Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)
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84% of critics liked it
(116 reviews) -
80% of users liked it
(8,103 ratings)
Every year, the New York Public School system sponsors a dance competition for youngsters in fifth grade; in this contest, boys and girls ages 10 and 11 learn traditional ballroom dancing styles such as the fox trot, the rumba, and the tango, and then pit their skills against other students from… More Every year, the New York Public School system sponsors a dance competition for youngsters in fifth grade; in this contest, boys and girls ages 10 and 11 learn traditional ballroom dancing styles such as the fox trot, the rumba, and the tango, and then pit their skills against other students from around the Big Apple. Mad Hot Ballroom is a documentary which offers an inside look at this event, as well as the teachers and students who take part, with a particular emphasis on three schools: P.S. 112, in a Bensonhurst neighborhood dominated by Italian and Asian families; P.S. 150, located in the wealthy and fashionable Tribeca district; and P.S. 115, a Washington Heights school where the vast majority of families live below the poverty line. Filmmaker Marilyn Agrelo follows the young dancers as they gain confidence and skill and grow into "little ladies and gentlemen," as one teacher puts it, while also examining how cultural differences impact the competition for some students and how the boys and girls feel about the opposite sex as they begin to make friends with one another. Mad Hot Ballroom received a wildly enthusiastic world premiere at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- PG, 1 hr. 50 min.
- Directed By
- Marilyn Agrelo
- Written By
- Amy Sewell
- Genres
- Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest
- In Theaters
- May 20, 2005 Limited
- On DVD
- Oct 18, 2005
- Studio
- Paramount Classics
Critic Reviews
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Listening to the kids talk is a treat in itself, but watching them strut their stuff in the final competition is enough to make you stand up and cheer.
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Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
It's kind of like the dance version of that documentary Rock School.
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Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
The kids are adorable, and so is the movie.
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Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clearly, the dance lessons are life lessons as well, nurturing self-confidence, team spirit, the joy of dancing and even a slight touch of Old World etiquette in an otherwise too-busy- to-be-courteous world.
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Tom Long, Detroit News
The film's unintentional revelation may be that the competition isn't near as important as the education. The trophy is only a faint shadow of what has been accomplished.
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