Musical Chairs (2011)

When, Mia, a dance teacher, lands in the hospital after an accident, Armando, a would-be dancer who admires her from afar, persuades her to train for an upcoming wheelchair ballroom dancing contest.

Director:

Susan Seidelman

Writer:

Marty Madden

Stars:

Leah Pipes, E.J. Bonilla, Priscilla Lopez

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Leah Pipes	...	Mia
E.J. Bonilla	...	Armando
Priscilla Lopez	...	Isabel
Jaime Tirelli	...	Bernardo
Laverne Cox	...	Chantelle
Nelson Landrieu	...	Wilfredo
Angelic Zambrana	...	Rosa
Morgan Spector	...	Kenny
Philip Willingham	...	Daniel
Auti Angel	...	Nicky
Jerome Preston Bates	...	Jimmy
Joey Dedio	...	Chico
Dominic Colón	...	Julio (as Dominic Colon)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joseph Basile	...	Car Accident Witness
Tommy Bayiokos	...	Ballroom Dancer

Storyline

A romantic tale of two New Yorkers, Armando Ortiz, from the Bronx, and Mia Franklin, from the Upper East Side, and their unlikely meeting. The story tells how the two of them come together through their love of ballroom dancing. Mia is a beautiful and vivacious professional dancer. Armando works at the midtown Manhattan dance studio in exchange for lessons and fantasizes of a time when he will dance with Mia. But a tragic accident forever changes Mia's life. True to his heart, Armando dedicates himself, along with a group of colorful misfits, to help Mia overcome her painful challenges and dance once more.

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | dancer | dancing | ballroom dancing | dance studio | 

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Taglines:

Everybody dances to their own beat.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual material and a brief drug reference

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dança das Cadeiras

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,092, 25 March 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$31,478, 19 April 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Active Fox Productions, JMC Independent Productions, The Film Community

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

(2013) Nominated for seven awards at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival, including Best Picture and Best Actress (Leah Pipes).

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Quotes

Mr. Grinker: Who are you?
Drag Queen #1: Oh, sweetheart, I'm the costume co-ordinator for the big dance competition. These are my assistants. Can you direct me to your ballroom?

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Connections

Referenced in Push Girls: Watch Me (2012)

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Soundtracks

Sex Bomb
by Mousse T. and Errol Rennolls
Sung by Tom Jones
Heard during the dance competition sequence

User Reviews

A heartwarming story of unlikely lovers who meet over their love of ballroom dance.

A sweet and fun story, and a great performance by EJ Bonilla.

Susan Seidelman delivers a heartwarming and beautiful love story full of energy, emotion and uplifting moments. Leah Pipes and EJ Bonilla have great chemistry and look like they're on their way to be stars.

The dancing is well choreographed and the music is upbeat and exciting. Seidelman does a good job of balancing the sadness of the tragedy with inspiring scenes and a moving ending. The film has and amazing spirit and leaves you feeling happy and upbeat.

I would recommend this film to everyone. It's a sweet love story and gives the audience a beautiful look into an unusual world of dance.