The award-winning Mad Hot Ballroom is an inspiring look inside the lives of New York City school kids on a journey into the world of ballroom dancing—a new and unexpected arena in which they discover truths about attitude, movement, style, and commitment. Told from the candid, sometimes hilarious perspective of the boys and girls themselves, the picture chronicles their transformation from typical urban kids to “ladies and gentlemen” as their school teams aim toward a final citywide competition. “Irresistible! A kind of Spellbound crossed with Strictly Ballroom!” Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times. 2005, U.S., color, 35mm, 110 minutes. Print Courtesy Paramount Classics.
Director’s Bio
Marilyn Agrelo’s varied career spans more than 15 years of producing independent films, directing and producing commercials, and managing fund-raising projects. She’s presently at work on the documentary Us and Them, a chronicle of her divided family, shot on location in both the United States and Cuba. Agrelo’s documentary work includes The ORBIS Story, about an international humanitarian project. Mad Hot Ballroom is her directorial feature debut.