Mad about Mad Hot Ballroom
In my lifetime, I have cried exactly three times during movies.
The first time was when Gertie's pot of dead flowers bloomed again in E.T. The second time is too embarrassing to mention.
The third time was when the Indigo team from Washington Heights won the New York City Ballroom Dance Competition in Mad Hot Ballroom.
Briefly, Mad Hot Ballroom (http://www.paramountclassics.com/madhot/) follows three groups of fifth-graders from the Dominican-dominated Washington Heights area at the northern tip of Manhattan (aka my own 'hood and proud of it!), affluent Tribeca just steps from Ground Zero, and residential Bensonherst, Brooklyn as they take part in ballroom dancing lessons.
Ok, you're thinking why would I want to sit through a two-hour documentary about eleven-year-olds and ballroom dancing?
Because the movie is not about dancing. It is about life.
Watching these kids as they begin their year-long journey, you giggle at their fabulous awkwardness as they try to learn steps, must (gasp) make contact with the opposite sex as they are paired up and told to "study each other's eyes", and you downright cackle with glee as one self-proclaimed aspiring Broadway star practices devoutly in front of the mirror at home and another girl starts moving her hips in ways that make you hope her mama is strict. You are not laughing at them, you are laughing because you've been there, you are laughing because, at eleven years old, these kids are the perfect balance of wisdom and naivete.
Although the focus is preparing for and getting to the ballroom dancing competition, there are illuminating glimpses into the kids' home lives, their friendships away from the classroom, and wonderful examples of how their new-found skills have helped turn all of them into "little ladies and gentlemen." My favorite such story is about one of the best dancers, Michelle, who was an out-of-control problem child whose visit to the principal's office was routine. "Ever since she's been in the program," the principal states, "I haven't seen her once."
Mad Hot Ballroom is about bridging gaps, the healing power of art, having respect for other cultures, having respect for oneself, being a good looser, and more importantly, being a good winner.
Bonus:
If you like Mad Hot Ballroom, you'll love Strictly Ballroom (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105488/).
The first time was when Gertie's pot of dead flowers bloomed again in E.T. The second time is too embarrassing to mention.
The third time was when the Indigo team from Washington Heights won the New York City Ballroom Dance Competition in Mad Hot Ballroom.
Briefly, Mad Hot Ballroom (http://www.paramountclassics.com/madhot/) follows three groups of fifth-graders from the Dominican-dominated Washington Heights area at the northern tip of Manhattan (aka my own 'hood and proud of it!), affluent Tribeca just steps from Ground Zero, and residential Bensonherst, Brooklyn as they take part in ballroom dancing lessons.
Ok, you're thinking why would I want to sit through a two-hour documentary about eleven-year-olds and ballroom dancing?
Because the movie is not about dancing. It is about life.
Watching these kids as they begin their year-long journey, you giggle at their fabulous awkwardness as they try to learn steps, must (gasp) make contact with the opposite sex as they are paired up and told to "study each other's eyes", and you downright cackle with glee as one self-proclaimed aspiring Broadway star practices devoutly in front of the mirror at home and another girl starts moving her hips in ways that make you hope her mama is strict. You are not laughing at them, you are laughing because you've been there, you are laughing because, at eleven years old, these kids are the perfect balance of wisdom and naivete.
Although the focus is preparing for and getting to the ballroom dancing competition, there are illuminating glimpses into the kids' home lives, their friendships away from the classroom, and wonderful examples of how their new-found skills have helped turn all of them into "little ladies and gentlemen." My favorite such story is about one of the best dancers, Michelle, who was an out-of-control problem child whose visit to the principal's office was routine. "Ever since she's been in the program," the principal states, "I haven't seen her once."
Mad Hot Ballroom is about bridging gaps, the healing power of art, having respect for other cultures, having respect for oneself, being a good looser, and more importantly, being a good winner.
Bonus:
If you like Mad Hot Ballroom, you'll love Strictly Ballroom (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105488/).
posted by Aimee | 11:07 AM
4 Comments:
I'm going to see this movie because I love Strictly Ballroom. :) Seems like you're off to a great start with your blog. I'm going to do the writing exercise as soon as I get over this ridiculous cold I caught the minute I got home from residency.
Great work!
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