Center Stage: On Pointe

CENTER STAGE ON POINTE

Ladies and gentlemen...

it is a great pleasure to be

here on this special day

to celebrate the career of

a once-in-a-generation talent.

Please help me welcome

my dear friend, Cooper Nielsen!

Good to see you.

On behalf of all of us here,

thank you for all you've

done for dance.

And thank you for all you've

done for the American Ballet

Company.

Thank you.

Thank you to you all.

Thank you, Jonathan.

And thank you to the ABC for

that extraordinary performance.

-So?

-That went well.

You think?

The company looked

great tonight.

Well, thanks for all

your good work.

Gentlemen.

Beverly.

Excuse me.

Great show, Jonathan.

Thank you.

Listen, I'll get right to it.

Your American Ballet Company

is out of money.

Well, we're a ballet company.

We're always strapped for cash.

There's a reason why the ballet

company has been

in the red for the

last three quarters.

I understand.

I don't think you do.

It was a beautiful show today,

but there were empty seats.

Cooper's shows fill them.

Audiences, they want to see

different things these days.

People who come to the ballet

want to see the ballet.

Do you know how many hits one Misty

Copeland or Kate Parker video

gets on YouTube every week?

No.

About the same amount

that ballet companies

booked in tickets all last year.

You need to evolve at long last,

or the ABC will be left behind.

Look, Jonathan...

yours is the only company yet to

incorporate contemporary ballet.

Because we are

a classical ballet company.

And you need to change that,

and you need to figure out

what that change looks like.

Give me a reason to invest

in your company again.

Before it's too late.

Jonathan.

Hey, we're all looking for you.

What's going on?

We're broke.

The company is about to close

our fourth quarter in the red.

If we don't do

something different,

there won't be the

American Ballet Company.

Fourth quarter?

The good news is,

we've been thrown a lifeline.

What's the bad news?

It's time for a change.

Are you quitting?

No. But it may be time

for the ABC

to open its doors

to other forms of dance.

Modern. More contemporary.

This is the only strictly

classical company in the country.

And the only strictly classical

companies in London,

in Moscow, even in Paris

integrated modern dance

into their repertoires ages ago.

I've been a purist...

but apparently that's a luxury

we can no longer afford.

-I think that that's awesome.

-Good.

The training camp program

is coming up.

It's the perfect opportunity to

introduce modern to the company.

Modern?

Jonathan, you don't know the

first thing about modern dance.

And for good reason.

It's beneath us.

The ABC doesn't need

that less sophisticated genre.

Well, that's going to change.

This could be an exciting

opportunity for us.

Let's start by adding some

new blood to the Studio Company.

Tommy, you're best qualified

for that.

Can you find us some

new talent with potential?

Well, if it isn't Kate Parker.

How is it going? How's Sydney?

Busier than anyone

has the right to be.

I got your text.

I know, isn't that amazing?

I mean, ABC should've

been doing this years ago.

Of course you'd say that.

Listen, Tommy, I've got one

word for you.

What's that?

Bella.

#...her before #

# One pretty little trick tryna to

run out through the back door #

# So I step to the left

puffed out the chest #

# Kid so fly had to show

'em that ass #

# That action, distraction #

# Make this a chain reaction #

# She was more than a ten

her and her friends #

# Made their own money

and had their own ends #

# Yow yip-yip yow#

# Come here lemme show you

a pretty little face #

# It's more than now,

dip-dip dow #

# You stay here

and let you girl go #

# I don't mean, mean no harm #

# And I want to show you

the rude boy charm and #

# Yep, give me the signal

and I'm on it #

# That there body need warning,

warning #

# You know that chick,

she's fine #

# You know she's as bad

as she looks, she's mine #

# She's all I want and I need,

no lie #

# I ain't wastin' no time #

# You see her going around

'cause she's a... #

# Hold up! Wait a minute!

Minute, minute #

# That chick, that chick right there,

that chick, that chick right there #

# That girl # # That chick,

that chick right there #

# That chick, that chick

right there # # That girl #

# That chick, that chick right

there, that chick, that chick... #

It's been a while.

I know.

You grew up.

When did you get so good?

I practice every now and then.

Not "now and then." Give yourself

some credit. That was fantastic.

It's fun. It's not ballet,

but I realized a while ago that

"The Glass Slipper" wasn't for me.

How did you know I was here?

Your sister.

So, every year at the ABC,

there's this boot camp.

It's part of the Academy,

it's how

Jonathan feeds new dancers

into the program.

This year, they're doing

something different.

Jonathan's looking

for modern dancers,

creative ones, who are

willing to move in any way.

I think you should audition.

Yeah, the company would

think about me?

Yeah.

-I don't think so.

-Why not?

Kate didn't get in, and she's

a way better dancer than I am.

Well, like I said, Jonathan's not just

looking for classical ballet dancers.

He wants modern. All right?

A new vibe, a whole new thing.

I think that

you'd be great for it.

I don't think so.

Yeah, Wednesday, 3:00.

Here's the address.

All you need to do is just come

up with a little modern routine.

Just show off what you can do.

I don't think I'd be comfortable

there. In that environment.

In what environment?

Well, it's a world-class

ballet company.

It's full of all these gorgeous,

beautiful, skinny ballerinas, and...

No. No, none of that matters.

When they see you dance?

It's fantastic.

You're gonna be fine, trust me.

Even if I went, I would have to

change my name on that application.

I don't want people to know

that I'm Kate Parker's sister.

That's fine. You can

call yourself whatever you want.

Is that a yes?

That's a maybe.

No. Wednesday, 3:00?

I'll see you there?

What's with the moves?

I'm auditioning to be part of

the American Ballet Company.

A ballerina?

So dancing runs in the family?

You're not the ballet type.

I'm not auditioning to

be a ballerina.

I'm auditioning

to be a modern dancer.

Auditioning? Well, just tell

them who you are.

I can't tell them I'm

Kate Parker's sister, because

then they'll expect me to dance like

her, and I already know I can't.

Anyways, I want to get

in on my own.

You'd be a good paralegal.

I don't want to be a paralegal.

I want to be a dancer.

Yeah, well, so did that one.

I had the same conversation with her

20 years ago, right in this chair.

I'm still here.

So is she.

Eat your pie, Myron.

I'm just trying to give

you a little dose of reality.

Following your dreams is

one thing

but it's good to have a

backup plan.

I don't want to be talking

to you here in 20 years.

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