Center Stage (2000) ~ Watching Films/Movies Online

The film starts out with the audition of Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull) for the American Ballet Acadamy or ABA. She is cited as having bad feet and turnout, yet she makes it anyway.

Upon arriving to the Acadamy in New York, she meets Cooper Neilson (Ethan Steifel), a famous ballet dancer returning to New York. Once in her room, Jody meets her roomates Eva Rodriguez (Zoe Saldana) and Maureen Cummings (Susan May Pratt). Eva and Jody immediately hit it off but she (Eva) and Maureen have problems. They leave to find a place where Eva can smoke and run into Eric (Shakiem Evans), a gay dancer who leads them to his friends.

In Erik's room, Jody and Eva meet fellow dancers Sergi (IIia Kulik), who has been there for many years, and Charlie (Sascha Radetsky), who has instant chemistry with Jody.

After a montage of breaking in pointe shoes, there is an introduction to the classes by the head of the Company, Jonathan Reeves (Peter Gallagher). Dancing. Jodi's bad turnout is noticed by one of the head teachers, Juliette Simone (Donna Murphy).

As the girls pause in a doorway to watch the boys, famous ballet dancer Kathleen Donahue (Julie Kent) passes by and they take notice. After she is gone Maureen tells them that Kathleen and Cooper broke up not to long ago when she left him to marry Jonathan. Since then Cooper had been in London and "screwing everything in tights".

Maureen goes to meet her mother (Debra Monk), who works at ABA to discuss her possible rivals at getting into the ABC.

There is a pas de deux class, where Charlie and Jody are partners.

That night, the advanced students and teachers of ABA are at the ballet. First is a segment from Swan Lake, and then Romeo and Juliet danced by Cooper and Kathleen.

After the show, the students have baskets of things to sell while a party goes on. People complement both Kathleen and Cooper on their ballet, and Cooper flirts with Jody. Jody and her friends sneak off and find away on to the Lincoln Center stage. They mess around until Cooper and Kathleen bust into the auditorium. They hide while the adults fight. Cooper thinks they have obvious chemistry while Kathleen says it is just acting and she is happily married and she leaves in a huff.

Outside, a waiter (later known as Jim (Eion Bailey)) tries to get Maureen's name and number.

After another disastorous class, Jody waits in Jonathan's office. He and Juliette think ballet isn't the right path for her. She is visabley upset.

To ease Jody's stress, Eva decides that she and Charlie, Erik, and Sergi will take her out. They go to a salsa club where Jody and Charlie dance and flirt while Sergi gets hit on by an old barfly.

Meanwhile, Jim meets Maureen outside ABA and asks her out. She accepts.

They go bowling with Jim's friends. Maureen doesn't know how to bowl. (because all she's done is dance her whole life) Later they sit around eating pizza and telling unfunny jokes. Maureen barely eats. After Jim drops her off, she goes inside and throws it all up.

The next day, the five are hungover and subsequently kicked out of class. Their punsihment is to clean the mirrors in the studios, and during this they get in to a water fight, while Maureen looks on sadly.

Jody goes to take a dance class somewhere else in New York, because she is tired of taking criticism for her ballet dancing. During the Broadway dance class, Cooper comes in to assist/dance. After the class, Cooper convinces Jody to come back to his place for "dessert".

They drink wine. They have sex.

The next day, Jody thinks she and Cooper are dating after the one night stand and Kathleen makes fun of him.

The casting for the end of the year workshop is up. Charlie, Erik, and Jody are cast in a new ballet choreo'd by Cooper. Maureen and Sergi are the leads in Jonathan's ballet, while Eva is in the corps. She is upset.

While they pracitce the ballets, we find out that Cooper's ballet is basically the story of him, Kathleen, and Jonathan. (It's REALLY obvious...he's not even trying).

Everyone plus Jim and Maureen go out for Erik's birthday. THey drive around in a white limo and go out to the Statue of Liberty. Charlie asks Jody out and she says she's already seeing someone. Meanwhile, Jim finds Maureen in the bathroom, who blames her throwing up on sea sickness.

During rehearsal, Charlie figures out that it is Cooper Jody is "seeing". They have a ballet showdown of sorts, but Cooper wins. In Jonathan's ballet, Maureen is having trouble being passionate about the dance.

Jody goes to the Lincoln Center to see Cooper (and Kathleen) perform George Balanchine's "Stars and Stripes". Kathleen knows exatly what's going on, but Cooper denies it. After the ballet, Jody waits for Cooper, but he leaves with another girl.

The next day in rehearsal everyone is sullen and Jody gets mad at Cooper for "not being able to make up his mind" in the dance, but she's really talking about their "relationship". She storms out and Charlie goes after her. He convinces her to stay in the dance even though she is mad at Cooper.

Another dancer, Emily (Victoria Born), has been hinted at for being to fat to dance. She leaves school.

At night, Jim and Maureen have a fight about her bulimea. She storms out, telling him "I am the best goddamn dancer in the American Ballet Academy. Who the hell are you? Nobody!"

During rehearsal on stage, Erik suffers an injury, putting him out of the dance. Cooper thinks the understudy isn't good enough and wants to dance the part himself. Jonathan doesn't want him to, but Cooper threatens to pull the ballet.

In the dorms, Maureen wants to quit, but Jody and Eva tell her how lucky she is. Eva wishes they could trade places.

Performance. The first dance, the Italian Symphony, is lead by Anna (Megan Pepin), a girl who is a main contender for one of the spots in the company.

The next dance is Jonathan's. Sergi is surprised to discover Eva in Maureen's place as lead. Meanwhile, Maureen and her mother have a confrontation in the lobby about Maureen quitting ballet. She is unhappy and wants to leave while her mother tells her not to. She walks away while her mother is angry still about her "giving up her dream".

The last dance is Cooper's, which is incredibly elaborate and preposterous. It involves motercycles, fake leather pants, ballet sex, two second scene changes, red pointe shoes, and a lot of Jamiroquai. Here is the video on YouTube, for I cannot describe it properly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoBTuIsB3ls&mode=related&search=

At the end, Jonathan announces who will make the company. Eva and Anna both do. When Jody is called in, she gives a speech and says she is joining Cooper's new company that he is now starting.

Everyone congradulates each other outside, and Erik and Charlie have both made it in to ABC. Jody asks Charlie to the party that night and they kiss.

(Source: IMDB)

Part 1