FALL REGISTRATION
Fall registration will occur on August 11-14 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on August 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Classes begin on September 2nd, 2008.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Summer dance flicks to watch
Here's a list of some dance movies you can watch over the summer:
1. 'Step Up' (2006)
Many anticipated that "Step Up" would meet the same sad fate as the previous bad boy street dancer meets good girl ballerina film “Save the Last Dance,” which it was compared to. But much to our surprise, the movie with the trite plot is turning out to be one of this summer's hottest flicks. Here’s a look at some of our other favorite movies about dancing.
2. 'Save the Last Dance' (2001)
This movie looked good in all the trailers, but didn’t quite live up to all the hype. Julia Stiles seemed awkward as Sara Johnson, the ballerina who gives up dance after the death of her mother.
3. 'Billy Elliot' (2000)
This critically acclaimed British film about a little boy whose true calling in life is to be a dancer is a heartwarming story and has won over 20 awards in both Europe and the U.S. A true “follow your dreams” tale, Billy Elliot was also made into a musical in London.
4. 'Dance With Me' (1998)
The fancy footwork of Vanessa L. Williams (Ruby) and Cheyenne (Rafael) is red hot and the chemistry is undeniable in this ballroom-dancing film with a Latin beat.
5. Footloose (1984)
Director Herbert Ross pulled a winning movie out of this almost self-consciously archetypal tale of teenage rock rebellion. Kevin Bacon stars as a hip city kid who ends up in a Bible-belt town where rock is frowned upon and dancing is forbidden. Bacon's character rallies the kids and takes on the establishment.
6. Center Stage (2000) PG13
The primary appeal of dance movies is the dancing, with some added emphasis on the romance the art expresses. Center Stage wins on these counts, despite its reveling in overly familiar characters and formula plotting. Or maybe this reveling is responsible for what goofy fun this film is. The arduous task of becoming a professional ballet dancer is incarnated by many good-looking teens, all stock dance-film characters affectionately portrayed mostly by newcomers. But center stage holds Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull), who may never be a great ballerina, but she's certainly one sexy jazz dancer.
7. Dirty Dancing (1987) PG13
Dirty Dancing was a cultural phenomenon, but if the dancing in the movie doesn't seem particularly "dirty" by today's standards--or 1987's--it does take place in an era (the early '60s) when it would have. Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) has been vacationing in the Catskills with her family for many years. Uneventfully. One summer, she falls under the sway (as it were) of dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Baby is a pampered pup, but Johnny is a man of the world. It should come as no surprise to find that Baby, who can be as immature as her name, learns more about love and life--and dancing--from free-spirited Johnny.
8. Fame (1980)
Seven classes a day and a hot lunch. That's what New York City's High School for the Performing Arts guarantees. Stardom? That's something the school's teenage musicians actors dancers and dreamers strive for. Fame sings the body electric celebrating the growing-up process of honing talent confronting realities finding love living life. Director Alan Parker (Evita The Commitments) brings an energetic style to the crisscrossing stories of students (including Irene Cara, Paul McCrane, Barry Miller).
9. White Knights (1985)
Sometimes movies are built around a great idea begging for a story, in this case pairing ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov with tap great Gregory Hines. The resulting storm of dance in White Nights, as one would expect, is great, but the story is a little forced. Baryshnikov plays (in parallel to his own life) a Russian defector to the U.S. who ends up a prisoner in the motherland after his plane is forced to land in Leningrad during an emergency. Hines is an American expatriate who gets involved with the situation. Fortunately, performances carry the day, as the two male leads are both very strong as actors, and the supporting cast--Isabella Rossellini, Helen Mirren, and filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski (Moonlighting)--is terrific. --Tom Keogh
10. Strictly Ballroom (1993)
While the plot of this Australian film may seem a bit familiar, the whimsical tone and superb dance sequences will make you forget the movie's predictability. Scott (Paul Mercurio) is a champion ballroom dancer who wants to dance "his own steps." Fran is the homely, beginning dancer who convinces Scott that he should dance his own steps... with her. Complicating matters are Scott's domineering mother (Pat Thompson), a former dancer herself, who wants her son to win the Australian Pan Pacific Championship (the same contest she lost years ago), and a conniving dance committee that is determined that "there are no new steps!" The dancing is enjoyable, yet not overwhelming, and the movie strives hard not to take itself too seriously (the beginning of the film is even styled as a pseudo-documentary). Strictly Ballroom, while not so subtly imparting its moral ("A life lived in fear is a life half-lived"), is a laughable romp that's sure to be a crowd pleaser. --Jenny Brown
1. 'Step Up' (2006)
Many anticipated that "Step Up" would meet the same sad fate as the previous bad boy street dancer meets good girl ballerina film “Save the Last Dance,” which it was compared to. But much to our surprise, the movie with the trite plot is turning out to be one of this summer's hottest flicks. Here’s a look at some of our other favorite movies about dancing.
