Find Movies & TV
Home
Live TV
On Demand
Discover
Explore
Movies & TV Shows
Most Popular
Leaving Soon
Categories
Action
Animation
Comedy
Crime
Descriptive Audio
Documentary
Drama
En Español
Horror
Music
Romance
Sci-Fi
Thriller
Western
Explore
Browse Channels
Featured Channels
SNL Vault
Ion Mystery
CW Forever
Categories
Hit TV
Drama TV
True Crime
Reality
News
Sports
Comedy
History & Science
Movies
Food & Home
Lifestyle
Nature & Travel
Daytime TV
Game Shows
Sci-Fi & Action
Kids & Family
Classic TV
Anime & Gaming
Chills & Thrills
International
En Español
Music
Sign In
First Position
Directed by
Bess Kargman
Not Rated
2011
90m
Documentary
,
Comedy
,
and more
7.5
93%
84%
Add to Watchlist
First Position follows six talented young dancers (ages 9-19) from five continents as they prepare for a worldwide ballet competition that could transform their lives overnight.
More
Where to Watch First Position
Kanopy
Free
AMC+ Amazon Channel
Subscription
IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel
Subscription
+3 more
Cast of First Position
Aran Bell
Self
Rebecca Houseknecht
Self
Joan Sebastian Zamora
Self
Miko Fogarty
Self
Jules Jarvis Fogarty
Self
Michaela DePrince
Self
Gaya Bommer Yemini
Self
Derek Dunn
Self
First Position Ratings & Reviews
Seattle Times
Moira MacDonald
When it's over, you won't remember so much about who won and who lost. Instead, what remains is the expression on a young dancer's face, reflected in a mirror: showing the joy of being in love with what you do.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Joe Williams
For someone (like me) who has never been to a ballet, the talent of these teens and tweens is a revelation.
Detroit News
Tom Long
A number of the performances are plain stunning - Aran and Joan, in particular, seem born to move - and in many ways watching the movie is like watching a sporting event; there are winners and losers and favorites to cheer on.
Washington Post
Amy Hitt
It's an intense journey, and Kargman captures it all, down to the dancers' bloodied and bruised feet.
San Francisco Chronicle
Allan Ulrich
Yes, it is possible to create a gripping documentary about the ballet world without resorting to "Black Swan" melodramatics.
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
Because its subjects are so driven and so talented, "First Position," which is about ballet, is more gripping than the norm.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Ellen Dunkel
The film shows the grueling work it takes for young dancers like Zamora to look effortless on stage, and First Position shows teachers who range from supportive to borderline abusive.
Austin Chronicle
Kimberley Jones
It's a wealth of material at odds with a scant running time and shallow focus.
Movieline
Stephanie Zacharek
Documentaries don't have to be technically great to be irresistible, and Bess Kargman's First Position, which follows six young ballet dancers as they prepare for an elite competition, is a case in point.
New York Magazine/Vulture
David Edelstein
This is yet another competition doc in the unending legacy of Spellbound, but Kargman is light on her feet, and she has chosen to follow a fascinating group of kids preparing for the 2010 Youth America Grand Prix.
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
Beneath the jets and bleeding feet, First Position is about toughness of mind as much as visions of beauty. In one case it's about a transformation so profound as to be unfathomable.
The Hollywood Reporter
Frank Scheck
First Position overcomes its predictable elements thanks to the inherent visual drama of watching children strain their bodies to the limit in obsessive pursuit of their goals.
Slant Magazine
John Semley
The doc twists out its six narrative threads with measured compassion and even-handedness.
Slate
Dana Stevens
First Position is an unabashedly inspirational portrait of what even very young people can accomplish with discipline and dedication.
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
I've become weary of documentaries about winning prizes, but this one is special because the kids are. They are ardent and amazingly accomplished, but they are also... kids.
New York Post
Farran Smith Nehme
[It] seems fresh in the way it respects both the art in ballet and the discipline it demands - even in childhood.
New York Times
Manohla Dargis
An appealing, largely upbeat documentary about young ballet dancers duking it out, sometimes on point and in tulle, for top honors at the Youth America Grand Prix.
NPR
Linda Holmes
It's a great introduction to the intriguing mix of parents - neurotic, loving, pressuring, calming - who raise great kids who do great things.
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
These performers are so young, so serious, so full of dreams and so hard on themselves that it is difficult not to be moved by their striving.
New York Daily News
Joe Neumaier
Their devotion to their art is admirable, and the film gets under the skin, if never really in our blood.
Watch First Position Videos
First Position
First Position
Trailer
First Position (Trailer 1)
First Position (Trailer 1)
Trailer
Take Plex everywhere
Watch free anytime, anywhere, on almost any device.
See the full list of supported devices
Home
Live TV
On Demand
Discover
