Title: First Position
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Year: 2012
Cast:
- Aran Bell
- Rebecca Houseknecht
- Joan Sebastian Zamora
- Miko Fogarty
- Jules Jarvis Fogarty (JJ Fogarty)
- Michaela DePrince
- Gaya Bommer Yemini
- Denys Ganio
- Michelle Bell
- Ryan Bell
- Elaine DePrince
- Charles DePrince
- Stephanie Spassoff
- Bo Spassoff
- Larissa Saveliev
- Flavio Salazar
- Wendy Houseknecht
- David Houseknecht
- Satoko Fogarty
- Mat Fogarty
- Viktor Kabaniaev
- Nadine Bommer
- Ziv Yemini
- Claudia Hurtado
- Michelle Lees
- Mariaelena Ruiz
- Guido Arturo Prieto
- Mia DePrince
- Shelley King
- Elisabeth Platel
- Tadeusz Matacz
- Deborah Hess
- Franco de Vita
- Gailene Stock
SYNOPSIS
A documentary that follows six young dancers from around the world as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.
REVIEW
First Position is an interesting documentary about six young ballet dancers who are working hard and competing for scholarships and job contracts to the most prestigious ballet institutions.
I think ballet is fascinating, and I love going to ballet recitals. Unfortunately, I haven't really had any chance to take ballet lessons when I was younger. Although my mother enrolled me and my sister in ballet classes, I refused to go and I was content with reading books at home. I now think that I was a very willful child, and in retrospect, I wish I had done things differently.
It is important for ballet dancers to start early, especially since professional ballet dancers usually start working at around 17 years old. Sometimes it seems as if ballet dancers live in a different world because they have a separate timeline and different priorities from most children their age. I mean, they are focusing on work opportunities at an age when most of their peers are trying to figure out what course major to take in college.
It was fascinating to see how serious ballet dancers live their daily lives, and how their commitment to ballet are also influencing the lives of their respective families. Learning the importance of discipline and hard work early on in their lives through ballet dancing will certainly benefit these individuals in other aspects of their lives.
First Position also presented how very challenging the world of professional ballet is, considering that there are many aspiring dancers and a few employment opportunities.
I'm not quite certain if the title of the film is based on one of the basic positions in ballet where the balls of the feet are turned out completely; the heels touch each other and the feet face outward, trying to form a straight line. Or maybe it is about the ballet dancers competing for first place; vying to be the best among the best.
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First Position
