VillageVoiceNY

(2013-05-24 03:07:09)

First Position

The nonfiction formula pioneered by Spellbound leads to frustratingsuperficiality in First Position, a glossy documentary about amulticultural collection of young ballet dancers striving to secureawards, scholarships, and job contracts at the prestigious annual YouthAmerica Grand Prix. Director Bess Kargman adheres to a now-familiartemplate in which glib portraits of various talented kids from aroundthe world provide human-interest background for the centralcompetition, which in this instance is a vital gateway to an adultartistic career. From adopted Sierra Leone orphan...Read the full review here: http://www.villagevoice.com/movies/

Michael Coy

(2013-05-23 18:01:40)

"Sometimes it's painful."

If you are between the ages of 9 and 19, and you are a dedicated (andhugely talented) ballet dancer, then the Youth America Grand Prix is adance competition you'll know all about. And dream about. It doesn'tmatter where you're from (some of the "stars" of this documentary comefrom Africa and Latin America): given colossal natural ability,extremely hard work and the right guidance, you, too, can try for theglittering prize. Bess Kargman's excellent film follows seven kids asthey prepare for, and participate in, this intense contest.What a joy to get to review something that isn't brain-dead! Ballet isvery difficult to do, very beautiful to watch, and requiresintelligence and artistic flair (rather like a good documentary,really), and Bess Kargman has made a ballet film which is not onlypicking up awards faster than Halle Berry gathers motoring citations,but "First Position" has achieved the nigh-impossible for a work ofnon-fiction, and is going on general theatrical release. It will hitthe screens on Friday, May 4.The premise is a simple and compelling one. Youngsters from all overthe world strive to qualify for the Grand Prix finals, held in New YorkCity. When the very best gather for the dance-off, the pressure is justabout unbearable. Each contestant will have five minutes on stage. Ifyou're sick, or overcome by nerves, or if you stumble during yourroutine … too bad. All those years you worked for this, all thosethings you sacrificed in order to get here, are riding on the nextthree hundred seconds. Five thousand dancers enter each year, with thisnumber being whittled down to a couple of hundred for the New Yorkfinals. From this small group, the winners will emerge. Kargman knowshow to build suspense – but the who-won-it is only one element in thisexcellent film. We get to see the physical pain these kids go through(check out the "foot-stretcher" used by little Aran, which looks like amedieval torture implement), we hear from their parents and danceteachers … but, most of all, there is the beautiful ballet itself.Like any documentary worth its salt, "First Position" asks as manyquestions as it answers. Thought-provoking contributions abound, likethat from the teacher who states openly, "Kids who are pursuing balletas a career give up their childhood." Can such a sacrifice bejustified? Who gets to make the choice? Which is worse – to push smallchildren through the grueling practice schedules, or not to push them –thereby passing up the chance for success? Is it fair to exposeyoungsters to the appalling pressure of the final round? This is a filmwhich stays with the viewer long after the final credits have rolled.One of the things you need to be good at, when you shoot a documentary,is judging what not to do or say. In this, Kargman has triumphed. Sheis never obtrusive, and she lets the images (and the kids) tell thestory. Critic Dave Robson, reviewing the film for the TorontoInternational Film Festival (where, incidentally, it won considerableacclaim) puts it like this: "Though she casts a wide net, Kargman iscareful to include only the most essential commentary. She frequentlycomplements her cast's words with beautiful shots of dancing andjuxtaposes them with more candid and vulnerable moments. It is perhapstrite to say that a film about an aesthetic discipline looks beautiful,but "First Position" does. It certainly helps that dancers are welllit, but more to the point, Kargman keeps her cinematography simple. Tobe too clever would distract from the dancing." In case anyone readingthis is under the misapprehension that it's just a bunch of well-heeledpreppy youngsters indulging in a glorified hobby, it is worthmentioning Michaela Deprince. This young finalist hails from SierraLeone, where she witnessed her parents getting murdered. "It's amiracle I'm even here," she says – and she bears the scars to prove it.Indeed, overall, this is a singularly resilient bunch of kids. Afterall they have been through, it is surprising – not to mentionheart-warming – to see how balanced, articulate and likable they allare. Take, for example, the tiny 12-year-old Miko Fogarty, whofrequently has to field comments from others, to the effect that shehas missed out on her childhood. She doesn't happen to agree.This is Bess Kargman's breakthrough movie, and much credit shedeserves. She directed the project and also took a major hand in theediting. Her director of photography, Nick Higgins, has done a lot ofdocumentary work in his career – but surely nothing as visuallycaptivating as this.By the way, for those of you who, like me, have a penchant for movietitles which contain more than one level of meaning, "First Position"refers of course to winning the Grand Prix, and therefore beingguaranteed a prestigious professional contract … but it is also aballet term, denoting the preliminary posture – standing with heelstogether, toes splayed outwards. The things you learn on IMDb, huh?