By Frank H. Woodward
May 13, 2005, 5:29 GMT
Traditionally, dance is considered a celebration of life. MAD HOT BALLROOM lives up to this tradition with a great sense of warmth. Not only does this documentary inspire you to trip the light fantastic, it also reinstates faith in the children as our future.
About 10 years ago, New York public schools teamed with the American Ballroom Theater. Since then over 60 public schools have introduced a successful series of dancing classrooms to their 4th and 5th graders. In the space of 10 weeks, kids are taught how to merengue, foxtrot, rumba, tango and swing dance. What these classes really do, though, is enrich the hopes and dreams of their students.
Filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo and writer Amy Sewell introduce us to three of these schools: P.S. 112 Tribeca, P.S. 150 Bensonhurst and P.S. 115 Washington Heights. These students are the stars of MAD HOT BALLROOM and not just because the kids can dance. Through them we get to experience the journey of growing up all over again. The joys. The pains. The embarrassments. We titter as boys and girls are thrown together in this intimate activity. Most are just becoming aware of the opposite sex and how to approach them. The pained looks on the boys' faces when they have to not only touch, but also look into a girl's eyes is a gut busting delight.
Not that these public school students are mere babes in the city. Some exhibit keen insight for 10 and 11 year olds (in P.S. 112's Tara Devon Gallagher and Cyrus Hernstadt you can clearly see the intrepid grown ups they are destined to become). They are more than wise to the world around them and the pitfalls it may hold. They talk frankly amongst themselves about kidnapping, drug dealing and poverty (97 percent of P.S. 115's students hover around the poverty line). Others philosophise about marriage and having babies as if it were an inevitable fate (here I must shout out to P.S. 150's Michael Vaccaro -- stick around through the end credits for his most precious rambling on the subject). Their observations make you laugh out loud because they are outlandishly true.
Seeing these children rise above their boroughs is MAD HOT BALLROOM's strength. Their empowered dreams ultimately lead to system wide competitions. Along the way, we are treated to a lot of amateur dancing (especially if you use the classic definition of "amateur" which means 'someone who acts out of love', as in the case of P.S. 115's Wilson Castillo and Jatnna Toribio. These two instinctively know how meringue!). Only one school will make it, but the kids of MAD HOT BALLROOM are all winners.
The film does lose a few points on technical merit, however. Though Agrelo wisely focuses on the highs of ballroom dancing, we get precious few glimpses of the kids that didn't take to the program. At age 10 it's hard for boys and girls to interact. When forced to do so it's even more intimidating and sometimes alienating. As charming as the kids who blossom are, I would have liked to learn more about the ones who dropped out and why. We do get a glimpse of one boy from P.S. 115 struggling with his place in the class. There's even a hint of his sexual identity being threatened when he calls another boy "gay" for getting so involved in dancing. These moments are nothing more than footnotes, however.The parents are also missed, even when they're on screen. Children are shaped by their home life and the opinions of mothers and fathers. What did they think of their sons and daughters swivelling their hips? A parent's view on the whole enterprise could have added perspective to their children's ambitions (or lack thereof). Instead, the parents of MAD HOT BALLROOM are no more than silent, fleeting figures in the crowd.
Their proxies are the teachers, most notably Yomaira Reynoso, P.S. 115's hard driven dance instructor with the sports' mom need to win (look for the interview where she does all but drool for the winning trophy she came so close to winning the year before). It's no surprise that these adults are supportive and committed. The film is essentially a testament to the program. This doesn't make the the teachers any less charming, though. In fact, they are as memorable as their students.
Parental absence becomes less problematic once you realize that these children have become your children for 110 minutes. You thrive on their discoveries and their triumphs. Even if the outcome doesn't always involve a trophy, MAD HOT BALLROOM makes you proud.
You can read more about the movie and view some stills in our database .
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