2. 'Save the Last Dance' (2001)
This movie looked good in all the trailers, but didn’t quite live up to all the hype. Julia Stiles seemed awkward as Sara Johnson, the ballerina who gives up dance after the death of her mother.
3. 'Billy Elliot' (2000)
This critically acclaimed British film about a little boy whose true calling in life is to be a dancer is a heartwarming story and has won over 20 awards in both Europe and the U.S. A true “follow your dreams” tale, Billy Elliot was also made into a musical in London.
4. 'Dance With Me' (1998)
The fancy footwork of Vanessa L. Williams (Ruby) and Cheyenne (Rafael) is red hot and the chemistry is undeniable in this ballroom-dancing film with a Latin beat.
5. Footloose (1984)
Director Herbert Ross pulled a winning movie out of this almost self-consciously archetypal tale of teenage rock rebellion. Kevin Bacon stars as a hip city kid who ends up in a Bible-belt town where rock is frowned upon and dancing is forbidden. Bacon's character rallies the kids and takes on the establishment.
6. Center Stage (2000) PG13
The primary appeal of dance movies is the dancing, with some added emphasis on the romance the art expresses. Center Stage wins on these counts, despite its reveling in overly familiar characters and formula plotting. Or maybe this reveling is responsible for what goofy fun this film is. The arduous task of becoming a professional ballet dancer is incarnated by many good-looking teens, all stock dance-film characters affectionately portrayed mostly by newcomers. But center stage holds Jody Sawyer (Amanda Schull), who may never be a great ballerina, but she's certainly one sexy jazz dancer.
7. Dirty Dancing (1987) PG13
Dirty Dancing was a cultural phenomenon, but if the dancing in the movie doesn't seem particularly "dirty" by today's standards--or 1987's--it does take place in an era (the early '60s) when it would have. Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) has been vacationing in the Catskills with her family for many years. Uneventfully. One summer, she falls under the sway (as it were) of dance instructor Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze). Baby is a pampered pup, but Johnny is a man of the world. It should come as no surprise to find that Baby, who can be as immature as her name, learns more about love and life--and dancing--from free-spirited Johnny.
8. Fame (1980)
Seven classes a day and a hot lunch. That's what New York City's High School for the Performing Arts guarantees. Stardom? That's something the school's teenage musicians actors dancers and dreamers strive for. Fame sings the body electric celebrating the growing-up process of honing talent confronting realities finding love living life. Director Alan Parker (Evita The Commitments) brings an energetic style to the crisscrossing stories of students (including Irene Cara, Paul McCrane, Barry Miller).
9. White Knights (1985)
Sometimes movies are built around a great idea begging for a story, in this case pairing ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov with tap great Gregory Hines. The resulting storm of dance in White Nights, as one would expect, is great, but the story is a little forced. Baryshnikov plays (in parallel to his own life) a Russian defector to the U.S. who ends up a prisoner in the motherland after his plane is forced to land in Leningrad during an emergency. Hines is an American expatriate who gets involved with the situation. Fortunately, performances carry the day, as the two male leads are both very strong as actors, and the supporting cast--Isabella Rossellini, Helen Mirren, and filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski (Moonlighting)--is terrific. --Tom Keogh
10. Strictly Ballroom (1993)
While the plot of this Australian film may seem a bit familiar, the whimsical tone and superb dance sequences will make you forget the movie's predictability. Scott (Paul Mercurio) is a champion ballroom dancer who wants to dance "his own steps." Fran is the homely, beginning dancer who convinces Scott that he should dance his own steps... with her. Complicating matters are Scott's domineering mother (Pat Thompson), a former dancer herself, who wants her son to win the Australian Pan Pacific Championship (the same contest she lost years ago), and a conniving dance committee that is determined that "there are no new steps!" The dancing is enjoyable, yet not overwhelming, and the movie strives hard not to take itself too seriously (the beginning of the film is even styled as a pseudo-documentary). Strictly Ballroom, while not so subtly imparting its moral ("A life lived in fear is a life half-lived"), is a laughable romp that's sure to be a crowd pleaser. --Jenny Brown
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