Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Looking Closer

Home
Religious Music & Entertainment
First Position (2011)

First Position (2011)

Last updated on: July 1, 2012 at 10:55 am by Jeffrey Overstreet

First Position (2011) 2012-07-01T10:55:39-06:00 Jeffrey Overstreet

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

[This review was originally published at Good Letters, the Patheos blog hosted by Image.]

All of the dollars and expertise that produced The Avengers, Men in Black 3, and the rest of this summer’s block-busting movie events could never produce a spectacle as wondrous as eleven-year-old Aran Bell dancing his heart out.

Aran is reason enough for you to buy a ticket for First Position. That’s director Bess Kargman’s new documentary about young ballet dancers training to compete in New York’s Youth America Grand Prix. Her cameras roll as the dancers rehearse, and the tension inspired by the upcoming high-stakes competition rises from a simmer to a boil. There, young adult dancers can win places in great ballet companies, younger dancers can earn scholarships to world-class ballet schools, and even younger dancers can earn early recognition. Or, their dreams can come crashing down.

At first glance, Aran seems too tiny, too delicate to go anywhere near such an event. But this boy was born to dance. With the passion of a seasoned performer, he says, “I love ballet so much… it’s hard to explain.”

He needn’t try—his agility and grace are eloquent enough, and his dedication is undeniable: his rigorous training, his submission to vigorous critique, and his mind-boggling stretches. (Wait until you see the torture device he calls a foot stretcher. Ouch.) When he dances, you can’t take your eyes off him. X-rays would probably reveal that his insides are powered by tightly wound rubber bands.

He’s not the only bright light in First Position.

Twelve-year-old Miko, and her younger brother Jules, two Japanese-American children from San Francisco, charm audiences and dance judges alike. Miko isn’t just bound for greatness—she’s already there, seemingly powered by forces beyond her own capacity.

Michaela lost her parents and witnessed horrors in the Sierra Leone civil war before she was adopted by a Philadelphia couple and given a new life. And here she is, even though misconceptions about African-American women complicate her chances of success in the world of ballet.

A princess-obsessed high school senior from Maryland, Rebecca is fully aware that she fits an all-American Barbie-doll stereotype, but she won’t let that interfere with her aspirations.

And Joan (pronounced JOE-on) Sebastian, a sixteen-year-old from Colombia, hopes to become that country’s first ballet star so he can support his struggling family back home.

Even if you, like me, have never attended a ballet or felt much interest in dance, these kids will inspire you. Or, perhaps, they’ll leave you feeling wretched for your own lack of motivation and discipline.

I thought I’d seen too many of these kids-in-competition movies to be drawn back to the edge of my seat for another tournament-focused finale. But there I was, heart in my throat, knowing that the slightest misstep could be devastating.

The farther I get from First Position, the more I think this is a good documentary that could have been great.

Of the films in this developing kid-contender docu-genre, Spellbound—Jeffrey Blitz’s 2002 documentary about children and spelling bees—seems to have the most staying power. Blitz attends closely to his young subjects, savors their idiosyncrasies, acquaints us with their families, and exposes the consequences of such obsessions with revealing (and sometimes frightful) honesty. And he finds those lightning-strike moments that make documentaries exciting, moments that can only be captured by a patient, vigilant filmmaker.

First Position follows the Spellbound formula, but it lacks imagination, depth, and that sense of imminent surprise. Its subjects are quite impressive on and off the dance floor, but the film is so focused on the path to championship template that it gives insufficient attention to some important aspects of the dancers’ experiences, including their performances.

That’s the problem with this genre: Its suspenseful countdown to glorious achievements and heartbreaking failures is a narrow chute like an amusement park slide. Turning art into an ordeal, creativity into a contest, its details become mere variations along a familiar ride. I’d rather find fuller human stories, and have more space to enjoy the art itself.

Is this confining, predictable package the only way to make audiences sit still for a story about dreamers in pursuit of excellence?

I’m left with questions a more thoughtful film might have explored. I’m curious how these families afford the mind-boggling financial demands of a dancer’s development, costs that must prevent many—even most—of the world’s most promising dancers from ever reaching the stage. I’d like to know the long-term effects of such competition-driven pressure. Does this grueling lifestyle really equip dancers to do their best work? How many can sustain any sense of play or joy when they become so intent on impressing judges and besting competitors?

I question the idea that the crucible of competition is the place to discover an artist’s true quality. Is a student’s best work done during finals week? Would you judge which rose is most beautiful by choosing the one best able to survive a furnace or a fire-hose?

At the Grand Prix, Rebecca is bothered by her competitors’ unfriendliness, how they sneer when she wishes them good luck. She’s also worried that a one-minute performance does not give judges a good sense of a dancer’s talent. “You practice so hard,” Rebecca laments, “and then it’s like… not even a whole minute on stage, and you’re done. That’s it.”

Similarly, this film felt insufficient as an exhibition of each dancer’s gifts. We get sketchy portraits of each player’s daily life, snippets from interviews, highlights of their training, close-ups of their injuries, and close-ups of their parents’ and coaches’ furrowed brows during the tournament. And yes, it’ll spike your adrenalin and make you cheer. Don’t get me wrong—you should go see it.

But as a movie about talented youngsters, First Position never rises above routine stretches and basic exercises. The children dance—the movie doesn’t.

—First Position is currently playing in limited release.

–

[This review was originally published at Good Letters, the Patheos blog hosted by Image.]

Film Reviews

Previous Post

July 1, 2012

Chariots of Fire (1981) - "To Run and Not Grow Weary" Pt. 2

Next Post

July 1, 2012 Welcome (or Welcome Back) to Looking Closer!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Bloggers on "Through a Screen Darkly" Browser Coming Soon Endorsements Fiction Books Film Forum Film Reviews Inspirations Interviews Journal Kindlings Muse Movie buzz Music Reviews Non-Fiction Books radio Reviewers on "Through a Screen Darkly" The Auralia Thread Through a Screen Darkly Through a Screen Darkly - Bonus Materials Top 10 (or 20 or 100) lists Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 July 2003 May 2003 March 2003 September 1999

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian group is known for large-scale missionary work headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Anglican Latter-day Saints Catholic United Church of Christ