Return to the Main List
Visit Main Blog
The General Story:
Sara, a high school student who dreams of being a ballet dancer, is forced to
go and live with her estranged father after her mother suddenly dies. Moving from
a small, tranquil town to the slums of Chicago, Sarah finds herself in a school
populated mostly by black students. Definitely the odd one out, she maintains
her composure, but after lowering her guard just to fit in, she discovers a new
type of dance scene, making unexpected friends, and a surprise romance with Derek, a strong-willed young guy in her
English class.
What influenced the
movie: Dance movies were coming and going over the years before 2001, with the
most notable and successful before this being “Dirty Dancing” in the 80’s. Not
a sub-genre of films that was in high demand at the start of the 00’s, but the
generation of young people emerging demanded it, and MTV listened. Taking a recognisable
face in Julia Styles (from “10 Things I Hate About You”), plenty of Hip Hop and
R&B music, and a teenage love story that wasn’t so typical, and “Save the Last
Dance” offered a unique combination of dance, drama and style.
How the movie
influenced the 00's: The film scored a hit with young audiences around the
world, who dug its contemporary dance style, fresh music and likeable characters,
that it’s success started a new movement, and the 00’s belong to the Dance Movie.
In only a few years following 2001, the cinemas were inundated with dance movies
such as “Honey”, “You Got Served”, “Step Up” and of course, “High School
Musical” which brought singing into the mix. With Gen Y starting to make some noise
on the world stage, their movement of choice was Dance; leaving the stage and
out onto the street and into the clubs. All of a sudden, if you were a teen and
you didn’t dance, you were no longer cool, and it was definitely the way to be
seen.
What makes it stand
out as a film of the 00's: With the rise of Reality TV in the 00’s, Save
the Last Dance came a long at a time where almost every television program was
focused on dancing and singing. Shows like “American Idol”, “America’s Got Talent”,
“X Factor” and a slew of other talent shows slammed the airwaves, whether some
of us wanted to see them or not. And the dance movies raged on, with “Step Up”
launching its own franchise, and ‘High School Musical” becoming a pop culture
phenomenon. It seemed stories about dancing were not reserved to characters who
had done it forever, but FOR anyone with a desire to move and be seen, who
could quickly learn a few moves and become a star of the stage.
Impact of the movie
still felt today: Looking back on the film some seventeen years later now,
it’s certainly not a landmark film by any means, but in terms of reviving the
sub-genre of dance movies to become a genre completely of it’s own can’t be
ignored. Even if dance movies fizzled out somewhat in the late 00’s to make way
for the vampires and zombies, you don’t have to wait too long for another dance
film about teens to come along. What makes “Save the Last Dance” stand out is
it’s actually a movie that even non-dance movie watchers can enjoy. I first saw
it on a date in 2001 when I was 19 (the choice of the girl I was with at the
time of course), but I quite enjoyed it. Re-watching it now all these years
later, and I noticed many other themes and tones throughout the film, such as
teen angst, estranged parent-child relationships, adolescents becoming parents
and of course, race relations. Those relevant and well-handled topics lift this
film up above the mediocre teen love story it could have been, and its
well-written story is the real story of the show, with the dance simply being
the backdrop. In a way, the character of Sara, who once loved to dance then
stepped back after the death of her mother, finds her groove again. With a new
style of dance acting as an outlet for her under the guidance of Derek, and the
ticket to her future, it shows the power of dance, music and movement to heal,
and for anyone who wants to make a statement of some kind; “If you won’t hear
me, then see me – and see me take centre stage and steal the spotlight!” Hence
the reason dance movies were so popular with teens in the 00’s.
Return to the Main List
Visit Main Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment