The phrase "a provocative start" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an introduction or beginning that is intended to stimulate thought, discussion, or controversy.
Example: "The speaker's presentation began with a provocative start that immediately captured the audience's attention."
Alternatives: "a stimulating beginning" or "an intriguing opening".
"Nothing to Lose" (1997) gets a provocative start when an affluent businessman played by Tim Robbins is carjacked by the seemingly ruthless Martin Lawrence.
Running through April 22nd, Fantasy Playground is a provocative start to Club Pro Los Angeles' upcoming slate, which includes a group show organized by MOCA's Santi Vernetti, solo projects from Kenneth Curwood and Gracie Devito, and a presentation of Viennese artists by the Austrian artspace, Mauve.
Its new artistic director, the former dancer Mikko Nissinen, is getting off to a provocative formal start with "Morris, Forsythe, and a World Premiere".
LaChapelle's images were more overtly sexual than Leibowitz's is, but everything about Britney was deliberately provocative, starting with the naughty schoolgirl outfit she wore in the video for her hit debut, Baby One More Time.
A provocative story to be sure.
Nearly 2 decades later, the promise of bringing dinosaurs back to life is still remote, but it's a provocative way of starting a discussion on the ethics of resurrecting extinct organisms--such as mammoths.
He's trying to start a provocative conversation and -- as someone who's a student of politics -- I respect that.
I expect her to explain in response that it is simply a slogan, a provocative way to jump-start the debate.
[C7.] Buying Furniture for the Fun of It Ikea, trying to fight off competitors in the furniture market, is starting a provocative ad campaign to encourage consumers to junk their household furnishings more frequently.
Stanley provides Sullivan with other examples of times she used this "start with a provocative idea and then slowly destroy it" technique.
Shortly after Judge Jon C. Blue of State Superior Court took the bench, Jeremiah Donovan, the chief defense lawyer, started on a provocative note, mentioning that many people in the "Petit posse" in the first rows were wearing pins for a Petit family foundation that honors the victims.
