Dance Rivals – Movie Review
Director: Nayip Ramos
Writer: Jimmy T Summerall (Screenplay)
Cast
- Savannah Lee May (Julie and the Phantoms)
- Maria Canals-Barrera (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2)
- Gunner Burkhardt
- Laura Krystine (To the Beat)
- Hayden Summerall
Plot: When a talented young dancer moves to Los Angeles with her family she is nervous about fitting in. As she teaches her younger sister’s dance team, she is quickly noticed and recruited by the top dance squad in the city. But tensions rise between her and the reigning dance queen, so they each assemble their own crews and settle their differences on the dance floor.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Dance Rival starts when teenager Lex (May) sees her life turned upside down when her mother Rachel (Canals-Berrera) moves the family to LA. Her younger sister Kerri (Whitworth) quickly makes an impression at her school and convinces Lex to teach a dance class. This quickly makes her a favorite and she catches the eye of a popular dance group led by Skyla (Krystine).
However, Lex makes too big of an impression and Skyla quickly becomes jealous. It leads to Lex and Travis (Burkhardt) breaking away to create their own dance group to enter a competition to take on Skyla, a group that welcomes creative freedom from the artists.
Verdict on Dance Rivals
Dance Rivals is a family dance movie following a family who relocates to LA. The eldest daughter catches the eye of a dance group and soon starts making waves in the local area. However, she ends up learning more about fitting in and bringing people together than anything else.
This movie takes us into the world of dance competition and the ruthless nature of it. We see the different styles brought to the table, much like Pitch Perfect did with acapella. For the most part, we see how learning to accept people from different backgrounds into a group presents the best creative expression. It is more about wanting to reach the top, rather than buying your way to the top. If you are a fan of dancing and the range of different styles, this is going to be one for you to enjoy.
Where to Watch
(VOD Release 7/16/24)
Final Thoughts –Dance Rivals is an enjoyable dance movie.
