Slammin' Secrets About Save the Last Dance

In the mid-to-late ’90s, if you ever found yourself donning a leotard and tights, it’s quite likely that your aspiration was either to emulate Jody Sawyer from the movie ‘Center Stage’, or Sara Johnson, the ambitious ballerina from Chicago who dreamt of Juilliard. However, in our opinion, Zoe Saldana’s Eva Rodriguez from the American Ballet Academy gives the best dance performance of them all.

2001’s “Save the Last Dance,” starring Julia Stiles, was a hit movie during her successful teen film era and Shakespearean phase. This film, which placed suburban Sara in an inner-city Chicago high school and led her to fall in love with Sean Patrick Thomas’ character Derek, held the top spot at the box office for two weeks. This success catapulted then-freshman Julia Stiles at Columbia University into widespread popularity.

She received MTV Awards for Best Kiss and Best Female Performance, a Teen Choice trophy for Best Fight Scene, all due to her confrontation with her new boyfriend’s ex (Bianca Lawson) at STEPPS, the popular club known more for its leniency in ID checks than for being a traditional square dance.

Apart from that, Stiles additionally landed a hosting job on Saturday Night Live, which she would revisit in 2023 to repeat the finale dance. Moreover, she graced the cover of Rolling Stone, with the magazine labeling her as “the most cool college student.

Regardless of its triumphant debut and impressive $27.5 million earnings over the weekend, it’s important to note that the film appears somewhat troubling when examined from a 2025 perspective.

In the story, Black characters grapple with issues like poverty, teen parenthood, and gang violence. Amidst this, an outsider named Sara develops a bond with Derek, the lone Black male character in the film who aspires to attend Georgetown. As their interracial relationship faces opposition, Sara is portrayed as a victim, while the complex feelings of other characters about the situation are downplayed or ignored.

However, the MTV Films release generously provided numerous dance sequences to commit to memory for hours, an impressive soundtrack featuring hits like “You Make Me Sick” by Pink, “You Can Do It” by Ice Cube, and “Crazy” by K-Ci & JoJo, and a priceless lesson that it’s always wise to keep our living spaces tidy.

Moreover, it presented an unrecognized Kerry Washington as Derek’s sibling Chenille, who confronted Sara when she dismissed any reference to her implicit white privilege by courageously stating, “There is only one universe, Chenille.” In the words of Chenille, “That’s what they teach you. We have a different understanding.

So there are plenty of parts that are still slammin’.

As we approach the anniversary of the January 12th release, we’re excited to revisit some of our most memorable moves inspired by STEPPS, ready to twirl and dance in circles – maybe even around you! Here’s a reminder of everything that might have slipped your mind about the 2001 film.

Before her role in “Save the Last Dance,” Julia Stiles had already demonstrated her acting talent on screen. Movie buffs fond of teen flicks might remember the 40-second scene in the 1999 movie “10 Things I Hate About You” where a 17-year-old Stiles stood atop a table during Bogey Lowenstein’s party, mesmerizing everyone present as Biggie Smalls’ music played. This performance also impressed film executives.

In an interview with TopMob News in 2021, [Stiles] shared that [Director Thomas Carter] had recommended him for a screen test because he had noticed Stiles dancing on a table in the movie “10 Things I Hate About You.” Carter then commented, “She’s got rhythm!

2. She had more than just one skill for the performance, as she mentioned on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn in 2001 while promoting the movie. “I’ve been dancing since I was young,” she stated. However, to convincingly portray a teenage ballet dancer with a genuine chance of getting into Juilliard, her years of contemporary dance training wouldn’t suffice.

She mentioned that for nearly a month and a half, she diligently danced for four hours each day. This regimen left her in the peak of fitness, as she put it, but took its toll on her feet: “Goodness gracious, my feet were horrendous….They would bleed, develop calluses, blisters, bunions – you name it.

3. However, it turned out to be justified as she strongly insisted on performing her own dance scenes. “The challenge for me was that I had to continually demonstrate my dancing skills since I didn’t want them to use a stand-in,” she shared with Hollywood.com several months following the film’s premiere. “So I said, I understand you might need to double me while on pointe because I can’t do it, but everything else needs to be me. And I made it clear that I didn’t want them to hire a hip-hop substitute.

Therefore, a significant portion of her practice revolved around those routines, which she felt more at ease with, as she stated. As for ballet, it demanded a leap of trust. She added, “Everyone assumes that you won’t dance well because you’re an actress.” The first time we filmed one of the ballet scenes, I was trembling. However, after a few takes, I managed to calm down.

4. Meanwhile, his counterpart also had to make an effort. At that point, Sean Patrick Thomas, a 31-year-old actor with limited film roles under his belt and little studio experience, found himself in an unfamiliar situation – dancing at a final audition. “I didn’t have any dance background, just a few aerobics classes,” he explained to Nitrate Online. “Typically, when it comes to choreography, you learn it and practice it. I didn’t get that opportunity – they taught me the steps that very morning. I did my best.

