*Save the Last Dance* movie poster

Sara Johnson (Julia Stiles) is a 17-year-old ballerina who dreams of being a prima ballerina, and her first step to achieve that dream is to gain a place at the prestigious Juilliard School.

On the day of her audition, her mother got killed in an automobile accident on the way to give her moral support. Sara gives up her dream as she blames herself for her mother's death and moved from Wisconsin to a predominantly black Chicago neighbourhood to live with her estranged father.

Learning hip hop

Sara attends a new high school, where most of the students are black, and befriends a girl named Chenille. Soon, Chenille's brother Derek, one of the few intellectually inclined black young men, tries to help Sara to fit in, and teaches her hip hop dance and other black culture.

More coaching

Sara shows off her newly acquired hip hop dance steps at a local hip hop club

Ebony & Ivory

Spending so much time together, they fell for each other, and being in an inter-racial relationship brought them many obstacles, which they have to overcome if they wanted to be together.

Obstacles include an ex-girlfriend

A prep talk during the audition

The movie ends with Sara's successful audition to Juilliard, where she danced a beautiful piece of ballet that incorporated hip hop.

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*Save the Last Dance 2* movie poster

In "Save the Last Dance 2", Sara Johnson is acted by Izabella Miko. It's kinda weird to change actresses to carry out one character but it's understandable as these movies were released five years apart.

The movie continues from "Save the Last Dance", with Sara starting classes at Juilliard, while her boyfriend, Derek goes to Georgetown University to study pre-med, and they have decided to see other people. That means, they are officially single again.

At Juilliard, Sara got distracted and was placed in the bottom of her class, and had to struggle to hold on to her place before she gets kicked out. Distraction comes in the form of one Miles Sultana, a guest lecturer of her Hip Hop course.

Sara & Miles

Anyway, these two fall for each other (so what's new?) but being in New York City, an inter-racial relationship is not such a big deal.

Sara tries to find a balance for ballet, her first love, and hip hop, her passion.

Being challenged to hip hop

Sara finally achieves her dream of being the prima ballerina in Giselle.

I personally feel "Save the Last Dance 2" is a better movie and the dance moves better executed and have a smoother flow. Izabella Miko also carried out the role neatly and she has better chemistry with Columbus Short, than Julia Stiles with Sean Patrick Thomas. Perhaps, at 17, Julia, as Sara, wasn't allowed to really project her emotions too deeply.

But isn't it strange that in both movies, Sara's boyfriend is black? Maybe Sara has a thing for blacks? It would have been interesting to watch Sara with a white boyfriend in one movie, and a black in another hehehe

"Save the Last Dance" was quite teary eyed in some scenes while "Save the Last Dance 2" is a lighter movie. Both are quite entertaining if you are into hip hop, rap, clubbing and dancing, and black culture in general.

Lots of hip hop and ballet dances to watch that made me wish that I can dance too.