yesteach
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Mad Hot Ballroom
« on: Jun 23rd, 2005, 8:30pm » |
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Thought with the current addiction some of us have to Dancing With the Stars - this might be a fun movie! My daughter is the one who brought it to my attention. Ebert and Roeper gave it two thumbs up...
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MOVIE REVIEW: 'Mad Hot Ballroom'
Dance Fever: The inspiring documentary 'Mad Hot Ballroom' will have you on your feet
Those searching for the perfect feel-good summer movie will go mad for "Mad Hot Ballroom."
An inspiring, illuminating and just plain delightful documentary set in the gritty wonderland of New York City, it focuses on an unlikely but irresistible cast of characters: fifth-graders learning to tango, foxtrot and merengue.
Students at more than 60 New York City public schools participate in Dancing Classrooms, sponsored by American Ballroom Theater, which provides semester-long dance classes culminating in a citywide competition dubbed "Colors of the Rainbow."
The title refers to the colors by which judges identify the different dancing teams. Yet it's also an apt description of "Mad Hot Ballroom's" culturally diverse cast of characters (and I do mean characters), all of whom learn that they share far more than dance steps while training for the big competition.
While the climactic contest boasts the kind of taut-wire tension many Hollywood movies only aspire to, the heart of "Mad Hot Ballroom" lies far from the heat of competition.
It's in the kids themselves, who represent three schools -- and three distinct worlds, from downtown Manhattan's trendy Tribeca to Washington Heights, located far uptown and populated primarily by Dominican immigrants, almost all of whom live at or below poverty level. Across the Brooklyn Bridge, an Asian influx is changing the face of Bensonhurst, a traditional Italian neighborhood.
Watching these little "ladies and gentlemen," as their dance teachers call them, adjust to the prospect of actual physical contact with -- ick! -- a member of the opposite gender offers gentle comedy of the truest kind.
Like its central characters, however, "Mad Hot Ballroom" has a lot more on its mind than mere hilarity.
Director Marilyn Agrelo (making her feature debut) and her producing partner, writer Amy Sewell, not only provide crucial context for the kids but give them ample opportunity to reflect on how their dance-floor experiences relate to, and influence, their views of the wider world.
"Mad Hot Ballroom's" young dancers reflect on life-or-death topics from classroom crushes to future dreams and aspirations. Some, like motor-mouth Michael, philosophize while playing foosball in a rec room all their own; others romp through the fountains in a neighborhood park, oblivious to the dope dealers hovering nearby. Some, like know-it-all Emma, have been New Yorkers all their lives; others, like big-eyed little Wilson, still can't speak English. But can he ever dance.
Each emerges as an individual -- as do their teachers, from tender-hearted Allison Sheniak, who's even more apt to get choked up than her students, to tough-love Yomaira Reynoso, who's determined to bring the championship trophy to Washington Heights. The dance teachers also show off their own distinct styles, whether it's suave hipster Rodney Lopez encouraging the boys to tuck in their shirts or bubbly Victoria Malvagno, likening the hip-swiveling merengue to a hotel where everybody's asleep on the top floor (above the waist), "while the party goes on below."
Ably assisted by award-winning cinematographer Claudia Raschke-Robinson and editor Sabine Krayenbuehl (both of whom worked on the Oscar-nominated documentary "My Architect: A Son's Journey"), director Agrelo maintains an intimate yet clear-eyed perspective. "Mad Hot Ballroom" acknowledges the challenges facing its endearing central characters, but never loses sight of the even more powerful magic of childhood -- or the equally beguiling magic of dance.
It's the kind of movie you watch with a smile spread across your face and your foot tapping the floor to the infectious beat of the music. And, after watching "Mad Hot Ballroom," you'll be tempted to stand up and cheer. Or, better yet, to hit the nearest dance floor.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Jun-17-Fri-2005/weekly/21129 59.html
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