But for all its earnestness, this skin-deep MTV Films production is more about promoting soundtrack sales than social causes. Flashes of West Side Story , Fame and Saturday Night Fever flicker by, sometimes all at once. But they connect on an earthier plane once they hit the dance floor at a sweaty hot spot called Stepps, and smooth Derek teaches awkward Sara how to shake her prima-donna booty. Thomas' easygoing warmth helps to melt Stiles' icy veneer, and one of Dance 's few pleasures is an extended musical segment where she tries to ape his homeboy posturings. Of course, in a gush of tears, she eventually confesses how her guilt over her mom's death has dashed her ballet hopes.
Obstacles mount and explode like a string of cheap firecrackers.
Sara's beatnik throwback daddy-o, whom she treats with chilly contempt. We see his horn, but never get to hear him play. Meanwhile, how silly to think the guy would tempt his dancer daughter with a freezer full of Hungry-Man dinners. For this rap-era Romeo and Juliet , matters end musically, not tragically.