Bit to Do

There is an old adage: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice.” Yes, practice. Your favorite metal guitarist may make shredding up and down the fretboard look easy, but that guy had to spend hours and hours perfecting his craft, bandaging his bleeding fingers and carrying on through the pain. This is true of any creative pursuit. Much as we would like talent to be merely bestowed upon us, that is just not how it works. Greatness requires intense effort, dedication, and discipline.

Which brings us to our topic: ballet, which is the subject of the documentary “First Position,” playing at Village 8 Theater as the newest installment in the Louisville Exclusives series. A good dancer makes the contortion of their limbs and their incredible balance look effortless, but, as stated above, hours of work go into training the body how to move and bend. “First Position” follows six youths who decided to dedicate their adolescence to this art-form. The task at hand is the world's largest student dance competition: the Youth America Grand Prix (which, by the way, is an international competition, despite what the name may imply). Thousands enter the competition every year, while only a few hundred advance to the final rounds in New York. The prize? Thousands in scholarship money, which the winner uses to attend dance schools and make a career out of their passion.

“First Position” plays at Village 8 Theater for one week, closing out next Thursday, May 31. Village 8 is located at 4014 Dutchmans Lane. Theater information and showtimes can be found at the Village 8 website. Further information about “First Position” can also be found at the film's official website.

Image: Internet Movie Database