Susan May Pratt, who plays the best dancer in the school, Maureen Cummings, had no ballet training before being cast.
Jonathan's Ballet is performed by the corps of the New York City Ballet.
Zoe Saldana, Amanda Schull, Ekaterina Chtchelkanova and Scottie Thompson's film debut.
After Jody tells her parents she has been accepted into the ABC, her mom suggests she could still go to college, and says, "Indiana has a great dance program." Amanda Schull, who plays Jody, actually attended Indiana University for two years.
There is a subplot in which Cooper Nielson, played by Ethan Stiefel, attracts the financial support of a wealthy philanthropic benefactress. A 15 August 2004 New York Times article entitled "How Much Is That Dancer in the Program?" revealed that Stiefel has a very similar real-life sponsorship relationship with a philanthropist named Anka Palitz.