Mad Hot Ballroom
Review by Adam Weeks
Not at any point in my life have I seen Strictly Ballroom,
watched 'Dancing With The Stars' or hit the dance floor with
a purpose like Travolta.
Sure, I can do a mean version of “The Monkey,”
and upon request, I could probably bust out a bit of the “Bus
Stop,” but as far as a Merengue, Tango or Swing dance
goes, I would have no hope whatsoever.
With that in mind, it was with a near sense of detachment
that I walked into a theatre the other night to see the new
documentary about Public School children in New York learning
Ballroom dancing, Mad Hot Ballroom.
I’m so glad that I did see it though, because to put
it in its simplest terms, this movie is an extraordinary experience,
most assuredly deserving of an Academy Award, and of that
high level that only a few select Documentaries achieve.
Mad Hot Ballroom follows three New York area Public
Schools, 150, 115 and 112, as their fifth grade classes participate
in a mandatory 10 week (20 one hour sessions) Ballroom dancing
class, where they are each taught five dances ranging from
the Tango through to the Rumba, all culminating in the main
event, where one of 48 competing Schools are named the champions.
Each of the schools feature a mix of primarily Caucasian,
African-American, Dominican and Asian students, and at a stage
of their lives that can often be a determining one, I think
the lessons that they are being taught are more about society
than dancing.
Initially the children are embarrassed to look each other
directly in the eye, hold hands while they dance, or even
(shock!) confess that they might have a little “crush”
on some of the other students.
But as the film progresses, and the kids begin to appreciate
each other and themselves a little more every day, they begin
to have a different take on their lives, one of respect, of
achievement, and of moral values.
The kids that they’ve specifically focused on over the
course of the film are not only incredibly talented, but also
incredibly insightful.
One young boy in particular, Wilson Castillo, has only a
limited grasp of the English language when the dance program
starts, but his natural born talent for dancing captivates
everyone around him, and through his practice, he becomes
both more verbal, and adaptive to his new homeland.
The same can be said for so many of the kids during the film,
but to give away all of their stories and experiences would
do a disservice to seeing it for yourself.
Director Marilyn Agrelo, and DP Claudia Raschke-Robinson
follow them from their classes to their home life, and through
many frank conversations, you begin to understand just how
intelligent these young people are. Whether it’s from
their environment or some other factors is a mystery to me,
but I don’t remember being as smart as some of these
children when I was in grade five!
The comparisons to other Docs such as Spellbound are
obvious, but putting them side by side, I would place Mad
Hot Ballroom as a clear winner, simply for the fact that
I don’t think I’ve ever smiled or laughed so much
in a long time during a movie, and at the end, I was truly
disappointed that it had finished while I was still in the
process of having a great time (thankfully, the additional
moments during the credits helped ease the weaning).
Make no mistake though, Ballroom is not about showing
cute kids and pulling a veil of sweetness over your face for
an hour and a half, it is about the adults and their own beliefs
and aspirations just as much as the students, but on top of
everyone involved, watching over the proceedings is New York
City itself, which is shown in some of the best natural footage
that I’ve seen in a long time.
Outside of the characters and production itself, I can’t
possibly review this without speaking about the soundtrack,
which is one of the best I have ever heard, with a mix featuring
Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Glenn Miller and Ella
Fitzgerald among others, it’ll have your toes tapping
the whole way through, and I’ll bet that you’ll
be picking yourself up a copy of the soundtrack not too long
after you’ve seen it.
I can’t say enough about this truly wonderful film.
If you want to be entertained, laugh out loud, and maybe shed
a tear or two (not me of course *ahem*), you can’t
miss out on a beautiful story, one so exceptionally well told
like Mad Hot Ballroom.
5 out of 5
Mad Hot Ballroom
Australian release: Thursday the 29th of September, 2005
Cast: Alex Tchassov, Tara Devon Gallagher, Cyrus Hernstadt,
Michael Vaccaro, Yomaira Reynoso, Rodney Lopez, Wilson Castillo.
Director: Marilyn Agrelo.
Website: Click
here.
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