would continue dancing with the ABT over the years. In 2018, he was finally named the artistic director of American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company. Amanda Schull has since retired from dancing, but has a lucrative television career, most notably starring in hit series Suits. Susan May Pratt continues to star in small independent productions. Finally, Zoe Saldana is now a household name, headlining several big franchises such as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and James Cameron’s Avatar movies.

While Center Stage very much feels like a product “of its time”, it shouldn’t be written off as the critics did in 2000. The hard-hitting issues Hytner portrays in the film (while not as fleshed out as it could be) was made with good intentions. Center Stage has also inspired a generation of dancers who were coming of age in the New Millenium. But over anything, it is a motion picture that captured the raw and pure dance talent of a group of young people that would eventually contribute so much to the art forms of ballet and cinema.