Dance to Win

My review was written in August 1991, after watching the movie on Cinemax in Boca Raton, Florida.

This okay youth-oriented musical was made by the same team that did "Dance Academy" with Julie Newmar. MGM pickup was briefly released in Philadelphia in late 1989.

Notable for choreography by Paula Abdul, "Dance to Win" is one of a half-dozen low-budgeters MGM acquired to fill its slate when the studio was stalled between owners in 1989.

Familiar format has warring dance groups competing for a $100,000 prize for their Los Angeles dance school. Good guys are nominally the street gang led by Carlos Gomez, who have been court-ordered to paint the facade of mean Adrian Paul's dance academy after being caught applying graffiti. Their in-fighting and romantic travails involving pretty dancers like Christina Aaack are as corny as the pic's anti-drug message.

Dance numbers shine, however, including a music video starring singer Sally Stewart.

Gomez, Haack and Stewart all bear potential, and Daniel Quinn effectively provides comic relief . Film is squeaky clean but earned an R rating for an outburst of foul language in the final reel.

This epically bad cliched ridden film answers that age old question: What do you get when you do Romeo & Juliet with the two groups as a street gang and a dance academy???

Besides that, and the chance to see future HIGHLANDER star Adrian Paul bust a move, the one thing that truly makes this movie epically bad is the "fight" scene that comes about half way through. The street gang (who are supposed to be the heroes of the film btw) decide the have a throw down with their rivals, an Asian street gang full of offensive stereotypes. The two groups meet and if you thought this would turn into a full on brawl, well then FOOLED YOU!

Instead the "fight" turns into a dance off with both groups showing off the best moves Paula Abdul could get them to do. But then one random white guy in the Asian gang breaks ranks and starts actually fighting with real marital arts moves! The whole thing then descends into glorious chaos as the groups break into one on one dance offs and an Asian girl whips out a pair of nunchukes to fight a guy doing Capoeria! Ah but when all hope seems lost for our street gang heroes, they are rescued by........THE ZOOT SUIT SQUAD! Seriously a third group comes in and start dancing in Zoot Suits. complete with wide brim hats! Amazingly these guys turn the tide and soon the Asian gang is sent packing. That one white guy in the Asian gang is triple teamed and then headbutted to death I assume.

This whole beyond silly sequence is set to "Song of the City" Performed by Curtis Womack. Watch this cheesetacular sequence..........IF YOU DARE!!!!!