Wow! I received many dance-related gifts for Christmas (I guess my family read my blog post Gift Ideas for Dancers). Some of the gifts are going to take me a while to get through, like the 860-page book Where Snowflakes Dance and Swear.

I did get the opportunity to view one of the gifts, the DVD First Position, a documentary about dancers competing at the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix. I had seen this film at a theatre over the summer and found the second time be just as enjoyable. The best part was that my college-age son watched the DVD with me.

He was intrigued by how devoted the young dancers were. And at the same time he commented on how happy he is that to be pursuing a career that is not so short-lived. Of course he is just as passionate about computer science as the dancers in the film are about ballet.

In addition to the movie, the DVD has bonus material. I like watching the full-length competition performances. In the movie you only see clips of the performances.

It’s also been handy to have the video so that I can remember the names of the featured dancers. I found myself searching on the internet to see what the dancers are up to now that it’s a couple of years after the making of the movie.

If you like dance, especially ballet, you should watch this documentary. Chances are you will like it even if you aren’t interested in dance. If you get a moment, please let me know what you think after you view the movie.