Dance with Me (1998)

Young Cuban Rafael just buried his mother, and comes to Houston to meet his father John for the first time. The difficult part is that John doesn't know he is Rafael's father. John runs a ... See full summary »

Director:

Randa Haines

Writer:

Daryl Matthews

Stars:

Vanessa Williams, Chayanne, Kris Kristofferson

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vanessa Williams	...	Ruby Sinclair
Chayanne	...	Rafael Infante
Kris Kristofferson	...	John Burnett
Joan Plowright	...	Bea Johnson
Jane Krakowski	...	Patricia
Beth Grant	...	Lovejoy
Harry Groener	...	Michael
William Marquez	...	Stefano
Scott Paetty	...	Steve
Rick Valenzuela	...	Julian Marshall
Chaz Oswill	...	Peter
Liz Curtis	...	Kim
Bill Applebaum	...	Don Harrington
Angelo Pagan	...	Cuban Mailman
Victor Marcel	...	Fernando

Storyline

Young Cuban Rafael just buried his mother, and comes to Houston to meet his father John for the first time. The difficult part is that John doesn't know he is Rafael's father. John runs a dance studio, and everyone prepares for the World Open Dance championship in Las Vegas. It soon becomes clear Rafael is a very good dancer, and Ruby is the biggest hope for the studio at the championship.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | dancer | cuban | dance studio | reference to gene kelly | 

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Taglines:

A story of hearts in motion.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shut Up and Dance

Filming Locations:

Dominican Republic

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$4,507,663 (USA) (21 August 1998)

Gross:

$15,814,088 (USA) (16 October 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandalay Entertainment, Ballroom Dancer

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Burnett (Kris Kristofferson) and Rafael (Chayenne) share a scene where they discuss Rafael's mother writing a song. Burnett responds quickly with the line, "You're not gonna sing it, are ya?" Rafael laughs it off. This was an off-set joke considering that Chayenne has been a popular Latin singer since he was ten years of age.

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Goofs

In the final dance of the competition, when Ruby is imagining that Rafael is dancing with her, you see Julian's hand on her torso as Rafael's hand pulls away.

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Quotes

Julian Marshall: Watch your tempo
Ruby Sinclair: Watch your ego!

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Crazy Credits

Ending credits show scenes from the movie

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Connections

Referenced in Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (2002)

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Soundtracks

"La receta"
Written by Raul Ramos
Performed by Johnny Polanco y Su Conjunto Amistad

User Reviews

Excellent dance film a throwback

The old dance films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and Gene Kelly, may have been a technical marvel, but they also understood that dancing was a form of communication, of things left unsaid. This film fits right in with that tradition, though of course it's using more modern dances, but I think Astaire would look at the chemistry between Chayanne and Williams when they're dancing, and approve. You can tell director Randa Haines is a fan of the dancing the way she lovingly photographs it, and gives all the dancers a chance to shine, especially during the long dance scene at the club. She's also the first director who really gives Williams a chance to cut loose and show her talent. I don't know much about Chayanne, but he's good too.

So the plot isn't much. Who watches musicals just for the plot? And actually, I liked how they handled certain aspects, like the dance competition and how Chayanne and Williams resolve their feelings for one another without even dancing together. The only real criticism I have is the movie is a little too long, but that's only a quibble.