First Position

[dongringo]

Here are the lists of winners for each year:
2010: http://www.yagp.org/eng/NY_winners_2010.php
2011: http://www.yagp.org/eng/NY_winners_2011.php
2012: http://www.yagp.org/eng/NY_winners_2012.php

In 2010 Aran Bell won the Hope Award in the Pre-competitive Age division. He was 11 at the time. The Junior Age division is for 12-14 years old, and Senior Age for 15-17 years.

Regarding the footage of Kiril receiving an award, according to a post in his thread he
was the 2007 Grand Prix. Most likely they mixed in some old footage.

Thanks for the info. It seems that there is footage in the film from several years edited together which made it confusing, but most of it is clearly from the 2010 finals as other winners featured in the film are in there such as Joan Sebastian Zamora, Miko Fogarty, and Gaya Bommer Yemini. But then the film showed Aran Bell accept the Best Overall award from 2011...unless I missed something again. So the editing is a bit of a mix, none of which would matter to a typical movie goer.

Now that that's settled....Great movie!

[CJ-Rochester]

Now that that's settled....Great movie!

I still have to wait two more weeks for it to open in my city. All of these reviews only heighten the anticipation.

[dongringo]

Here's an excellent interview with one of the dancers in First Position, Miko Fogarty:

http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_20725037

[Todd]

I saw "First Position" this evening and enjoyed it. It held my attention all the way through, as it was interesting seeing another interpretation of some of the topics we've discussed on here many times over the years: the importance of family support to help the child achieve success in dancing, the reactions that a boy gets from other kids when they find out he's a dancer, and the drama involved in whether the kids will or will not be selected for a ballet school and/or an award in the competition.

I found it particularly interesting seeing the journey the kids take, their family background, and the training that goes into it . . . . after having just been to the Youth America Grand Prix in New York several weeks ago. There probably wasn't as much new information for me in the movie as there might have been for other viewers, due to my familiarity with many of these themes after following "Billy Elliot" and the stories of the kids who have played Billy over the years.

[CJ-Rochester]

I finally was able to see "First Position" last night. I pretty much echo Todd's review. It's a very enjoyable movie. The fact that I had a chance to witness the YAGP finals first hand this year certainly helped reinforce the story.

The movie does a great job of showing the personal journeys these dancers and their families take. The story of Joan Sebastian Zamora is particularly compelling to BE fans. Here is another boy who realizes there is no future for him in his home town, and that he must travel far away to make a new life for himself using his special talents.

Watching the performances of Aran Bell, I couldn't help but think about what a great Billy he might have been.

[jbarafan]

I know somewhere else on the board it's been posted that the doc is available on DVD. Not sure if this has been posted yet, but just in case: it's also available now on Netflix Instant. I was just browsing and noticed it there.

[ERinVA]

Thanks for that information, jbarafan. It is well worth watcing however you do it.