Review of Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) by Christine L — 09 Mar 2011

For everyone who enjoys ballroom, has a kid or once was a kid, I suggest watching this. More than the competition or how the kids develop, what struck me in this movie is how much pressure adults put on kids!! It's a massacre at some point! They're strong as hell to be able to live through it and make something of it, but then we see the effects in adulthood. Yes, competition is important, but some teachers just put waaaay too much expectation on the kids.

That aside, it's a beautiful report on the dance program, with statements from the kids and teachers about how it affects their lives, how their interactions with other kids have changed. However, I still believe an 11 y.o. is too young to start with ballroom. There's too many implicit gestures and looks and moves that just doesn't fit children's bodies. What's the ideal age? Don't know. Maybe we should just monitor it really well and make the best we can, for the children's sakes.