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Poster for Mad Hot Ballroom

Mad Hot Ballroom

2005 · 1h 45m · PG Documentary, Family
Directed by Marilyn Agrelo

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Overview

Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes hilarious perspectives, these kids are transformed, from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen," on their way to try to compete in the final citywide.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
84%
Tomatometer
Fresh

Charming if slightly overlong.

Raven Snook, Time Out
Fresh

Listening to the kids talk is a treat in itself, but watching them strut their stuff in the final competition is enough to make you stand up and cheer.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Fresh

It's kind of like the dance version of that documentary Rock School.

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Fresh

The kids are adorable, and so is the movie.

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Fresh

Clearly, the dance lessons are life lessons as well, nurturing self-confidence, team spirit, the joy of dancing and even a slight touch of Old World etiquette in an otherwise too-busy- to-be-courteous world.

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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