Dancing can save you.
Sara had a promising future ahead of her and was auditioning for Julliard's dance program when tragedy struck- Sara's mom died in a car crash forcing Sara to move in with her estranged father. The neighborhood is tougher and Sara finds herself in the minority of her mostly Black school. Trying to fit in, Sara joins a group of girls on a trip to a local club. Sara is confident in her dancing skills, but she quickly learns that her ballet training is no match for the hip hop culture that her classmates have grown up in. Quickly, one of the brothers of her new girl friend group decides to take her under his wing. Derek, the boy with big dreams to get him out of the slums, begins to teach Sara the basics of hip hop. The two become very close, and Sara tells him that all she wants is to get into Julliard, but she gave up dancing when her mom died feeling that her mother's accident was her fault. Wanting Sara to be happy, Derek offers to help her with her audition. Sara has to get back into shape for the stage, but while she and Derek become official lots of people start to voice their issues with the relationship. They claim Sara is privileged because of her skin tone and accuse her of stealing all the good guys. The relationship between Sara and Derek make many uncomfortable, and the social pressure of the hatred in school towards them makes Sara question her feelings for Derek too.
You know me and my dance films- gotta have em. I was impressed with some of the heavy topics tackled by this film. interracial couples have become more of a normal social practice in our culture now, but 15, 20 years ago they were still fighting to beat the social pressures that they were facing. I also really appreciated the mix of hip hop dancing with traditional ballet shown in Sara's audition piece. That being said, I think they could've showcased more of that style fusion and really amped up the dance side of this flick.
No comments:
Post a Comment