User reviews

This movie turned out to be a nice surprise. I was a little concerned that it would fall below par being a straight to DVD sequel, but it held its own.

The strongest area would be the dance routines. Very entertaining, they kept making me want to get up and dance along. The characters were likable, believable and linked in nicely with the original story.

The weakest areas would probably be the under par dialog and the been there done that story line. But considering it is a sequel, there really wasn't a whole lot of new ground or directions they could go in. On saying that, the story was told strongly enough to keep you interested the whole way through.

A lovely little Saturday night in movie for all the dance crazed movie fans.

i loved the chemistry between (the characters) Kate and Tommy. and their dance moves were HOT. the way they moved was very intimate. Rachele Smith's acting could have been better but the story line was good (could have been a bit better). i mean i was kind of disappointed that they didn't really have much of a story line including Kate's father. He seemed to be against her daughter's dream of being a ballerina but in the end she succeeded so they should have put some of her father in the end to show other young dreams out there that they shouldn't give up. PS-Kenny Wormald is HAWT!! and if u liked this movie then u should definitely watch Step Up & Honey.

I went into this movie with some very low expectations and was not disappointed.

Kate is a rebel ballerina, who eats chocolate and drinks beer, and who is pursuing her dream of dancing for one of the best Ballet Academies in the world - even though she's never had, you know, any kind of training. 'She has such passion' Why? because she smiled once during the audition? Yep, that's some hardcore passion right there.

The acting, or whatever the hell it was those people were doing, was absolutely atrocious. Probably some of the worst acting I've seen in awhile and I watch porn. Some white gay ballerina dude walking around saying 'Sick', 'Dope', 'Banging'. bleugh.

This movie was choc full of horribly contrived moments. What kind of club owner hires a girl as a waitress because she moves her ass in time with the music? How is it OK for her 10 year old sister to just get on a bus and travel to New York? It's all very stupid.

But not as stupid as the cringe-worthy 'dance' by the water fountain. It was the most horrible horrible thing I had ever seen, I prayed to the gods to strike me blind so as to never see that terrible thing again.

It's best altogether to stay as far away from this crap as possible.

This is a great little movie. As somebody else wrote, the chemistry between the leads was wonderful. In a way this shouldn't be compared with the first Center Stage, which was more like Fame (trials and tribulations of an ensemble at an arts school, in this case a dance academy).

CS: Turn It Up is really a dance romance, which we haven't seen for a while (Step Up 2 wasn't very romantic). The first Center Stage was very cheesy, while this one is much lower on the cheese scale.

There's a great sweetness to the lead couple's relationship, and while they are clearly great dancers rather than experienced actors, they're very natural with each other.

Highly recommended and very satisfying (and the music is GREAT--I thought it was even better than the first Center Stage's soundtrack, which was also very good.)

I was a bit skeptical about this movie since I did not know any of the actors. I like the idea of where they were heading with the plot, but for me it kinda lacked a bit on execution. There were a couple of scenes where it needed a little more acting to it that kinda left me hanging. Maybe put a little more emotion to it. Other than that there were some parts where I felt the lines could've been more, because for some reason it sounded like they were talking online. It's a good movie though that focuses on a girl's struggle to achieve her dream and all the hardships she went through in the process. It speaks real life and I have to say you won't be much disappointed watching this film.

I really liked this movie. It was really cute. The actors were good, the dance scenes were awesome. I didn't really expect much, but after watching this it made me feel really good inside. Rachele Brooke Smith and Kenny Wormald were great. They're really talented and they're both hot. They have this chemistry, and I fell in love with both of them.

This movie is kinda different from the other dance movies like step-up and make it happen coz it focuses mainly on ballet dancing. I liked this better and I didn't find this movie cheesy and boring at all, so please give this movie a try and quit comparing this movie to all the other dance movies out there. (:

This movie had poor and stiff acting from the leads but the dancing was well done. I think if you're a dancer, it's probably worth the hour and a half, but if you're looking for a quality movie, this isn't really it. Rachele Brooke Smith, the main actress, needs a few more acting lessons before I'll watch her in a movie again. It felt like I was at a middle school play watching her act and she never stopped smiling during the whole movie, making it seem really fake after a little while. Her dancing was excellent though. Kenny Wormald is also an excellent dancer and his acting was better but his character came off as your average randy teenage boy, and I'm not sure if that's what the writers had in mind. The shiny diamond earring in his ear didn't help. The story is the same as most other dance movies, just with more ballet dancing than hip hop. But unlike other dance movies, the soundtrack really isn't worth it.

So I watched the first part and though the dancing was good it was still not the greatest dance movies I watched . Then this one came out and I was like if they made a part 2 then they definitely improved it , if producers actually considered to pay money AGAIN... Not to my greatest disappointment, the actors need acting classes, either they are completely talentless or they didn't have time to go to acting class with all the dancing. The dancing was good I will give you that. Not only that it has the exact same story of another dance movie which just came out ( frankly I don't know which one copied which), but this was actually much worse than the first part.

However , if you watched the 1st part watch this one just out of curiosity.

