Julia's boogie night 

Stiles gets down at Save the last dance premiere.

Julia Stiles twirled her way into the Coronet cinema in Notting Hill last night (20 March) at the premiere for her new drama Save The Last Dance. Arriving to a hugely warm reception, Hollywood's most sophisticated teen star braved the torrential British weather to greet fans and well-wishers as they waited in the rain.

"I've been dancing since I was little," Stiles told Empire Online, "I've taken classes in modern dance and ballet, when I was a kid but the film was still pretty intimidating. I was very eager to be as good as possible because I didn't want them to have to use a double." Save The Last Dance sees Stiles star as an ex-ballet dancer who rediscovers the joy of dancing through hip-hop after moving to a predominantly black high school in Chicago. Accompanying her at the premiere were co-stars Sean Patrick Thomas, who plays her love interest and dance coach, and rapper Fredro Starr.

Asked to demonstrate some moves, Stiles did her best to recreate the 80s dance scene by showing off some robotics, while Thomas performed his own interpretation of the Electric Boogaloo. The films' stars were also joined by a selection of musical talent, including The Honeyz, Damage, Precious and H from Steps.

After the screening, guests were invited to strut their stuff as festivities moved on to Subterrranea nightclub in Ladbroke Grove. Sadly though, while the film's fancy footwork set the screen on fire, guests' attempts to recreate the moves in real life left something to be desired.

Originally published at Empire Online - Posted on March 21, 2001