Center Stage: On Pointe

When the ABC Company, who's been focused only on classic ballet for many years, gets on the verge of bankruptcy, they decide to mix it with modern dance in order to attract more people to their shows but also investors. A dance contest is organized and the selected ones are sent for six weeks into a camp for training and final selection.

The story focuses on a girl who specializes in modern dance but must now adapt to a new world of rules and obedience which ballet requires. Together with her partner and new friends, they must help each other in order to pursue their dreams. Although it sounds pretty cliché, the idea is good enough. Unfortunately, the plot isn't good enough, being very linear, superficial and predictable most of the time. The characters are likable and although not very complex, they manage to create and maintain a good dancing atmosphere which is pleasant to the eye. You'll also find some pretty enjoyable music, making it a pleasure to see the actors dance. As said before, it's a shame that the plot is not helping much, leaving much room to improve, especially in terms of depth. It has a tendency of simplifying things way too much, making the predictable finale even less satisfying than it would have been.

Let me put it this way, if you like music and dancing, you'll find a good movie to watch in this one. If you expect to see a good story and well defined characters which can provide suspense, drama and emotion, you're going to be disappointed by it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece in dance but it is a feel good underdog movie about different styles of dance coming together for the greater good. It seems many people missed the plot and immediately zoomed in on technical issues as if they expected to watch a real ballet. Its a movie people, its a threequel. Just relax & enjoy it from that perspective. There were some really funny moments by the actor's and I was particularly watching for the first timer, Chloe Lukasiak. Honestly Chloe could have carried this movie. I was very impressed with her emotion & delivery. I was a little annoyed that she didn't get to dance in the final number but I get it, you had to show someone get cut so why not the youngster. A Gwen movie spin off is almost a must for as good as she was. Nice job everyone. I agree it lacked some character development and I didn't particularly like the slo mo dance moments but still, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We need a Gwen follow up next.

I enjoyed this film very much, although I was surprised that it premiered on Lifetime instead of Hallmark as it's very much a classic Hallmark movie. From the moment they show up at the camp, these dancers are in competition for a few spots in a newly-reorganized dance company that has been tasked with modernizing itself. I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that I was less impressed with the lead actress's dancing than that of Maude Green, Chloe Lukasiak, and the male dancers. The setting was gorgeous, filmed mostly in an architecturally-intriguing building deep in the forest (Cheakamus Centre in British Columbia, Canada). Competitive rivalries heat up among the ballet dancers as they try to assimilate the contemporary dance style the others are so naturally good at; meanwhile, the contemporary dancers are brushing up their ballet skills. Not having watched the first two movies in this series, I admit I looked forward to it for months solely because Chloe Lukasiak had been cast.

Lukasiak, as most know, was a featured lead dancer on "Dance Moms." On the show, she was often referred to as naturally gifted in ballet, with beautiful lines, legs and feet, as well as excellent technique that she had developed by training since the age of two years old. Her real-life training and experience were quite different from her character, Gwen, who is referred to as a "dance prodigy" yet is almost exclusively a contemporary dancer with not much training in other genres. At the same time she was asked to play Gwen as relatively new to ballet, she was also learning partner work in contemporary and ballet for the first time - in real life as well as in the script. I was pleased that Lukasiak did not disappoint in her dance ability and has been complimented often in reviews of this movie - even by people panning the movie itself - as a dancer who was talented and enjoyable to watch.

From its logical plot sequence to its beautiful setting, this was such an enjoyable movie. Everything was believable: the couples, the improvement as the dancers learned, and even the surprising conclusion of Gwen's company audition - written perfectly in case they want her as the lead in a fourth movie. Although I had prepared myself for her to have few scenes and lines, I was happily surprised when that wasn't the case and she was in so many scenes & danced so much. I was disappointed that she was not in the finale dance, though. Seeing her in ballet class en pointe made up for all that, though, as we fans have been waiting and longing to see that for years. What a treat this movie was for her fans! One thing that Lukasiak seems to bring everywhere she goes is a quiet glow, a sparkling light - and this was no exception. Visually and in contrast to the older, more serious dancers, Gwen added joy and enthusiasm to her scenes, and I found myself interested in the character herself, eager to see what she would do with her dance career, quite separate from the real-life Chloe I have come to respect and admire so much.

This movie would have been better left as an un-shelved idea. I'm a huge fan of the first Center Stage and tolerated the previous sequels but this sequel did no justice to the good name. The actors were horrid, the script was cringe worthy and the story line was beyond ridiculous. It's time to put this horse out of its misery.

Man, I loved the first Center Stage. This one was just awful. The main character actress choice is all wrong. She is so flat. She plays it safe, there is nothing charismatic about her. Which is the downfall for so much of the film when she is in so much of it. The chirography is dull, flat, utterly lifeless. They almost seem to know this which is why they dont focus on the dancing but put in pointless slow-motions and close ups of faces. Poorly written, so cheesy, its actually embarrassing to watch. Of all the dance movies I have seen, this is sadly the worst. Just too many bad choices here...