15 Slammin' Secrets of Save the Last Dance

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Julia Stiles Recreates ‘Save The Last Dance’ During SNL

Facts: If you ever slipped on a leotard and tights in the mid-to-late '90s, there's a solid chance you either wanted to be like Center Stage's Jody Sawyer(or Zoe Saldana's Eva Rodriguez, TBH, our vote for thebest goddamn dancer in the American Ballet Academy) or Sara Johnson, the Chicago ballerina with big Juilliard dreams.

Made during Julia Stiles' successful teen movierun (which coincided with her modern-retelling-of-a-popular-William-Shakespeare-play phase), 2001's Save the Last Dance—whichdropped suburban Sarainto an inner city Chicago high school, whereshe finds love withSean Patrick Thomas' Derek—spent two weeks at the top of the box office,propelling then-Columbia University freshmanStiles to the heights of ubiquity.

She collected MTV Awards forBest Kiss and Best Female Performance and a Teen Choice trophy forBest Fight Scene thanks to her face-off with her new guy's ex (Bianca Lawson) at STEPPS, the must-attend club that ain't no square dance but is certainly lax on regulating fake IDs.Stiles also scored a gig hosting Saturday Night Live and aRolling Stonecover, the mag declaring her "the coolest coed."

photos20 Secrets From 10 Things I Hate About You

Though for all that success and the film's $27.5 million opening weekend box office haul, we'd be remiss if we didn't point out thatit feels more than a bitproblematicwhen viewed through a2024 prism.

As the Black characters struggle with poverty, teenage parenthood and gang violence, privileged fish-out-of-water Sara connects withThomas'Derek, asenior with Georgetown ambitions who happens to be thesoleBlackmale in the film with a promising future.And when their interracial love is challenged, Sara is painted as a victim, glossing over the other characters' very real beef with the situation.

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But the MTVFilmsrelease did gift us with plenty of dance numbers to spend hours memorizing, a solid soundtrack (Pink's "You Make Me Sick," Ice Cube's "You Can Do It," K-Ci and JoJo's "Crazy") andthe valuable lesson that we shouldnever leave our s--t on the floor.

Plus, it introduced the world to an unknown Kerry WashingtonasDerek's sisterChenille, who challenged Sarawhen she brushed off any mention of her inherent white privilege by boldly declaring, "There's only one world, Chenille." As Chenille put it,"That's what they teach you. We know different."

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

And with the anniversary of the Jan. 12 release upon us (and the fresh memories of Stiles' recent Saturday Night Live cameo), we're ready to dust off our best STEPPS-worthy moves and dance in circles. Probably around you. Here's everything you may have forgotten about the 2001 flick.

FAQs

Did Julia Stiles actually dance in Save the Last Dance? ›

Still, to play a teenage ballerina with a realistic shot at attending Juilliard, her years of modern dance experience weren't going to cut it. "I had to do, like, a month and a half of four hours a day dancing my tush off," she said.

Who was the white girl in Save the Last Dance? ›

Julia Stiles landed the role of Sara when director Thomas Carter saw her dance scene in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. To prepare for her role, Stiles did two months of training for the ballet scenes while also rehearsing the choreography for the hip hop scenes.

Is there a part 2 to save the last dance? ›

Save the Last Dance 2 (also known as Save the Last Dance 2: Stepping Up) is a 2006 dance drama film and a sequel to the 2001 film Save the Last Dance. It was released to DVD on October 10, 2006, by Paramount Home Entertainment and MTV.

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Where is Save the Last Dance set? ›

A white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past. A white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.

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Is Save the Last Dance inappropriate? ›

This movie has strong language (including "f--k" and "s--t"), and the soundtrack lyrics have even stronger language, including the "N" word. There are two drive-by shooting scenes: gunshots, a car explodes, characters are sent to the hospital and arrested.

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Is Julia Stiles a dancer in real life? ›

"I mean, the rehearsals, and the dance training. I was, like, sign me up; where do I start?" Stiles said. "It was really challenging and really daunting because I'm not a professional dancer. So there was a lot of playing catch-up.

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Is there a story behind the song Save the Last Dance for Me? ›

Pomus had polio and at times used crutches to get around. His wife, Willi Burke, however, was a Broadway actress and dancer. The song gives his perspective of telling his wife to have fun dancing, but reminds her who will be taking her home and "in whose arms you're gonna be."

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Who is Nicki in Save the Last Dance? ›

Save the Last Dance (2001) - Bianca Lawson as Nikki - IMDb.

Is dance flick based on Save the Last Dance? ›

There are quite a few movies Dance Flick imitates or parodies, I guessed 5, but here's a cheat list if you don't recognize some of the scenes: 1. Save The Last Dance 2. Stomp The Yard 3.

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Who is the black guy in Save the Last Dance? ›

Sean Patrick Thomas

Is the last dance child appropriate? ›

The IMDB The Last Dance Parent Guide states that due to a lot of swearing, children should watch the docuseries with their parents. As per reports, there are 15 to 30 swear words in each episode and Dennis Rodman's language is also considered 'inappropriate'.

15 Slammin' Secrets of Save the Last Dance - E! Online (2024)

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FAQs

Did Julia Stiles actually dance in Save the Last Dance? ›

Is the last dance child appropriate? ›