movie memories: center stage

I love movies, going to the theater seeing some epic moving on the big screen, watching at home. When I was in college my friends and I use to have regular movie nights where we’d gather in our pajamas and round up snacks and watch old favorites from someone’s VHS collection (yep, I went to college with a TV with a built in VCR – I was fancy). It was the early 2000s and for some reason movies involving dance were big, for example Save the Last Dance, Center Stage were some we watched on repeat.  I have fond memories of Center Stage, it made me want to be a dancer even though I have little to no experience and figuring that out that dream at 19 was well, far too late in life. This does not stop me from putting on my ipod and hosting my own personal dance recital from time to time in my apartment (downstairs neighbor, sorry about the leaping, but ballerinas leap).

It’s been probably 10 years since I’ve watched Center Stage, but my memory serves as this: Girl wants to be ballerina, girl’s parents want her to go to college, but she gets into a very prestigious ballet academy in New York. The dad from the OC is a jerk, who runs the ballet company that the academy is associated with, who tries to crush girl’s dream. Girl makes friends, has a roommate who’s a b*tch, but also an eating disorder making roommate hangry. Girl meets guy who she puts in friend category, girl meets ballerino star – who thinks she's

cute enough to sleep with, but not date. Girl gets big part in jerk ballerino’s workshop for the final performance before finding out what ballet company wants her. Ballerino has a vision and its ballet for the rock and roll generation – we all dance to Jamiroquai and everyone’s dreams come true.

Honestly, I think my favorite part of that movie was some of the great/terrible music. I sadly really love the song, Friends Forever by the Thunderbugs. It’s cheesy goodness that only a movie can give you.

(photo via all posters)