It has been years since I\’ve seen it on TV – I\’m not sure it has been anywhere other than the cable movie channels – but the great documentary, “Mad Hot Ballroom” is currently airing on The Movie Channel – with several showings scheduled for next week.
“Mad Hot Ballroom” chronicles a ballroom dancing competition held among elementary school children in New York City\’s public schools. It goes from selecting the dancers, through practices, competitions and, ultimately, the final competition.
I know this sounds like very improbable subject matter; maybe just a bunch of kids goofing around while trying to do gavottes and fox trots. But it isn\’t. Not even close. In fact, you can make a case that, the competition is a “McGuffin”*, and this movie is not about dancing at all.
In “Mad Hot Ballroom”, Marilyn Agrelo (Director) and Amy Sewell (writer/
It is exhilarating. Exasperating. Inspiring. Gut-wrenching.
And, since the movie was released in 2005, it leaves us wondering how some of these children have fared 9 years later – how many had their lives permanently changed and how many reverted back to the streets, as one of the teachers involved with the program tearfully worried about. (Note to Ms. Agrelo and Ms. Sewell: there must be a second documentary in there somewhere.)
The next time “Mad Hot Ballroom” airs on TMC is Monday, 5:00AM, and again at 8:00AM. The actual channels, of course, vary depending on which cable system you have.
I strongly urge you to tape, disc or DVR this movie and watch it. You won\’t be sorry.
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*A McGuffin is a plot device that, in and itself, has no importance to the story, but enables all the plots and sub-plots to occur. The Maltese Falcon is a good example: no one cared about the Maltese Falcon itself, but the movie was built around the quest for it.
