I never thought I could get my feet this far

a blog dedicated to dance movies

[dancing-in-heaven]

FRANCES HA (2012)

The last film made that made me emo for a New York City that would never exist for me. That New York City is gone. We are too different now; we’ve lost this bit of our humanity.

Frances makes this film a living, breathing entity with her dance. The dancing is the main character. Everything else just fits between the dancing.

Glad to be back. Let’s get weird.

[dancing-in-heaven]

It’s not an 80s dance flick, but I LOVE Center Stage.

It came out when I was in 7th grade. The movie theater in our town’s mall was renovated that year, and Center Stage was one of the first movies I saw with my friends without my mom or dad.

This was 21 years ago, y’all. They heyday of the WB, and so many Felicity vibes. New York in the late 90s and early 2000s was the only time I ever wanted to live there. But only because of movies and TV.

“Higher Ground” remains the song/dance I want to dance to at my wedding. Or at my 35th birthday party or something — in like 10 months 💀

Center Stage was my introduction to Zoe Saldaña, an actress who taught me about Afrolatinx people. The importance of representation on the movie screen, y’all! I was 13 and from a small Texas town on the Gulf Coast — I didn’t know that Latinx people could also be Black. I was a kid and just watching a movie taught me more than my family or school did.

Zoe becoming a star has been amazing to watch since Center Stage. She was one of the only ones who wasn’t a professional dancer at the time.

Any way, I’m pretty sure this blog will be celebrating dance movies from any era.

[dancing-in-heaven]

life will be serious soon enough.

getting into trouble is easy

that’s all they really want

[dancing-in-heaven]

sarah jessica parker could NOT dance, lol

she could do some gymnastics though.

if you haven’t seen “girls just want to have fun,” check this out: https://www.vulture.com/2013/09/girls-just-want-to-have-fun-sarah-jessica-parker.html

How 1985’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun Set the Template for All Future Dance Movies

The montages. The dance-offs. The sleeveless bad-boy partner. It all happened to Sarah Jessica Parker first.

[dancing-in-heaven]

rewatching “girls just want to have fun” — one of my favorite movies from adolescence — snapped me out of my numbness.

the ending made me cry — CRY.

how Gen Z feels about the 90s and early aughts is how I felt about the 80s. maybe not the clothes or hair styles, but the movies. god, i’ve always loved how they danced. dorky and with abandon.

no training, no finesse, no trendy dance, just weirdos high on cocaine who danced like a shook-up bottle of Coke.

so i made a blog. and i hope it helps you feel something. 17 months into a pandemic — we need to feel something.