Center Stage

REVIEW
Best of the best in ballet students vie for positions in the American Ballet Academy, while dealing with the usual mélange of personal troubles. Slow-paced, overlong but mildly involving, Center Stage benefits greatly from decent performances and an appealing lead (the beautiful-in-a-perky-way Schull), but the film is terminally shallow and derivative. There's nothing here you haven't seen in countless "gotta-be-the-best" films (whether about singers, athletes, chess players or dancers), but like its antecedents, Center Stage shines in its performance scenes. Some of these include spectacular performances of "Swan Lake" choreographed by Lee Ivanov, "Romeo and Juliet" choreographed by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, and "Stars and Stripes" choreographed by George Balanchine. Dance fans and teenage girls should love the film; everyone else should approach with caution.