It’s official, a brand new dance film is soon set to hit the big screen, starring a talented home-grown cast of young Australian dancers alongside American ballerina and actress Juliet Doherty. Energetiks fans will also recognise Brisbane born professional dancer (and Energetiks 2019 Model Search Winner/Ambassador) Joel Burke making his screen debut in a leading role. Filmed in Sydney, The Red Shoes: Next Step promises dancing of the highest calibre and a plot the whole family can enjoy! Catch the newly released first trailer and find out more about the film below.

The Red Shoes: Next Step Official Teaser Trailer

Sydney, February 6, 2023: The new teen coming-of-age dance drama The Red Shoes: Next Step will debut in cinemas around Australia during the April 2023 school holidays, the film’s Australian distributor Screen Inc. has confirmed today.

The film’s teaser trailer, poster and three first-look images have also just been released.

From the creators of the family fantasy adventure box-office hit The Legend of the Five, The Red Shoes: Next Step stars dual gold medallist, American-Australian dancer Juliet Doherty (High Strung: Free Dance and Driven to Dance) in the lead role of Sam Cavanaugh, and The Conjuring 2’s Lauren Esposito as her rebellious best friend Eve.

Juliet Doherty danced in the hugely successful recent B.I.G. Ballet International Galas directed by B.I.G. co-founder, 23-year-old professional ballet dancer Joel Burke, who is her co-star in The Red Shoes: Next Step.

The film also features actress and former dancer Carolyn Bock (Neighbours, Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS and Green Room Award nominee 2022); Australian professional ballerina Primrose Kern, who is a dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet and Boston Ballet; dancer, actor, model, and influencer Ashleigh Ross (Dance Academy, Mary Poppins); Mietta White, who is currently playing the role of Meg Giry in The Phantom of the Opera in Melbourne; and Nicholas Andrianakos (The Legend of the Five).

In Frame: Joel Burke and Juliet Doherty star in The Red Shoes: Next Step

The Red Shoes: Next Step follows Sam, a gifted young dancer whose world spirals after an unexpected, life-changing event. Sam walks away from dancing and ballet, but the art form is in her blood, and she can’t resist the temptation to return. Life eventually leads Sam back to her old dance school – but not as a dancer. An old rival, a long-time crush, and her former dance teacher guide Sam back to what she loves most, but ultimately, it’s her own emotions and fears that she must confront to reignite her deep passion for dance.

The Red Shoes: Next Step is directed by Jesse A'hern (produced The Legend of the Five) and Joanne Samuel (directed The Legend of the Five). The screenplay was written by Zachary Layner, the award-winning writer John Banas (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) and Peter McLeod (The Legend of the Five). Producers are Tanya Esposito (also Executive Producer) and Jesse A’hern; Kent Marcus is the Director of Photography, and Daniel Gaudiello is the Choreographer behind all the film’s extraordinary dance sequences.

Australia’s leading dancewear brand Energetiks is the film’s major sponsor, and supplied all dancewear, pointe shoes and flats worn by the dancers in the film, including the iconic ‘Red Shoes’ the film is named for.

Joel Burke, wearing Energetiks in The Red Shoes: Next Step

Maari Music (Sydney-based Dominic Cabusi and Bronte Maree O'Neill) created the electro-acoustic style score and soundtrack, with 11 songs featuring Australian vocalists of various genres.

Shot in and around Sydney’s west and inner west, The Red Shoes: Next Step is distributed in Australia by Screen Inc.

Screen Inc. founder and Managing Director, Dov Kornits said: “Some of my earliest memories are of seeing Australian family films. I am very excited to bring The Red Shoes: Next Step to cinemas during the school holidays so that the broadest audience possible can enjoy this beautiful film.”

Find cinemas screening The Red Shoes: Next Step, at https://screeninc.com.au/red-shoes/. The film is rated PG.

ABOUT THE CAST:

Juliet Doherty is an American-Australian actress and dancer, best known for her leading roles in High Strung: Free Dance and Driven to Dance. A two-time gold medallist of the Youth America Grand Prix International Finals, Juliet has been a featured artist at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Radio City Music Hall. The New Mexico native, whose father was born and raised in Queensland, was initially trained by her mother at Fishback Studio of the Dance and continued her classical training at the San Francisco Ballet School. She originated the role of ‘Ondine’ in Marie, directed by Susan Stroman, and appeared in the role of ‘Lise’ in the Tony award-winning musical An American in Paris. Additional accolades include prizes from the National Society of Arts & Letters, and the Beijing International Ballet Competition. At 15, Juliet became one of the youngest ever TEDx speakers. She spoke about empowering young artists and people alike to achieve their dreams through mindful practice. Juliet is an MDM brand ambassador and teaches worldwide for pre-professional academies, companies, and universities including Yale and Stanford. In 2021, she became an Australian citizen and now holds dual Australian and U.S. citizenship.
Lauren Esposito is a 25-year-old Australian actress based between Australia and Los Angeles. Best known for her breakout role as Margaret Hodgson in the supernatural horror blockbuster ‘The Conjuring 2’ (2016), Lauren made a big impression in the family / tween market with her supporting role opposite Disney star Peyton List in ‘Swimming For Gold’ (2020), and her lead role in ‘The Legend of the Five’ (2020).Starting her career in musical theatre at age 11, Lauren landed her first screen role playing the recurring character of Cynthia in Season 3 of the highly acclaimed Australian drama series ‘Love Child’, in 2016.
Lauren has also starred in several US cable network films including SYFY’s Arctic Apocalypse (2019), and Lifetime Movies’ American Psychos (2019). Born in Adelaide, Lauren moved to Melbourne when she was 14.
Joel Burke is a 23-year-old Australian actor, dancer, model, and promoter, from Brisbane. Joel grew up dancing, playing football and cricket and started ballet at the age of 12 to improve in other forms of dance. In 2017 he completed his ballet training with the Queensland Ballet Academy. He received the Queensland Ballet’s Francois Klaus and Robyn White Award, and the Royal Ballet Summer School’s Artistic Achievement Award for two consecutive years. In 2018, he was a semi-finalist at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland. In 2019, Joel won the Energetiks Model Talent Search. The prize included a modelling contract with Energetiks. In 2020 Joel co-founded B.I.G. – the Ballet International Gala - Australia’s largest ballet gala. In its first year B.I.G. sold over 14,000 tickets in cities all around Australia. The Courier Mail recently listed Joel as one of the 65 most influential people in the Queensland arts scene.

The Red Shoes: Next Step is proudly sponsored by Energetiks.

Screen Inc. is an Australia-based boutique film distribution company with 25+ years of experience in the film industry. We embrace our independence, working closely with our many partners—filmmakers and networks, both locally and overseas—to maximise interest in the content we represent, primarily in Australia and New Zealand, but also globally. We love film in all its different forms, and embrace the multifarious audience segments to enhance our content and increase our channels of distribution. www.screeninc.com.au