After getting cast, he kept pushing himself to learn the dance moves. When interviewed by TopMob News in 2021, he admitted that he wasn’t a dancer but a regular person. He was nervous about not messing things up during filming, so if they offered him lessons, he was eager for them because he was worried about looking foolish. It wasn’t additional work for him; rather, he felt like he needed more practice to avoid any mistakes.

5. However, the “fake it until you make it” approach wasn’t his only concern. With roles like the background character Jock #2 in “Can’t Hardly Wait” and Ronald, the cello instructor who falls for Selma Blair’s Cecile in “Cruel Intentions” already under his belt, he worried that he might be typecast as an actor in teen movies.

My upbringing in bustling New York City’s Soho, as the eldest among John and Judith Stiles’ three children, significantly influenced my experiences during the Chicago shoot. Much like the film’s setting, my urban middle school was predominantly populated by individuals of different ethnicities, where I found myself being the only white girl. Eagerly yearning to fit in, I sought camaraderie among the tough local girls and adopted their persona to earn acceptance. As I shared with Hollywood.com, this desire to be a part of their group was so strong that I often pretended to be like them.

She shared with Rolling Stone that her everyday attire consisted of earrings reminiscent of door-knockers, similar to those she donned in the movie, a Raiders cap, and an ample dose of lip liner. Explaining her reasoning, she said, “I aimed to emulate the coolness of being a homeboy or homegirl.

7. What truly drew her to the role was the opportunity to collaborate with renowned choreographer Fatima Robinson. This choreographer, whose list of clients ranges from pop groups such as the Backstreet Boys and Black Eyed Peas to icons like Michael Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Leona Lewis, Prince, and Rihanna, was a significant factor in her excitement for the film. Stiles expressed this enthusiasm to TopMob, saying, “Yes, I’m eager to receive personal dance lessons—this is fantastic!

8. People who diligently learned Sara and Derek’s chair dance sequence might have noticed a resemblance to the choreography in the Backstreet Boys’ “As Long As You Love Me.

At 22 years old, Kerry Washington had recently graduated from George Washington University with a degree in anthropology and sociology, when she landed her breakout role as teen mother Chenille. It was at this stage that the future Emmy award winner had already amassed some credits, including an ABC After School Special which granted her a SAG membership, a PBS educational series, and the drama “Our Song,” where the native of the Bronx portrayed a 15-year-old residing in the Brooklyn projects.

10. Without a doubt, Washington dedicated significant effort to master her role. In an interview with Contactmusic.com, she revealed that she delved deeply into research and spent time interacting with teen parents during her preparation. These encounters helped her comprehend that having a child at a young age can instill a strong, nurturing instinct towards many people in your surroundings, which in turn aided her in empathizing with Julia Stiles’ character. Thus, it could be said that a portion of her portrayal was influenced by the experience of becoming a parent, as it often prompts individuals to rise to the challenge.

11. Although suburban Lemont High School served effectively as its city counterpart’s stand-in, the set designers needed to exert some effort to construct STEPPS. As Chicago’s Crowbar location was originally a peculiar gothic club, Stiles shared, they transformed it to give it a hip-hop and reggae appearance instead.

12. The cast truly valued the hard work. “During one scene while filming in a Chicago club, Julia and I looked at each other around three in the morning, and it hit us that we were being compensated to dance and enjoy an extraordinary night in a club,” Washington shared with Rolling Stone. “You know when you see everyone dancing during the credits? That was on our final shooting night at the club, and we danced for hours. We even dragged the producers, sound technicians, and prop personnel onto the dance floor.”

13. It was the film that played a part in the emergence of Snooki, to some extent. At the time, she was a high school student more recognized as Nicole Polizzi, but her famous nickname originated from the film’s funny character who also worked as a DJ at STEPPS, the future star of Jersey Shore.

14. In the continuation of “Save the Last Dance,” titled “Save the Last Dance 2” (released in 2006 directly to DVD), my character, Sara, was portrayed journeying to Juilliard. There, I encountered and developed feelings for Miles, a guest lecturer in hip-hop theory, played by Columbus Short. Regrettably, Stiles didn’t return for the sequel, which meant that Izabella Miko, who had previously been a ballet student turned actress, stepped into my dance shoes.

15. It’s no surprise that Stiles doesn’t often watch her breakout film, “Save the Last Dance“. In an interview on Good Morning America in 2019, she mentioned that the movie came up on TV recently, and a part of her was intrigued by the recollections of filming it. However, she quickly turned it off because watching it felt awkward to her. When you look at pictures of yourself as a teenager, there’s a part of you that thinks, “Yeah, that’s me,” but another part is taken aback and says, “Oh my goodness!

As a devoted admirer, I eagerly propose that we officially join the revival project which, as first hinted by Washington in his 2001 Rolling Stone profile. Excitedly talking about his costar’s “intelligence, dedication, and raw talent,” Washington expressed anticipation to collaborate with her when we both reach our sixties.

2025-01-12 20:17

Slammin’ Secrets About Save the Last Dance

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