The agony of the feet

First Position

Crit

Sorta like Spellbound, only with pain physical as well as emotional for these 10- to 17-year-old ballet dancers. Also, with lots more victories available--trophies, job offers, scholarships--which is a bonus, because how can you not root for Michaela, a Sierra Leone refugee who saw her teacher dismembered; or for Navy brat Aran, 11, who commutes 200 miles daily with his mother for training in Rome not available in Naples; or for his Israeli soulmate Gaya, whom his performance inspired to take dance seriously; or for Colombian teenager Joan Sebastián, whose parents see his feet as his ticket out of the dangers of Cali?

Remarkably, we see only one Tigerish parent--coincidentally (?), the Japanese-American mother of 12-year-old Miko, who seems not to need the propulsion, and her 10-year-old brother Jules, who seems unlikely to benefit from it. Even this mother is only mildly discomfiting, and balanced somewhat by a very mellow Australian spouse, and otherwise, all the parents we see are supportive, sympathetic, and invested in their children's happiness, not necessarily their success.

Because there is more than one way to win, there's not the heart-in-your-mouth emotional climax of Spellbound, but there's plenty of jangle. Question is: how many dance documentaries do I see before I decide that I'm really interested in dance and go to see some live?