Furious
Beauty: A Hip Hop Family (2013/Cinema Libre DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: B Documentary: B+
Join
a Versa-style dance company in L.A. as they show off their moves and
share their stories in Calvin Leung's documentary Furious Beauty
(2013). Started by a young high school couple, the created a place
the youths of Los Angeles where they can get off the streets to
express themselves. Through discipline and commitment, they train to
perform, but it is more than just dancing; the stories that brought
them together and the soul behind their dance, that separates them
from dancing for fun into an art form.
What
started out as street dance competition, a young high school couple
opens a dance school/studio for kids to get off the dangerous streets
of L.A.. Most of them comes from poor or broken families, that they
might not be well educated or have money, they have furious beauty in
their lives. They create a sense of self identity and self respect.
They are all different and off the streets, but when they all dance
together they are family.
They
say dance is an expression of the soul, and I have seen enough dance
to tell the difference between just following the steps, and those
who enjoy the dance ...and the dance itself is alive. You don't have
to be a ballerina or world class dancer to dance beautifully. The
dancing was not as much hip hop or single or couples dancing but more
team and coordinated dancing, and what is beautiful is how each
person expresses their own dance, but they all still dance together.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image and lossy Dolby Digital 2.0
sound can be rough and limited throughout, in part due to the nature
of the production, but it was still watchable. Extras include behind
the scenes, dancers freestyling, trailer and photo gallery.
-
Ricky Chiang
