Dance with Me

**Dance with Me** is a 1998 American romantic dance drama film directed by Randa Haines, which was released on August 21, 1998 by Columbia Pictures and Mandalay Pictures.

## Plot

After his mother's death, Rafael Infante travels from Santiago, Cuba to Houston, Texas to work as a handyman at a dance studio where he falls in love with professional dancer and dance instructor Ruby Sinclair.

## Cast

* Vanessa L. Williams as Ruby Sinclair
* Chayanne as Rafael Infante
* Kris Kristofferson as John Burnett
* Joan Plowright as Bea Johnson
* Jane Krakowski as Patricia Black
* Beth Grant as Lovejoy
* Harry Groener as Michael
* Chaz Oswill as Peter
* Rick Valenzuela as Julian Marshall

## Production

Filming for "Dance With Me" began on April 28, 1997 and wrapped on August 1, 1997 on location in Las Vegas, Nevada; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and the Dominican Republic.

At the time of the film's release, all of the featured dancers in the Las Vegas, Nevada dance competition were former world champions, including Vanessa Williams' dance partner, Rick Valenzuela (who designed Williams' dance costume for the championship scene).

## Box Office

During its opening weekend, "Dance With Me" grossed $4,507,663. Worldwide, it grossed $15,923,122.

## Critical Reception

"Dance With Me" received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 51% approval rating based on 43 reviews with an average rating of 5.50\10.

Roger Ebert gave "Dance With Me" a three-star rating, calling it *"a movie of predictable pleasures"* and said the film *"uses the dance scenes as a way to sneak musical numbers into a film that is technically not a musical."* He was also surprised by *"how much humanity Vanessa L. Williams brings to a character that could have been a cliche."*

Stephen Holden from the New York Times wrote: *"Although "Dance With Me" disappoints on almost every level, it still leaves you mildly elated, and its rich, percolating soundtrack touches on a wide range of Latin American pop styles."*

Bob Graham from the San Francisco Chronicle said: *"Part of the fun of this movie is that it indulges in the simple pleasure of watching the beautiful flaunt it."*

Barbara Shulgasser from the San Francisco Examiner described "Dance With Me" as a *"feel-good movie with great music, two beautiful lead actors and a good deal of joyous choreography and booty-shaking."*

Russell Smith from the Austin Chronicle said that director Randa Haines *"makes this overlong film well worth seeing with a series of explosive, brilliantly shot dance sequences that take place in varied settings ranging from residential backyards to palatial ballrooms in Las Vegas."*

Caren Weiner Campbell from Entertainment Weekly gave "Dance With Me" a B-minus, calling it *"so predictable you can practically write the script yourself."*

Andy Webb from the Movie Scene said that the film has *"plenty of stereotypical dance movie scenes it often bordered on being cheesy."*

Keith Phipps from the The Onion A.V. Club said: *"It's not bad, exactly, and it has heart, but it's thin, incredibly conventional, and more than a little dull. The music, however, is good, and the dancing is even better."*

## Awards

**ALMA AWards** (1999)

* Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film: Chayanne and William Marquez [*Nominated*]
* Outstanding Performance of a Song for a Feature Film: Vanessa Williams and Chayanne for "You Are My Home" [*Nominated*]

**Satellite Awards** (1999)

* Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical: Joan Plowright [*Nominated*]

**Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA** (1999)

* Best Sound Editing (Music- Musical Feature\Foreign & Domestic): Daryl B. Kell (supervising music editor) [*Nominated*]