‘Feel the Beat’s’ Wolfgang Novogratz with Elissa Down.

Elissa Down’s teen dance movie Feel the Beat premieres worldwide on Netflix this week. Sofia Carson stars as April, a self-centred dancer who, after blowing a Broadway audition, reluctantly returns home and agrees to coach a squad of young misfits for a big competition.

The director tells If how she landed her first Netflix gig, which was produced by What Women Want’s Susan Cartsonis; collaborating with fellow Aussies, composer Michael Yezerski and editor Jane Moran; and how her career has ebbed and flowed since her debut film The Black Balloon.

Q: How did you get the gig?

A: I met with producer Susan Cartsonis to discuss the project and we connected right away. Susan responded to the vision I had for the movie and she then presented me to Netflix to pitch – which had to be done over Google