Review: 'First Position', directed by Bess Kargman

Ballet dancing and the dancers who do it is a reoccurring thing in films but it’s also some that might also give audiences a skewed idea of ballet and the people who do it.  In most narrative fiction most of the time the dancers are practically adults and going through some crisis where the gatekeepers of their dream must be made to understand just how good and a refreshing new talent that they have in front of their eyes. Now with this new documentary First Position the filmmakers attempt to do a similar arc but instead of showing the judges or schools they are show us the audience just how amazing and dedicated these kids are to their craft and art.

First Position follows six young people who are all trying to enter Youth America Grand Prix, THE ballet competition. It’s like the NFL draft of dancing or something that’s how big this is. Kids get scholarships to the best ballet schools in the world or the older one can get hired by some the best ballet companies in the world. The stakes here are huge for all involved. The film starts us off Aran Bell, an 11-year-old boy who’s a military brat that takes lessons in Italy where his father is stationed. His teacher feels Aran is a once in a lifetime pupil that can be one of the best in the world. His friend an Israeli girl named Gaya Yemini fell in love with ballet after watching him dance.

The next focus is Michaela dePrince, 14, a girl who lives in Philadelphia who’s the most talented person in her class and her origins as an orphan from the Sierra Leone civil war makes her story a nice Cinderella tale.  Miko (12) and Jules (10) Fogarty are siblings who are both in ballet, while most of the attention is on Miko who seems to be born for this some time is spent with Jules or JJ (his nickname) and what he gets out of dancing. Joan Zamora (16) is a Colombian immigrant who is studying ballet in New York City. He dreams of dancing in the Royal Ballet being the first Colombian to ever do so. Last is Rebecca Houseknecht, a 17-year-old dancer whose hopes are to go to this competition and get a job as a professional ballet dancer.

This film isn’t taking a hard look at ballet or the kids lives. It just follows them and their families as they go on this journey to this competition. You see them perform these amazing feats and all the trials they go though. But all in all it’s really uplifting, you constantly see these kids be trying hard and happy the entire time. You see their parents and coaches supportive and never harsh or pushy. This film might be bit saccharine for some but seeing kid excelling and overcoming the odds in the arts is something refreshing to see in the theater these days.