I for one found popularity of Australian teenage drama 'Dance Academy' unprecedented. It's easy to say now, due to the show's success has earned itself two local Logie Wins and Two Emmy Nominations overseas. Though due to the show's overall impact and worldwide cult following, I guess it was only a matter of time for the series creators, as well as the cast to eventually have some form of a reunion or continuation. The show itself boasted a vibrant Sydney setting involving colourful characters with depth and dimension and was able to take their youths seriously, especially when covering themes not often thought out well enough in other teen dramas.
For Tara Webster (Xenia Goodwin) dancing was everything to her, until she had a suffered a spinal fracture in her final company audition. Despite making a full recovery she now passes her time working as a waitress at the Sydney Opera House. Although she fears she'll never dance again, the company's creative director Madeline Moncur (Miranda Otto) attempts to convince her to re-audtion. Now Tara is on quest to regain her strengths and talents taking us from Australia to America to see whether or not she has it in for dancing in the real world, reuniting with plenty of familiar faces along the way.
I initially had a fear this film wouldn't work as well as it would. However, the gifted performers that have spent so much time as these characters in the series really made it work so incredibly well. It's a lot like reuniting with old school friends and thinking no time has ever passed by. While the series as a whole was about young dancers 'willing to prove their worth to the world'. This cinematic continuation which takes place 18 months after the characters have graduated from the Academy focuses on themes; 'whether or not the dreams of our youth are really relevant to us when we're older'. Looking at these characters now, Abigail Armstrong (Dena Kaplan) is a company principle dancer, Christian Reed (Jordan Rodriguez) teaches dance at a memorial hall named after the gang's deceased friend, Kat Karamakov (Alicia Banit) is a children's show host in New York, Ben 'Benster' Tickle (Thomas Lacey) is in the Austin Ballet and Ollie Lloyd (Keiynan Lonsdale) has traveled the world as a performer. The many paths these characters have taken just go to show how much of a difference they've gone their separate ways since their school days. It's only by some sense of their reluctance they're all able to eventually reunite.
For Tara her determination is as great as ever, even when dealing with the difficulties of her relationships to possibly endangering her chances of rekindling her dream she worked so hard at. It's only when she realizes something different about circumstantial nature she must try to take up a different path in order to look ahead without any worry, not only about herself but for her friends who she deeply loves and cares for so much.
Jeffery Walker, whose contributed to the TV series directed this film with such vibrancy it deliberately drops the soapy tone of the TV series in favour of a more kinky and glamorous feel that translates well to the big screen. The cinematography really gives a great and bigger sense to the production's upgrade being able to stand out more cinematically than it's Television predecessor. The film's choice of music even fits well to the lighthearted tone and endearing drama. Although if you have a montage sequence that doesn't involve dance it can pad the moment out a little too far than what's needed. Even when the film tries to break into Tara's subconsciousness portraying her fear that can also be a shift of the film's tonal aspect. I don't think the film is great, though in many ways it's very good and one of the better dance themed films to come out recently. It sometimes falters through some of the drama's more mundane clichés than expected, though it quality is maintained thanks to Joanna Werner and Samantha Strauss's screenplay.
Overall, I was deeply satisfied with this film. I had a smile on my face upon leaving the cinema knowing full well It's a film that's entertaining as it's endearing and incredibly worthy as a continuation to the TV Series that offers quality drama and entertainment to fans and non-fans alike. I don't think it'll be the type of award winning material for Australian films this year though it's safe to recommend it to the family crowed as one of this year's more entertaining Australian films.
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