Rachel Brooke Smith & Kenny Wormland make a good dancing couple. Howver, lil advice folks , let's keep it to the dance floor and away , far far away, from the screen.

I can't believe how underrated this film is and how critical some have been about this film. When I first watched it. I was hooked on every scene. I showed this movie to so many of my friends and family that love dance movies and just a feel good film, they all said how good this movie was. The dancing is spectacular by the main character Kate. She is absolutely gorgeous, sexy and really knows how to dance.

The acting ability was flawed in a couple of instances but we are talking about people who more than likely have dancing as their first love and profession and acting as an add on so please! ease up all you massively criticizing people out there. WE are only talking about a few instances here anyway not the whole film.

I like this film more than the first, I've gotta say. There will be people that will disagree but if you are looking for a light hearted feel good film to watch with plenty of dancing, give this one a go.

When I was almost sure that dance flicks can't go worse, Center Stage: Turn it Up just comes and proves me wrong. Rachele Brooke Smith (the leading actress), as you are very pretty and know how to dance, acting is still a really big mystery to you, a mystery which you'll see, takes time to discover (to be honest, nor time or persuasion will help you, in my honest opinion).

Now, for the review! First of all, it follows the "dance flick manual" word by word: a young girl from a not so wealthy family runs of to pursue her dream (joining the best dance school), but, what do you know, even though she's very good, she's rejected. Damn, I didn't see that coming! What a shock! Sprinkle some cute dancer boy, a job where she obviously has to dance, and some intrigue, regarding another gal that's up to no good, and there you go, the perfect recipe for another "dance flick".

Besides 2-3 dance scenes, this movie is totally worthless, and extremely predictable. If you love dancing, and dance movies, you should really consider something a bit better, because this film is below sea level, and sinking fast.

Before watching this movie I did look it up here at IMDb, and did notice it didn't really have great ratings. Well, so glad I went with my vibe and watched it anyway. I loved the film. About Kate (Rachele Brooke Smith), I very much enjoyed watching her in this film. I've never heard of her before, but now I know who she is. Aside overall pretty (adorable smile) and cool dancer, personally, I think she did very good in her role as Kate. Somebody commented that she looks like Ashley Simpson (dark hair, pre-op Ashley). I agree, in quite a few scenes, I thought so, too, and I couldn't help for a moment to wonder if Ashley Simpson might've been a good Kate, too. Well, actually, probably, she would've done okay with the ballet dancing scenes since I hear that Ashley Simpson used to dance ballet when she was younger. But as for the other dancing styles performed in this movie, the only other kind of Ashley dancing I'm familiar with aside her ballet is the "Ashley Ho-down" thing. So, on second thought, nope. I don't think it would've been appropriate for this film. Picturing her as Kate, no. I think they definitely chose the appropriate actress for this film. I'm glad they went with Rachele Brooke Smith. She owned the part. She owned the dance floor. I look forward to seeing her in other cool films such as this. I give her and the overall movie a "10"!

Well, I want to start off saying that I loved the first movie and I own it on DVD -I have been a big fan of Peter Gallagher since The OC, and now I'm a fan of Amanda Schull and Ethan Stiefel! I originally gave the first installment a low ranking (2 1/2 or 3), but it now deserves a higher ranking, especially as I've watched it about 10+ times! This movie, however... I am giving it a two, but that's the movie itself -there are actors in this movie who do deserve a higher ranking, but that's only a select few!

I have mixed emotions about the title of this film, as part of me says that the title's not appropriate for the movie, especially how it's not very properly made, and the script doesn't have much in it; on the other hand, it's appropriate because this movie needs to turn up the script at the most. The story lacks oomph also -the chemistry with the characters, the speed, and... the sex appeal. Centre Stage: Turn It Up is supposed to be the second installment of the original and it's supposed to play of the original, and even though it mentions what's happened to Cooper's dance company, it still doesn't explain what happened to the rest of the original movies characters like Jody, Eva, Maureen, Sergei, Charlie or Erik; nor does it mention whatever happened to Kathleen or Juliette... It'd be a much better movie if it did the fore-mentioned.

The dance sequences were great, I must say, but again, it lacked the fore-mentioned, especially, as I also mentioned before, oomph -not the oomph the first one did. It was great that the director respected Cooper and Jody's relationship, even though she'd turned him down at the end (of the first movie). Don't get the wrong impression here, Amanda Schull (who played Jody Sawyer in the first installment) is *not* in the second movie, nor is she mentioned.

The cast, also, lacks that certain quality... mainly it's called experience or capability to act. Of course, that doesn't imply to Ethan and Peter, as they've both done this before, and Sarah Jayne Jensen (Suzanne Von Stroh) was very good, and Nicole Munoz (Bella Parker) was exceptionally awesome! The rest of the cast, though, weren't very believable in their roles, and they need more coaching!

Peter Gallagher doesn't make a 'cameo', as that implies that he only pops up once; He pops up roughly five times throughout the movie, and he resumes his position as the director of the company, though, Ethan has a much bigger part and is in the movie a lot more! I have to give a dishonourable mention for the fact that the film only follows Kate Parker (played by Rachele Brooke Smith) for the most part and only occasionally follows another character, her love interest Tommy Anderson (Played by Tommy Wormald).

