Center Stage: Turn It Up Information

Center Stage 2: Turn it Up or Center Stage 2 (2008) is the official sequel to the 2000 dance drama film Center Stage. The film was directed by Steven Jacobson and written by Karen Bloch Morse, based on characters created by Carol Heikkinen. It was broadcast on Oxygen on November 1, 2008, making it a television film, unlike its predecessor.

It stars Rachele Brooke Smith as Kate Parker and Kenny Wormald as Tommy Anderson, and also features Sarah Jayne Jensen as Suzanne Von Stroh, with Peter Gallagher and Ethan Stiefel returning from the first film as Jonathan Reeves and Cooper Nielson, respectively. No other characters, or plot lines, return from the first film, making this an unusual sequel.

Plot

The film starts with Kate Parker saying goodbye to her friends in Detroit and her sister because she is leaving home to go to an audition for the greatest dance school in America, the American Ballet Academy. Kate doesn't make it and instead of her Suzanne Von Stroh (Sarah Jayne Jensen) is chosen, because of an argument between the director of the school, Jonathan (Peter Gallagher) and one of the teachers, Cooper Nielson (Ethan Stiefel), who has returned to ABA after his ballet company lost its funding. A young dancer, Tommy Anderson (Kenny Wormald), is stunned by Kate and is sure that she passed and got into the academy, but soon he discovers that she was rejected, and he is paired up with Suzanne instead. Kate, homeless in New York City, goes to a club called The Foundry where she finds Tommy and impresses both him and the owner of the club, Sal, who is Tommy's best friend, with her dance moves and energy. She is given a job at the club and sleeps in the upstairs office. Because she needs to find an apartment she agrees to help Tommy with his dance if he pays her.

Soon they start the classes, she finds an apartment, Tommy becomes a great student and is given the opportunity to dance with Suzanne for the famous choreographer Monica Straus. Meanwhile, Tommy and Kate begin to have feelings for each other and become a couple. They break up after Kate sees Tommy dance with Suzanne, for a gala, and at the end of the dance Suzanne kisses him. The next day Tommy finds Kate's sister, Bella (Nicole Muñoz), waiting for her at ABA and takes her to Kate. She then confesses to her sister that she was not accepted into the school and decides to leave New York and go with Bella back to Detroit.

The next morning while waiting for the bus, Bella shows Kate a leaflet Tommy gave her, advertising an audition for "The Glass Slipper", a Broadway ballet version of Cinderella that Monica Strauss is casting. Kate decides to give her dancing dream one last shot. Kate gets into a final audition with 2 other girls, Suzanne being one of them, and three boys, including Tommy. Monica Straus asks Tommy to dance with Suzanne, but he rejects her and offers the dance to Kate instead. Tommy receives the part of Prince and Kate of Cinderella.

Cast

• Rachele Brooke Smith as Kate Parker
• Kenny Wormald as Tommy Anderson
• Sarah Jayne Jensen as Suzanne Von Stroh
• Crystal Lowe as Lexi
• Peter Gallagher as Jonathan Reeves
• Ethan Stiefel as Cooper Nielson
• Lucia Walters as Monica Strauss
• Nicole Muñoz as Bella Parker
• Harry Shum Jr. as Club Dancer

Production

The film was shot in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

The film also stars Daniela Dib as Allison

Release

Center Stage: Turn it Up was first broadcast in the United States on November 1, 2008, on the Oxygen Network. The DVD was released in January 2009, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film was theatrically released in Australian cinemas in October 2008.

Soundtrack

• Raising The Barre - Medusa
• Balloon - Sara Haze
• Give It All I've Got - Bekki Friesen
• Turn Around - Soul P
• Burnin' - Ms. Triniti
• I Ain't Goin' Nowhere - Soul P
• Num Num - The DNC
• You Should Be Gone - Christelle Radomsky
• Loosen Up - Golden ft. Sophia Shorai
• Mista Ambarosia - The Spectaculars
• Don't Sweat - Ms. Triniti
• Street Ballet - Medusa
• Paper Plane - Lucy Schwartz
• A Part In That Show - Chris Joss
• Act Like You Want It - X5 ft. Mr. Fang
• Inside Outside - Miss Eighty 6
• Swing Baby Swing - The DNC
• Nobody Hot As Me - KU
• Rainmaker - Sara Haze
• Ten Things To Prove - Amali Ward
• You Belong - The Skies Of America
• 24 - Jem