Step Up is a worldwide popular dance-themed film series. It started in 2006 with the release of the first part, starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. In 2018, filmmakers from China joined the project. In Step Up 6: A Year of Dancing, they will present their version of a dance drama featuring American and Asian actors.
Information about the film
The continuation of the Step Forward franchise was conceived for a reason to be filmed in China. The fact is that most of their commercial success, these films owe to the countries of Asia, and not the United States, where they were invented. The total box office gross for all episodes to date is $ 650 million. As conceived by the creators, the new picture will be logically connected with the previous parts, only the scene will be transferred to China.
Filming for the project began on December 9, 2018 in Beijing and Los Angeles under the direction of actor, director and martial artist Ron Yuan. The creators prefer to keep the details of the plot secret, limiting themselves to a rather vague description. According to the authors, viewers will see the story of the unification of Chinese youth from different social backgrounds. The heroes will fight for the title of the best dance team in the country and along the way they will learn what it means to become a real family.
The beginning of Step Up 6: A Year of Dancing will echo the finale of Part 5, in which the dancers took part in a prestigious show in Las Vegas. Having won an impressive victory, the heroes set a new goal for themselves - a successful career and the road to Hollywood. What fate they will be in China will become known after the release of the film.
The budget for the sixth series will be about $ 17 million. The official trailer was released in April 2019. It again promises viewers the drive, incredible pirouettes, confrontation and romance - everything that fans of the Step Up franchise love so much. The Russian premiere was announced by SB Film on July 25, 2019.
Actors and creators
Willdabeast and his wife Janelle
The choreographers of Step Up 6: The Year of Dancing are just as interesting to the audience as the cinematic team. Indeed, throughout all six episodes in the project, only one permanent hero remains - this is dance. So, William Willdabeast Adams and his wife and partner Janelle Ginestra are announced as the directors of the dance numbers in the project. This young couple is known as the founders of the immaBEAST company and the IMMA Space studio in Los Angeles. The activities of the choreographer and his team find a huge response in the United States, and are gradually reaching the world level. A married couple specializes in hip-hop dancing, so the audience of the film, obviously, expects a lot of numbers in this direction. In addition, Janelle Ginestra will play one of the supporting roles.
As for the cast, it will be composed primarily of Asian performers and several invited nominations from the United States. Among the Chinese stars, the names of Meng Meiqi, Zhou Yixuan, Ovodoga, Huang Jingxing were named. Unfortunately, these actors are little known to European and American audiences. The main foreign star is the American Jade Chynoweth.
Jade Chynoweth
The girl turned 20 in 2018, but she has already become famous as an actress, dancer and social media star. This bright, athletic beauty has over two million Instagram followers. Jade also starred in the films 300: Dawn of an Empire, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and took part in two seasons of The Last Ship. With her dance training, everything is fine too: Chynovet does not give preference to any particular style, but includes elements of jazz, hip-hop, tap dance, modernity and even ballet in her performances. Incidentally, Jade is the star of the feature film series Step Up: The Tide.
Step Up 6: A Year of Dancing has not yet been released, and is already being tipped for a very modest box office. As often happens, the interest of viewers in the franchise gradually fades with the increase in the number of sequels. Although, perhaps, the Chinese authors will find something to surprise the bored moviegoers.
