''First Position'' is a 2011 American documentary film. It follows six young dancers preparing for the

Youth America Grand Prix Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world's largest non-profit international student ballet competition and scholarship program, open to dance students of all nationalities, 9–19 years old. YAGP annually conducts regional auditions in the Unit ...

in New York City, an annual competition for dancers ages 9–19 to earn a place at an elite

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

company or school. Directed by Bess Kargman, it features

Michaela DePrince Michaela Mabinty DePrince (born Mabinty Bangura, 6 January 1995) is a Sierra Leonean-American ballet dancer, currently dancing with the Boston Ballet. She rose to fame after starring in the documentary '' First Position'' in 2011, following her a ...

Aran Bell Aran Bell (born October 7, 1998) is an American ballet dancer. He was featured in the 2011 documentary '' First Position'', and became a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre at age 21. Early life and training Bell was born on Octobe ...

, Gaya Bommer-Yemini, Miko Fogarty, Jules Fogarty, Joan Sebastian Zamora and Rebecca Houseknecht as they intensively train and prepare for what could be the turning point of their lives. The title 'First Position' is taken from one of the five standard positions of the feet in

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its f ...

. Kargman was a first-time director who had studied dance herself. "I ended up quitting my job to make this film, my first film, and I thought maybe by choosing a topic that was quite dear to me and that I had lived for a number of years growing up—maybe I’d be able to do this story justice." The film features renowned dancers and choreographers from all over the world including Nadine Bommer, Denys Ganio,

Élisabeth Platel Élisabeth Platel (born 10 April 1959) is a French prima ballerina. Career After studying at the conservatoire in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, she entered the Conservatoire de Paris in 1971, graduating with First Prize, which allowed her to comple ...

, Raymond Lukens, and

's founder

Larissa Saveliev Larissa Saveliev (Russian: Лари́са Саве́льева) is a former Bolshoi Ballet dancer and the Founder and Artistic Director of YAGP, – the world's largest student ballet scholarship competition. She is also a producer of various pe ...

Reception

The film garnered critical acclaim, receiving a rating of on the website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

. The site's critical consensus reads, "An upbeat and visually dramatic documentary of children's ballet, ''First Position'' displays the potential of the human spirit when fostered at a young age."

Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times' ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the film as creating "pocket portraits of children whose dedication to their art is by turns inspiring, daunting and, at times, a little frightening."

Frank Scheck Frank Scheck is an American film critic. He is best known for his reviews in the ''New York Post'' and ''The Hollywood Reporter''. He formerly edited ''STAGES Magazine'' and worked as a theater critic for the ''Christian Science Monitor Ch ...

of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' wrote that ''First Position'' "overcomes its predictable elements thanks to the inherent visual drama of watching children strain their bodies to the limit in obsessive pursuit of their goals." The film was the first runner-up for Best Documentary at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

where it premiered, winning the Jury Prize at the San Francisco Doc Fest, and audience awards for Best Documentary at the

Dallas International Film Festival The Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF), presented by Dallas Film, is an annual film festival that takes place in Dallas, Texas. About Dallas Film Dallas Film, established as Dallas Film Society, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizatio ...

and at the

Portland International Film Festival PAM CUT–Center for an Untold Tomorrow, formerly the ''Northwest Film Center'' is a regional media arts resource and service organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States that was founded to encourage the study, appreciation, and utili ...

, where Bess Kargman also won Best New Director. The film's takings were $48,024 on its opening weekend in the first weekend of May. As of 24 June 2012, the film had grossed $894,471 in the United States.

References

External links

* * {{Metacritic film 2011 films 2011 documentary films American documentary films IFC Films films Documentary films about ballet Documentary films about children 2010s English-language films 2010s American films