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WEEK of September 19, 2005 |
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Fifteen Minutes of Fame by Jeffrey Stanley BFS Seventh Grader Cyrus Hernstadt made his big screen debut this spring in Paramount Classics’ hit documentary Mad Hot Ballroom. The feature film by director Marilyn Agrelo and writer Amy Sewell follows dance teams from three New York City elementary schools as they compete in a citywide ballroom competition. In this citywide youth dance program, ballroom courses are taught by visiting instructors from American Ballroom Theater. At the time this charming film was shot, the articulate Hernstadt, notable for his curly hair and incisive observations seemingly beyond his years, was a fifth grader at P.S. 150 in lower Manhattan. Despite the fact that his team doesn’t win the big trophy, Hernstadt says he likes the movie. “It’s fun to watch because I get to see my friends and when I travel with the movie I get to see the friends I made from other schools.” In an age of rampant media manipulation even in documentaries, Hernstadt is pleased to report that he feels accurately portrayed by the filmmakers, although he admits that “my personality has changed a bit since then but essentially I’m the same person—eccentric, energetic and curious.” The worst part of the experience has been the instant celebrity he has suddenly acquired on the streets of Manhattan. Surprisingly, the extroverted Hernstadt finds the attention intrusive and embarrassing. “People say, ‘Hey, you were the great in the movie,’ and I always say thank you.” However, he confides that on the inside he finds these encounters to be “awkward moments” that he could do without. That awkwardness hasn’t stopped him from continuing his newfound hobby. He still takes dance classes, now at the advanced level, at the American Ballroom Theater. |
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