Dance with Me
by Randa Haines
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chayanne, Jane Krakowski, Joan Plowright, Kris Kristofferson, Vanessa Williams (VII)Director: Randa Haines
Brand: Sony
DVD: 2 Sides, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, Dolby, Full Screen, Subtitled
Picture Format: Pan & Scan, 1.33:1
Running Time: 127 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-01-12
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of Dance with Me
Movie Review: The best of the ballroom dance films
Summary: 5 Stars
As a heavy-duty ballroom dance fan, I found this the best of all the ballroom dance films - for sheer talent. I had no idea Vanessa Williams was that good a ballroom dancer, let alone such a fine actress and a stunning woman. Chayenne, not the best actor around, is nevertheless somewhat sweet and charming but he cannot hold a candle to the firepower of the professional ballroom dancers. The scenes where the competitions take place are fabulous, using real ballroom dance champions, doing real, not bastardized, ballroom dancing.
The story-line behind the dancing (and it *is* behind the dancing) is a nice one but predictable. Chayenne is a Cuban immigrant on a trip to meet his American father (Chris Christofferson), who doesn't know Chayenne is his son, fathered by him in an old love affair aboard a cruise ship. Chayenne arrives to do handyman work at Christofferson's dance studio and the latter soon realizes Chayenne is his son, which creates tension between them. To me, that aspect of the film was padding and could easily have been omitted in favor of more dancing.
The better parts have to do with a clash in dance style between Vanessa Williams' character and Chayenne's but they work it out and it becomes great fun to watch the two free-form dancing together, and dancing with others at small night clubs.
Truth to tell, I wish there were far more ballroom dance movies of high quality like this one. The other ballroom dance movies are built more around love stories, such as "Strictly Ballroom". "Shall We Dance", with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez is also good but doesn't have the professional spark that "Dance With Me" reveals.
(Not that this has much to do with ballroom dance, but I am still waiting for some hugely talented person to release a high-quality DVD of just Fred Astaire's dances. JUST the dances with dates, partners, name of film; no interviews, no talking, just his dances, with and without partners. If anyone knows of such a DVD, I'd sacrifice my firstborn for it!)
Summary of Dance with Me
It's not exactly Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but this 1998 entry, starring Vanessa Williams and newcomer Chayanne offers its own terpsichorean pleasures. The story centers on Rafael Infante (Chayanne), a Cuban ?migr? to Texas, where he takes a menial job at a local dance studio run by John Burnett (Kris Kristofferson). There, he falls for Ruby Sinclair (Vanessa Williams), a one-time ballroom championship contender looking for the opportunity to compete for the title once more. The romance seems a foregone conclusion but has some snap thanks to a crisp performance by Williams and a sunny (if limited) one by Chayanne, a singing star in Puerto Rico. Best of all is the dancing itself. In terms of both energy, exuberance, and style, this film's dance sequences rank with the best of the decade's limited celebration of the kinetic art, such as Strictly Ballroom and Shall We Dance. Though the movie's central plot secret seems obvious from the first downbeat, the film takes off every time the dance music kicks in. --Marshall FineWhen the charming Rafael (Chayanne) meets cool Ruby (Vanessa L. Williams) his honesty and sensuality awake in her new and at first frightening passions. Though Rafael follows Ruby to Las Vegas for the World Open Dance Championships she is destined to dance with another... and win. But Rafael is looking for more than just a dance partner and Ruby could take home something far more precious than a trophy in this steamy story of love and dance.System Requirements:Running Time: 127 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 043396239494
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