Breakin': Casting Call for Dancers who Have no Acting Skills

sb_post_date = "";
sb_categories = ",";
sb_url_to_rate = "";
sb_rated_title = "";
sb_when_to_load = "immediate";
try { var sb_dp = Date.parse(sb_post_date + ' ' + ""); sb_rated_creation = isNaN(sb_dp)? new Date() : new Date(sb_dp); } catch (e) { sb_rated_creation = new Date(); }

I'm going to say right off the bat this movie has some fucking phenomenal dancing. That's right- phenomenal. I would watch it again in a heartbeat just for this reason. It kicks some major hip hop ass. If you don't believe me, allow me to demonstrate:

Awesome dancing. Even if it is littered with minor special effects, the effects are pretty classy. The story, on the other hand? Meh. The acting, on the other hand? It's a little painful. I had a friend warn me before we watched that the dancing is what gets you through the movie. If it weren't there, you'd end up with is comparable to what the Eagleman commercials would be like if they were made into a movie. 

BEST ACTING EVER. Really. I’m serious. I mean, if this kind of acting made it into Breakin’, it must be good. Right?

Right?

Then I thought back on all the shitty dance movies I’ve ever seen (and trust me, I’ve seen a lot- I fucking love them), and it seems to be a trend to either have actors who can’t dance (think Save the Last Dance- there’s no way Julia Stiles did her own stunts- she was way too awkward) or have dancers who can’t act (Center Stage, anyone?) And yet people eat them up (myself included), obviously, or else the Wayans brothers wouldn’t have had any material for Dance Movie (which I did see, unfortunately).

Why is this? Is there such a divide between acting and dance that makes it impossible to find people who are good in both worlds? The only movie I can think of where this is the case (besides the Fred Astaire classics- I’m not counting them because they are in a genre all their own) is Dirty Dancing, and that was made 25 years ago!

I know that these types of people exist, since Broadway throws away talented triple threats by the minute. So then, who makes the decision that a movie with incredible dance scenes can’t include any substantial acting? Is it the producers? The directors? Choreographers?

Seriously. I would really like to know who cast Breakin’. Wouldn’t you?

Just something to think about.

Peace!

The Movie Mistress