movie review

I sat down with my brother a few days ago and watched Step Up for the first time. The storyline presents with circumstances that combine the lives of two people, Tyler and Nora. Tyler is a streetdancer, a foster child living in a dysfunctional home with a wreckless lifestyle. His days consist of hanging out with his two friends, partying, and causing trouble. One night after a party as Tyler and his friends are causing mischief, they end up breaking a window and tresspassing into the Maryland School of the Arts. The boys ruthlessly destroy the theatre along with props and costumes. Tyler gets caught and is sentenced to two hundred hours of community service there.
Nora, a student at the school, is a classical dancer in her senior year tediously preparing for her senior recital. This performance will serve as her gateway to the proffessional world as long as she catches the eye of a recruiter. Otherwise, her mom has destined her for college and dance as a career is lost. Her partner for her piece gets injured just as Tyler begins his community service at the school.
Through her search for replacement Tyler and Nora's relationship begins to build as they find their common ground and connect through hours and hours of rehearsal. They are tested and test one another in many ways. In the end the both figure out that life is about pursuing your dreams and that odds can be beat.
I really liked how the movie was based around the story of the school. When I was in high school our theatre and costumes got destroyed and painted without ever knowing who had done it. There was an emotional connection for me as I watched that particular scene in the movie. Also I was a classical dancer for ten years as I was growing up, and appreciate the recognition and respect that this movie brought for the fine arts in this way. There were many scenes in which they demonstrate the similarities between hip hop/streetdancing and classical movements. I think making this connection bridges a gap for many that sterotype either forms of dance. Dance is dance. It takes ambition and heart. It is a talent that some possess very strongly.