[LM_NET] Off Topic: Movie Mad Hot Ballroom

[Mary Ludwick <ludwick@SWBELL.NET>]

I saw the movie Mad Hot Ballroom yesterday.  If you can, do see the movie. 
It features school children of NYC who enter ballroom dancing competition. 
...My friend said it made her want to return to the classroom!  In Dallas, 
it is playing at the theater which shows "off the beaten path" movies.  Some 
reviews follow:

http://www.citypages.com/movies/detail.asp?MID=6923
Mad Hot Ballroom
Rated: PG , Released: 2005

See Also:   ğMovie Times

Every year, kids from 60 schools throughout New York City enter a ballroom 
dance competition. Yes, you heard right: Hundreds of fifth graders, led by 
teachers from American Ballroom Theater, learn how to fox-trot, merengue, 
tango, rhumba, and even swing, with considerable grace and panache. This 
documentary is a bit like Spellbound or Small Wonders, films in which kids 
from all walks of life experience important lessons and acquire new 
skills--while adults learn a thing or two as well. Director Marilyn Agrelo 
focuses on three teams representing diverse parts of the city: P.S. 115, 
hailing from the primarily Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights; 
P.S. 150 from Tribeca, just blocks from the World Trade Center site; and 
P.S. 112 of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, an area that used to be Italian, but is 
now Asian as well. At first, the kids are challenged by the idea of having 
to touch one another, but many embrace the spirit of the dance and urge each 
other on with a considerable will to win. Agrelo interviews many of the 
children and their teachers, providing a glimpse into the lives they lead 
outside the schools and their reasons for dancing. P.S. 115's Wilson is a 
quiet leader who displays an innate talent. Tara of P.S. 150 is 
Broadway-bound, while her classmate Emma displays a world-weary sensibility 
beyond her years. The foosball-playing Michael, Ronnie, and Donato from P.S. 
112 gain a few lessons about love through the experience--and have the time 
of their lives. We end up cheering for all the teams as they navigate the 
busy weeks of preparation and competition. At a time when school arts 
programs are suffering dramatic cuts, Mad Hot Ballroom provides a compelling 
argument for keeping them firmly in place. Not only do the children get to 
dance, but they also learn how to work together and appreciate one another 
in a way that no other classroom experience could possibly provide. 
(Caroline Palmer)

Other reviews:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mad_hot_ballroom/


Mary Ludwick, Librarian         K-5 Elementary
Owen Elementary, The Colony, Texas (near Dallas)
ludwickm@lisd.net  (school address)
ludwick@swbell.net (home address)

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