Not nearly as good as the documentary, "Spellbound"also about school children , but still worth recommending. This documentary did keep my attention throughout and had some very charming moments. Many of the kids spotlighted were adorable and fun to watch. But overall, I had a difficult time keeping track of the different schools and children. Spellbound was able to focus on only a few children and document their lives from more angles. I felt a connection with every single one of the kids.
Mad Hot Ballroom on the other hand documented many children from three different schools and focused on the children's teachers, schools and dance classes more than their families and individual struggles. Still, it was a delight to see the sweetness that these kids have at that age. But in the end, I wasn't absorbed enough with the children from the winning team to have that same warm and uplifting feeling that I had from Spellbound. The only scenes I seem to be able to recall clearly now are of a silly teacher crying (her scenes got the biggest laughs from the audience) and the poor look on these kids faces when they didn't win a contest round. That says it for me.
Mad Hot Ballroom on the other hand documented many children from three different schools and focused on the children's teachers, schools and dance classes more than their families and individual struggles. Still, it was a delight to see the sweetness that these kids have at that age. But in the end, I wasn't absorbed enough with the children from the winning team to have that same warm and uplifting feeling that I had from Spellbound. The only scenes I seem to be able to recall clearly now are of a silly teacher crying (her scenes got the biggest laughs from the audience) and the poor look on these kids faces when they didn't win a contest round. That says it for me.