[TANGO-L] Mad Hot Ballroom

[Michael <tangomaniac @CAVTEL.NET>]

Last week, I saw the movie "Mad Hot Ballroom." It DOESN'T deal with Argentine Tango. It deals with learning how to dance. New York City has a program where 5th and 6th graders are taught ballroom for 10 weeks. Schools can enter a competition that leads to the finals where the team with the most points wins the Challenge Cup. The competition dances are foxtrot, swing, rumba, American tango, and cha cha. Each school sends six couples; one per dance plus an alternate couple on stand by to fill in for any couple that can't dance.

The children go through exactly the same frustrations adults go through learning how to dance. That's what makes the movie so endearing. Teachers talk about their students maturing. One principal says that one student who regularly visits her office because of disciplinary problems, hasn't come once since she started taking classes.

Three schools are examined. Forgetting the high school numbers (PS xx), the schools are Washington Heights (Manhattan, near 181st Street) Bensonhurst (somewhere in Brooklyn), and Tribeca (Manhattan lower west side).

The boys talk about the girls and the girls talk about the boys; their preferences who they like to dance.

I encourage you to see the movie. You just might see future tango dancers.

Michael Ditkoff
Washington, DC
About 6 weeks to NY Tango Festival (www.celebratetango.com)

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