Saying that, it's not a very bad movie and it's worth a second (or more) look! I do recommend it for a movie on a rainy day, and who knows? My opinion might just change! Better luck next time, guys!

I actually felt a better/stronger connection between Tommy and Kate than i did between Jody and Charlie or Jody and Cooper. I feel like there was a lot more emphasis on the romance between the two leads.

They did a good job incorporated the urban dance with the ballet, though I did miss the discipline and hard work that was shown in the last movie. I cant vouch for how realistic it was that Kate got the part, because i am no professional dancer. Although they did imply that she had some formal training up until she was twelve.

As someone mentioned before, most of the focus was on just Tommy and Kate, but that is probably why I felt that strong connection.

Though the movie was okay ,at times, it did seem like I was watching a documentary.

Something about this movie just gets me every time and I've watched it over and over.

Great dancing (ballet, hip hop, tango and jazz), great characters, great love story. Obviously fans of dance movies will enjoy it but I recommend CS: Turn It Up for other audiences also. It has an edgier feel than Center Stage 1 but fans of that movie should see this as Cooper returns and his dancing is AMAZING.

Yes it has hip hop but it's not the same old hip hop v. ballet movie. There's no battle between the hip hop and ballet dance styles lol. It's more subtle the way the different dance scenes are included, and almost like a documentary in the way it's filmed.

But that doesn't really sum it up. You just have to watch the whole movie--it all ties up so well and brings a tear to the eye. :-) See it!

Kenny Wormald can really dance to anything! Rachele Brooke Smith and Kenny Wormald were great together. Because it's the second of three films, it perfectly connects all the stories.

I absolutely loved this movie. I wasn't expecting much coming in. I figured it would be cheesy, but I was pleasantly surprised. Kenny Wormald is an amazing dancer & there's so much chemistry between him and Rachele Brooke Smith. I was actually hoping they dated in real life after watching it. They are also both excellent dancers so it's fun to see what they'll do next. I was a big fan of the original Center Stage and I'm an even bigger fan of this one. The nice thing about this movie is it's safe for children to watch. I let my 10 year old dancer watch it and she loved it. The original Center Stage I don't let her watch because there's too much sex, smoking, cussing & the part about anorexia. This movie has just a couple mild bad words & there's a little bit of grinding dancing but it's not bad at all. I would say it's safe for 8 and up. Just give this movie a chance. You'll be glad you did.

Out 20 January I'm a big fan of the dance movie genre. From old school Grease to the streets Step Up. I enjoy watching teen romance movies. I love watching teen romance films with a lot of dancing. When I saw a preview of the movie, I knew I had to see it. It's a sequel on the movie Center Stage.

The movie is set in New York City. Kate Parker is a girl who had a dream to perform at the American Academy of Ballet. So she applied for an audition. But when she doesn't make it after the audition, she realizes that it takes more than perfection to succeed in the dance world. At the audition she meets a boy, Tommy Anderson. They become quite good friends. With his help and with the help of her job at a hip-hop club, she finds the passion, the fire and the strength again she needs to make her dreams come true.

In general, I really liked the movie. But it was a little bit disappointing because I thought that it was a hip-hop dancing movie and not a ballet show. There were a lot of ballet scenes in it and that was just too much for me. Some of the other dance scenes were spectacular and very stylish because they are the kind of dance scenes I really like to watch. The music fitted into the movie along with the dance scenes.

I definitely would recommend this film because it's worth to see it. You can see how a girl gives up her dream but then when she met that boy she got the passion back to chase her dream again. I would this movie a 8 out of 10!

Directed by Steven Jacobson, ''Center Stage - Turn It Up'' tracks a small group of students at the fictitious American Ballet Academy, with plenty of appeal and energy-filled film about following and reaching for your dreams, this story is as much about passion as it is about ballet and hip hop.

All Kate Parker has ever wanted to do was perform with the American Ballet Academy. Kate (played by Rachele Brooke Smith), a girl from Detroit with fire, passion, attitude and a blinding-white smile, and Tommy (played by Kenny Wormald) have a natural chemistry between the two characters and their dance moves were really hot. Despite the fact that she has something special, Kate learns the hard way that it takes more than just natural talent to succeed in the dance world. Suzanne Von Stroh (Sarah Jayne Jensen), a smooth ballerina whose father just happens to be a major donor, is chosen instead.

Not very sexual or too intriguing, the dancing and the choreography are inspiring, the movie - however - does have its faults - as for instance some technicalities - but it is definitely enjoyable as this is a story that involves dance and romance, jealousy, misunderstanding and the fire that ignites the passion. They may not get any Oscar nominations for their performances, but they did a good job with the movie, especially for teens. The film is easy on the eye as we watch beautiful bodies rhythmically and elegantly contort in the rehearsal room and on the stage.

But yet again, the movie is all about dancing. Hip-hop, street dance, it's the music that thrills and is a sequel to the teen-targeted dance romance.

Not as good as the original movie, but I would still give it 8 out of 10.