Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Marilyn Agrelo

Writer:

Amy Sewell (writer)

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Family | Music

Tagline:

Anyone can make it if they know how to shake it.

Plot:

The students of several New York City elementary schools learn ballroom dancing and compete in a city wide dance competition.

Plot Keywords:

New York City | School | Ballroom Dancing | Dance | Tango

Awards:

8 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Heather Berman	...	Herself
Emma Therese Biegacki	...	Herself
Paul Daggett	...	Himself
Graciela Daniele	...	Herself - Judge
Pierre Dulaine	...	Himself - Organizer and MC of the Final Dance Competition
Tara Devon Gallagher	...	Herself
Madeleine Hackney	...	Herself
Charlotte Jorgensen	...	Final Competition Judge
Rodney Lopez	...	Himself
Victoria Malvagno	...	Herself
Stacee Mandeville	...	Herself
Daniel Ponickly	...	Himself
Ann Reinking	...	Herself
Yomaira Reynoso	...	Herself
Allison Sheniak	...	Herself
Solomon Singer	...	Himself
Alex Tchassov	...	Himself
Jatnna Toribio	...	Dancer
Vanessa Villalobos	...	Herself
Cyrus Hernstadt	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Marilyn Agrelo

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Amy Sewell		writer

Produced by
Marilyn Agrelo	....	producer
Brian David Cange	....	line producer
Amy Sewell	....	producer
W. Wilder Knight II	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Joseph Baker
Steven Lutvak

Cinematography by
Claudia Raschke

Film Editing by
Sabine Krayenbühl

Production Management
Stuart Macphee	....	post-production supervisor

Sound Department
David Corcoran	....	sound recordist
Tammy Douglas	....	sound
Daniel Johnson	....	sound mixer
Greg Smith	....	sound editor
Tony Volante	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Barocci	....	additional cinematographer
Wolfgang Held	....	additional cinematographer
Douglas W. Shannon	....	additional photographer

Editorial Department
Haven Cousins	....	lead colorist
Jim Finn	....	negative supervisor
Richard Haylock	....	on-line editor
Robert Luttrell	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Matt Woo	....	on-line editor
Corey Lincoln	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Mark Reynolds	....	music supervisor
Ralph Sall	....	soundtrack album producer

Other crew
Winston Emano	....	publicist
David Magdael	....	publicist
Robert Stein	....	legal counsel
Anne Stulz	....	publicist
Steven Wallace	....	publicist

Production Companies

• Just One Productions

Distributors

• Cinetic Media (2005) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Monopole-Pathé (2005-2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Nickelodeon Movies (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Nickelodeon Network (2005) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Classics (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Park Junior (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Bulletproof Recording Company  soundtrack
• Film Emporium  insurance

MPAA:

Rated PG for some thematic elements.

Runtime:

USA:105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

UK:U | Ireland:PG | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | France:U | Brazil:Livre | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Just One Productions

Trivia:

The three schools that the film follows are: PS 150 from the affluent Tribeca area; PS 112 from the primarily Italian and Asian area of Bensonhurst; and PS 115 from Washington Heights, a Dominican neighborhood where over 97% of the residents live below the poverty line.

Quotes:

White chubby kid: My religion does not allow me to dance, and Mouhamed's does not allow him to dance either, so we have really enjoyed being DJs.
Mouhamed: Everybody has been very nice to me, although... I am... from another...
[hesitates]
Mouhamed: country.

Movie Connections:

Version of Take the Lead (2006)

Soundtrack:

FEVER

Truly Moving Picture

I am one of the judges for the Heartland Film Festival that screens films for their Truly Moving Picture Award. A Truly Moving Picture "...explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life." Heartland gave that award to this film.

This is a documentary that plays out like a story. Three fifth grade classes of different schools in diverse NYC learn ballroom dancing in order to compete in a citywide dance contest in downtown Manhatten. You watch the kids evolve from clumsy to close-to-graceful and from hesitant to confident.

The best part was that the kids ignored the camera. They didn't play to the camera at all. And ten year old kids are beautiful as they bounce back-and-forth from juvenile to young adult and back to juvenile in a matter of seconds.

The camera work and directing are interesting because you don't notice them. You feel you are the observer and not the camera. The movie simply looks honest and truthful.

FYI - There is a Truly Moving Picture web site where there is a listing of past winners going back 70 years.