Mad Hot Ballroom

Artist: Original Soundtrack
Label: Rykodisc
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 014431082023
EAN: 0014431082023
ASIN: B0009W5JLE

Release Date: 2005-06-28

Mad Hot Ballroom

Related Categories:

Movie Soundtracks

| Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General

| Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Tracks:

C + C Music Factory Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
Peggy Lee Fever
Glenn Miller And His Orchestra In The Mood
Bobby Darin Its Only A Paper Moon
El Bonche Menea
Swingerhead Pick Up The Phone
Della Reese Youre Driving Me Crazy
Ella Fitzgerald Our Love Is Here To Stay
Pochy Familia Y Su Coco Band Ta Haciendo Frio
Tony Evans And His Orchestra Spanish Fire Tango
Eddy Herrera Tu Eres Ajen
The Dancing Strings Historia De Un Amor
Jet Set Six Hot Line
Boomish Gaseous Clay
Tina Fabrique Mad Hot Ballroom

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Amazon.com

Kids do the darnedest things. If they're not starring in a documentary about spelling bees, they're starring in a documentary about a school for rock & roll music--or maybe even one about a New York City public school program for ballroom dancing. Naturally, one would hold a soundtrack to a film about dancing to a slightly higher standard than most movie albums. Mad Hot Ballroom is probably not a future classic à la Dirty Dancing or even Flashdance, but it still does a producer proud. This is the music grandparents wish their grandkids would listen to: Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Glenn Miller--the oldies and goodies are in the house. The CD also kicks it Latin-style with a few spicy Merengue (Tango and Rumba, too) numbers. It's feel-good music that gets the documentary-going crowd up out of their theater seats and into dance class. After all, if 11-year olds can do it... --Leah Weathersby

Album Description

The ultimate source of music for learning dance steps featured in the film! You too can salsa, tango, merengue, foxtrot, swing, rumba, and line dance to the Mad Hot Ballroom Soundtrack.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Music.......2007-04-10

The selections on this CD are great. It provides you with a mixture of great music. You can play the entire CD and have yourself a party. Swing, rumba, merengue, tango, foxtrot its all there. Enjoy

Love to dance.......2007-02-27

My son is a teacher in a disadvantaged school. This movie gave me hope that there are ways to inspire and motivate students. We just have to find the right buttons to push.
I have always loved to dance and believe dance can bestow joy and happiness. I could see it on the faces of these children that they felt good about their achievement. Although not all of them could achieve the top prize, the reward of learning to dance was apparent.

One to add to your DVD home collection.......2007-01-13

Mad Hot Ballroom is an excellent documentary about the Dancing Classrooms program in New York City's public schools. The filmmakers follow participating 5th grade classes from schools in three different areas of the city: the underprivileged Dominican kids in Washington Heights, the privileged kids in the upper-middle class Tribeca area, and the Asian and Italian kids in Brooklyn's Bensonhurst. These youngsters learn the merengue, the rhumba, the tango, swing, and the fox trot, and selected students get to compete at the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. The grand prize is a huge trophy, which will adorn the grounds of one lucky school until next year's winner takes the top honor.

The film explores such themes as how culture and socio-economic status affect the way each group of kids takes to learning these sophisticated dances, as well as the dynamics of competition.

At PS 115 in Washington Heights, these kids have next to nothing, and in this neighborhood a success story is basically a kid who doesn't end up selling drugs on the street. Yet their Dominican roots and their circumstances play in their favor as they learn these five dances--a few of them becoming quite proficient.

At PS 112 in the Bensonhurst area of Brooklyn, the middle-class kids in the class learn the dances, laughing all the while, finding humor in everything--in learning the steps, in competing, in whatever outcome their performances place them.

At PS 150, the students and their yuppie teachers in upscale Tribeca shy away from the competition aspect of the Dancing Classrooms program. "Everyone's a winner" here, and students are discouraged from getting too competitive in their attitudes.

How do these various attitudes impact each group of kids' performances in the competition? Buy the DVD and see for yourself. The results are quite interesting.

The Russian dance instructor Alex, who comes to PS 150 to teach the students in Tribeca, teaches the kids to look directly into each other's eyes while dancing. Then he quizzes the boys: "Tell me, what color are her eyes?" The teacher Rodney Lopez does the same when teaching the students at PS 115. In a culture where music and films encourage over-sexed youth to look at every other body part except the face, this act of connection and mutual respect and trust is incredibly refreshing.

The film is not without its errors. There are editing problems here and there. For example, there is some sloppy cutting in sections of film where you hear in voice over the dance teacher at PS 115 but are watching footage of students at PS 150. That can be very confusing for the first-time viewer. Other mistakes are frustrating as well. One promising student at Washington Heights, Wilson Castillo, says to his friend Dani that there is a girl in his class whom he likes--the one with the long hair named Melissa Rodriguez--but the directors never show us among the sea of children in the class which one she is. It's a rule of thumb that, for continuity, whenever you reference or introduce a character, you must always complete that reference for the viewing audience.

But Mad Hot Ballroom is well done overall, and has plenty of heart. The passion the Dancing Classrooms instructors--as well as the teachers at the three schools in this film--is inspiring, as you see their passion for dance instilled in the hearts, minds, and bodies of the young and impressionable.

Note to the film's makers Amy Sewell and Marilyn Agrelo: It would be interesting to see in, say, seven or eight years, where the students and teachers are and what direction their lives took.

One special treat: Take note of the song played during the closing credits after the film. Some real thought and cleverness went into this piece of original music; the lyrics contained random one-liners from students and dance instructors throughout the movie: "Upstairs they're sleeping; downstairs the party's going on." "I like to move my hips a lot." "Gentlemen, tuck your shirt in your pants." The lyrics contain references to "sloppy chicken wings" and looking into your partner's eyes and being able to discern what color they are. The filmmakers could have stuck any old song in here for the closing credits, and instead made it personal and specific to the movie. This was a nice touch.

Not a perfect movie, but a gem nonetheless. I highly recommend.

The Best CD Ever!.......2006-11-06

I think the soundtrack is awsome! my favorite song is El Bonche Menea because I get 2 do all of my favorite latin dances on that song! I also liked the movie mad hot ballroom. I am an indigo fan,so if your not then don't read the rest of this message.I like Scarlyn,Karina,Jatnna,Elsamelys,and my baby Joshua Duran(HE IS SOOO FINE!)you should get the movie! in stores now. BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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