Review of Dance of the Dragon (2008) by Dawn T — 12 May 2008

With a title like that, I had expected the movie to have either loads of dancing, or lots about the mythical creature. Unfortunately, there were only snippets of dancing, and perhaps a twitch of the dragon's whisker? At best, the production can be said to be a contemplative take on the trials and tribulations of being a dancer. There's the stereotypical patriarch who eschews education and conventional hardwork and views dancing as nothing more than a frivolous hobby; the zealous brawny, insensitive and fiercely protective but clueless husband; the dancers who dreams of basking in the magic of performing, with music coursing through their veins... Poor untrained but aspiring lad arrives wide-eyed in some old(literally) forgotten corner of Singapore, earns entry into a dancing academy, works hard... dances with his teacher, our very own Fann Wong!! who looked so pale and frail we worry she might break in 2 if she bent any further...

The dramatic soundtrack that's omnipresent makes good company, rousing and ebbing along with the story...Pity the scenes were a tad abrupt.