I'm a late bloomer to this show though I don't think it's never too late than 'never' to start. Neither was I particularly familiar to with this show's quality or award winning acclaim that's pushed it to being a modern favorite among both kids and adults. I also can't say for the very least 'I' was the target audience for this show, though I actually ended up really enjoying it as the drama and the writing started to really grow on me as the character's developed throughout the show's three season run.
I am glad for one as a show that's produced right here in Australia has made such a reputation to be well known overseas, Yeah I know it happens quite a lot though this is a kids/teenage show that would've been usually broadcasted around 5 pm after school. For one, the quality of this series really does show, all the characters in the show have tremendous depth and dimension that make them so incredibly unique. I can't say for certain they're like people I would've known when I was in high school, mainly cause this is set in a Dance school where the student's work an talent is put on display throughout the entire series up close and personal, they push their limits and encounter many trials and tribulations along the way, and it isn't just in the drama. The show does a great job balancing such great dance choreography and superb drama to flesh out the lives of these teenagers.
The show isn't overly glamorous nor does it resort to the obvious 'teen' or 'coming of age' clichés a lot of the time (struggles with that within the first season). While there're plenty of trashy TV shows that can't take teenagers or young people seriously, Dance Academy is a show that does actually take teenagers seriously touching upon notions such as finding out more about themselves, defining their identity and what they're thinking of seriously doing when they're older. There were also plenty of times this show wasn't afraid to take risks when concerning the plotting and overall story of each character arc within each season. At times there were characters I didn't like or were mostly annoyed by though I eventually grew to like them as the series progressed. My personal favorite is Christian Reed, his backstory touched me the most and I grew to like his development until the very end. Least favorite was Grace, she was annoying, manipulative and such a show off acting like she was already a professional, great dancer though was a poor human being. I also commend each and every one of the performers on the show for their work on this show as they've made it work.
The main theme song 'My Chance', perfectly illustrates the metaphorical meaning for this show. It shows the young courageous minds of teenagers willing to show their potential to the rest of the world to see what they're made of. Lastly, you're only ever young once in your life, you may as well enjoy it while you can cause 'everyone' grows up so incredibly fast.
Be sure to catch this on Stan, Netflix or whatever other streaming service this show is available on. The cinematic 'film' continuation is coming this year and it's bound to be a big surprise given this show's reputation.
