Center Stage: Turn It Up

 ”So you think you can dance?“

 DEFINITLEY!  This movie has it all!  You get to see amazing street dancing and graceful ballet all in one film, along with Cooper Nielson!

A sequel to the hit movie Center Stage (2000), the movie takes place in New York City and is based around the American Ballet Association, or ABA.  Kate Parker (Rachele Brooke Smith) leaves her small town to get into ABA.  She has all the glamour and sparkle of a dancer that the academy needs, but she is just not enough for Jonathon Reeves (Peter Gallagher).  Cooper Nielson (Ethan Stiefel) disagrees and wants her, but the company just does not see her fitting in.  Kate is crushed and too upset to go back home, so she goes to a club named The Foundry where she meets Tommy Anderson (Kenny Wormald) and impresses him and the owner of the club with her dance moves.  She gets a job at The Foundry and Tommy asks her to help him with his partner dancing for ABA.  Kate agrees, moves into an apartment, and the romance blossoms.  Of course their are problems in paradise when Kate sees Tommy with his pairs partner Suzanne (Sarah Jane Jenson) and Kate wants to give up everything, including her dancing and just head back home.  Kate has a lot of decisions to make about her future, including telling her family the truth about not getting into ABA.  With many paths along the way, she chooses the path where her heart has always led her.   

I completely fell in love with all of the dancing and ballet this movie has to offer.  I also thought that Kate and Tommy had pretty good chemistry together, and their differences make them look like an even better couple.  I also like that this movie is different than the first one in that the most talented girl with sparkle, does not get in and has to work even harder to try and get in the next semester.  The dancing in this movie is indescribable.  It is beautiful and elegant, as well as talented and creative. 

I highly reccommend this movie to anyone who watches Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and America’s Best Dance Crew.  There are not a lot of the similarities as the first Center Stage, so it is enjoyable to see new characters with new talent brought to the big screen.  If you saw the first movie eight years ago, you are in for a treat and you should watch the second one on a cozy night in by yourself or with your gal pals!  And if you have not seen the first one, I think you should have a double feature!