First Position

Remember the excellent movie "The Competition" starring Richard Dreyfuss and Amy Irving, about young pianists who compete for glory and careers? First Position likewise gives a backstage view of a prestigious competition, complete with background about their families and their lifestyles. Except First Position is a documentary, not fiction.

What a joy to follow these talented kids as they dedicate their lives to their art and their dreams. I found all of them to be likable. Some negative comments have been made about some of the parents, but they all were willing to provide whatever their children needed to pursue their dreams. One child did, eventually, drop out of dance, but it seemed his parents supported his decision.

Have you ever felt proud of someone even though you had no connection with them? Well I felt that way numerous times during this film. I am not a relative nor a teacher nor a parent. But I found myself swelling with pride for those special children who have dared to pursue a dream with such singlemindedness, yet seem to be happy and humorous. Or the child who continues to dance despite taunting from other children.

This documentary is recommended for anyone who loves dance or enjoys stories about the human will to achieve.

First Position takes a front row in my line up of competition documentaries. It's exceptional because it doesn't overdo its reverence for ballet, nor does it play on a natural sympathy for young competitors from 9 through 19 years old. It would be easy to fawn over youngsters who have only two and a half minutes to persuade judges that they are the best among hundreds of ambitious artists.

It keeps the tension of the race to the finals of the Youth America Grand Prix while it invests just the right amount of time with six selected dancers, some of whom fortuitously go to the finals and win, if not the gold , then full scholarships to dance academies, not a bad substitute at all.

The camera follows, as is tradition, the endless practices with the demanding coaches, but this time both principals and teachers seem to enjoy the process as much as the awards. There's respectful, low key camaraderie among all the competitors, coaches, and parents that is unusual for these contests and documentaries about them.

The range of contestants is the believable, not hyped part I liked so much. While cheerful ten year old Jules Fogarty clearly isn't into dance or the competition, sixteen-year old Joan Sebastian Zamora will earn a top spot at the Grand Prix finals in New York because he cares just enough. Such is the way ambition should work out in the best of all possible worlds.

Best of all the dancers, for me, is 11 year old Aran Bell, whose ambition is matched by his awesome talent with a litheness only a dancer years older could have. Michaela, originally from Sierra Leone, is the most surprising talent, given the horrors she has seen and the physical challenges she must overcome.

Director Bess Kargman, following six contestants for over a year, does simple magic with director of photography Nick Higgins, sometimes forsaking the competition footage for the more intimately personal, with arguably limited results when the winners are announced as we want to agree with the decisions. More time on stage might have enlisted our cooperation.

A case could be made for the superiority of the ballroom dance Mad Hot Ballroom, poetry team Louder Than a Bomb, horse racing's First Saturday in May, or spelling bee Spellbound because they concentrate on the intensity of the actual competition and open up criticism of the contest itself. No such negativity appears here, a weakness for those who would like the reality of disappointment and hurt to extend beyond Michaela's sore foot.

But for me, it's nice to be relaxed as we hope these young competitors still are.

First Position was a brilliant documentary in my opinion! It gives the audience an intimate look at the lives of seven dancers ages 9-17 who are preparing for the Youth America Grand Prix international ballet competition. They each are hoping to receive a scholarship to study at a world-renown ballet institution, or a job offer so that they can achieve their dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. The documentary addresses the lifestyles of these children, their performances at the Grand Prix semi-finals, and eventually the finals in New York City.

I felt like this gave a really interesting and accurate depiction of the lives of these young dancers. The kids they picked to interview were very diverse and likable. I found myself routing for all of them. Also important, the documentary addressed how this career path has affected the lives of the parents of the children. The parents vary from loving and supportive to completely overbearing. I enjoyed the variety of approaches to the same goal.

I really would recommend this documentary. The subject is really interesting. The way it is filmed and edited is ideal (not too fast, not too slow) and the dancing is absolutely breath-taking. I felt very informed and very inspired after watching First Position.

This documentary takes a little time to pull you in but it succeeds nicely. A little patience is required but it is worth it !

I like most people expected to be bored senseless with this but instead I now appreciate classical dance much more.

This is because director Bess Kargman pays attention to the sufferings hard work and devotion and lets not forget beauty of what these young people go through and what they do.

She lets us see the toll ballet takes on these kids emotions and feet. Yes I said feet. Bruised bloody feet. And all the emotional strain as well.

Watch for the African girl who dances with a bad ankle and it is just normal for every one around her and nobody tries to dissuade her!

I could empathize and feel the dramatic as the competition nears and judgement is made in the various categories.

I gave this documentary 8 stars. But it might as well be 10 because it did hold my attention about a subject I had no interest in whatsoever. I didn't want to see it. For shame. I am glad I spent the money on this film.

I was going to see an other film for the second time because the Embassy in Waltham has $6.00 Tuesdays.

When there's a new film showing? What a waste!

First Position (2011), directed by Bess Kargman, is an excellent film about young ballet dancers. For reasons I can't understand, as I write this review, the movie carries an IMDb rating of a dismal 6.2. How can that be? Did the viewers who rated it "1" see the same film I saw?

The movie follows seven young ballet dancers as they prepare for, and then compete in, the prestigious Grand Prix competition. As pointed out in the movie, many physical activities in which people participate involve natural movements for which the human body is well suited.

Catching a baseball, swimming, or climbing a rope are not easy, but our species has the natural physical capabilities to do these things. Ballet dancing, especially en pointe ballet dancing, is not a natural activity for us. We simply are not constructed to (literally) walk on the tips of our toes. The feet have to be trained and remodeled to allow this activity to take place. And, of course, not only do ballet dancers dance on their toes, but when they are doing this they are supposed to make their movements elegant, graceful, and apparently effortless.

Although male ballet dancers don't dance en pointe, their movements are also extraordinarily difficult. One young male dancer shows us his "foot stretcher," and tells us, "It hurts a lot."

So, serious ballet dancing requires physical traits that are extraordinary, dedication so that ballet becomes central to your life, and the capability to absorb physical pain that would be "cruel and unusual punishment" if it weren't voluntary.

Director Kargman has put together a documentary that takes us inside the lives of these young dancers. We meet their coaches, their families, and their judges. Also, of course, we go to the Grand Prix with the dancers, and we learn whether they succeed or fail.

I thought the movie was honest, creative, and balanced. These young people are not "regular kids who happen to take ballet." They are dedicated, passionate, and fanatically determined to succeed. First Position brings us into the world of ballet training, and allows us to make our own decisions about the wisdom of encouraging your child to dance and compete at this level. It's a great film. Why does it have such a low rating?