''A Time for Dancing'' is a 2002 American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film directed by Peter Gilbert and starring

Larisa Oleynik Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (; born June 7, 1981) is an American actress who became a teen idol in the 1990s. Born in Santa Clara and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Oleynik began her career as a child actor, first appearing ...

Shiri Appleby Shiri Freda Appleby (born December 7, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her leading roles as Liz Parker in the WB/UPN science fiction drama series '' Roswell'' (1999–2002) and Rachel Goldberg in the L ...

and

Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author and narrator of films, theatre, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films such as ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' Cro ...

. It is an adaptation based on the novel of the same name by Davida Wills Hurwin. The film had its United States premiere on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

in 2004.

Plot

Sam Russell (Shiri Appleby) tells the story of her best friend Jules Michaels (Larisa Oleynik). They met at the age of 6 in a dance class. Over the years they become best friends. Sam dances, but Jules is a true dancer, with true passion towards it and views it as important as life itself. Unfortunately, her passion becomes impossible when it turns out she has cancer. Even after the bad news has been confirmed, Jules has a hard time dealing with it and still insists upon going for dance. To decrease the rate at which the cancer is spreading, she starts going for chemotherapy, which leaves her very exhausted after each time. It also causes her hair to fall out. Jules gradually has no choice but to start accepting the fact that she has to stop dancing because her body is always too lethargic. However, Jules stops the chemo to dance once more and auditions for

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

in NYC as it has always been a dream of hers to get in. It takes a lot out of her but it pays off and she gets accepted. Not long after, though, Jules loses the fight to cancer and dies. Sam opens the letter from Juilliard and replies: ''"Jules Michaels won't be attending Juilliard 'cause she died".''

Cast

as Jules *

as Sam *

as Wynn *

Patricia Kalember Patricia Kathryn Kalember (born December 30, 1956) is an American actress, best known for her role as Georgiana "Georgie" Reed Whitsig in the NBC drama series, ''Sisters'' (1991–1996). Kalember also had the leading roles in the number of televi ...

as Sandra *Scott Vickaryous as Eli * Shane West as Paul *

Lynn Whitfield Lynn Whitfield ('' née'' Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...

as Linda *

Amy Madigan Amy Marie Madigan (born September 11, 1950) is an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1985 film '' Twice in a Lifetime''. Her other film credits include '' Love Child'' (1982), ''Places ...

as Jackie * Anton Yelchin as Jackson *Jennifer Hamilton as Colleen *

Barbara Eve Harris Barbara Eve Harris (born Barbara Evadney Reid-Hibbert; March 8, 1959) is a Tobagonian-Canadian actress, known for her supporting performances on television. She is best known for her role as FBI Agent Felicia Lang on '' Prison Break''. Life an ...

as Dr. Conner

Reception

A Time For Dancing was nominated for a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

and a DGA award.

References

External links

* 2002 films 2000s teen drama films American dance films Films based on American novels American teen drama films Films scored by Laurence Rosenthal 2002 drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-drama-film-stub