Take the Lead
Now that Dancing with the Stars is over I need to get my vicarious dancing fix elsewhere. I just saw a movie that reminded me again how cool it would be if I could tango. How come all they ever taught at my school was square dancing (the state dance of Illinois, I kid you not) and line dancing?
Last night I enjoyed a sneak preview of Take the Lead starring Antonio Banderas as Pierre Dulaine, a ballroom dance instructor who wants to reach out to inner city kids with dance. Although it's based on a true story the film is solid, fun, and depicts the hardships of both teachers and students realistically, without trying too hard to be gritty.
The core of this movie is the consistent character of Pierre. A genuinely charismatic man, he has set ideas about life and dance and does not waver from them. He knows the value of what he teaches and is willing to take the effort to learn when his experience falls short. When the parent teacher committee (led by a truly repugnant teacher played by John Ortiz) questions the merit of dance lessons he doesn't just tell them that dance teaches respect, trust, and self-esteem, he makes them see it while doing a practical demonstration with the school principal.
Of course, the kids end up showing Pierre a thing or two about their style of dance, but thankfully he leaves all the street dancing to them and just listens when they show him tracks with the same beat can be mixed together.
The highlight of this movie was the cast of relative newcomers and their dancing. The kids were smart and funny and my favorites were Big Girl (played by Shawand Mckenzie) and jokester Eddie (played by Marcus T. Paulk). Probably the best dance (besides the one previewed in the trailer) is a three way tango the top dancers end up doing in competition. Not everyone becomes a great ballroom dancer, but they all try with varying degrees of success.
What I liked most about this film is that it was not overly dramatic. The kids have a lifelike dynamic that involves friendships, crushes, hatred, and awkwardness. There is no burning sexual tension thrown in to grab attention, emotions are played out on the dance floor instead of in the bedroom.
Some of these kids have serious problems, but instead of trumping them up with melodramatic music the movie approaches them with a sort of quiet realism. We see glimpses of troubled home life and how each individual deals with it.
Dancing doesn't solve any of their problems, but it gives them a positive way to learn about themselves and interact with others.