Mad Hot Ballroom

Mad Hot Ballroom is a documentary film about a nonprofit organization (American Ballroom Theatre’s Dancing Classrooms) that teaches children to dance. For 10-weeks, children in grade 5 at 60 different New York City public schools, learn various dances (tango, meringue, rumba, foxtrot and swing). Six couples from each school are chosen to complete in the competition. Over the course of the movie we follow three schools in particular, as they try to make it through quarterfinals, semifinals and the finals. The story is told from the students perspective (interestingly enough, the camera guy actually held the camera to his stomach to keep it at the children’s faces.) They are transformed from children who were hesitant to dance and boys who couldn’t make eye contact with the girls, to “little ladies and gentlemen” (as one teacher put it.) This movie shows the diversity in New York City schools, and demonstrates how much a 10 week program can make a difference to inner city children.

One teacher talked about how it was good for the children, who don’t normally have an opportunity to dance, (because the children in the movie were almost all of minority races and lived in low income families) now have an equal opportunity to learn. It can be a life long lesson that teaches them how to respect others, how to believe in themselves and how to learn something totally new. I think this points to the kingdom because these children can learn something they would not normally be given the opportunity to learn. This also is a good demonstration of how the idea of two people (Pierre Dulaine & Yvonne Marceau) can snowball into a great organization that reaches thousands of kids. It teaches these urban kids life long lessons in respect, it gives the children social skills and confidence. It reaches these vulnerable kids a young ages, and teaches them lessons that have the ability to change their life. But more than that it reaches out and draws the community in too. The competition is a great way for the parents and community to support these kids, and make the kids feel good. So I think this movie and this organization are examples of how people can cry out for the kingdom because it is showing how two people reached out “for the least of these,” and have given hope to communities, children and schools by just a simple 10-week program in dancing.