Original subtitles

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

RODNEY: Good morning, class.

STUDENTS: Good morning, Mr. Rodney!

Thank you very much. Can I have everybody standing up straight?

Standing up nice and tall, like you're about to enter a ballroom.

Which is what you're about to do.

Okay. All right.

Show me some imagination, all right?

Here we go. Ladies and gentlemen,

please enter the ballroom and create a circle.

Enter the ballroom and create a circle.

Okay. Feet together.

All right.

Do you know what I'm gonna do just because I want to be in style

and I want to... And I want to look like everybody else? I'm gonna do this.

Oh, my God.

How would you... How would you like it if I taught class like this?

Does it look nice? Does it look stylish?

STUDENTS: No.

No, right? It looks pretty bad, doesn't it?

Right? So, can I have the gentlemen tuck their shirts in, please?

Can I have the gentlemen tuck their shirts in, please?

[ALL LAUGHING]

You don't have to take off your pants to do it.

[SPEAKING IN FOREIGN ACCENT] 1, 2, Pronounce...

ALL: "Merengue."

Who knows what country merengue came from?

Italy?Okay.

Dominican Republic.

Absolutely. What's your name?

Nile.

Dominican Republic, ladies and gentlemen.

Gentlemen, take your partner, please.

[STUDENTS CHATTERING]

Elbows together. Okay, make yourself taller.

Very good, very good.

It's okay, it's okay. He will help you.

BOY: I don't know how...

He'll remember. Let me help you.

My arm hurts.

Take your position next to her.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 4, 3, 2.

No, not yet. 5, 6, ready, go!

1, 3, 5, ladies.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Keep going. 1, 2...

ALYSSA: I'll be honest with you.

I didn't know that I wanted to go ahead with ballroom dancing.

But, I decided, yeah, we'll just give it a shot and I'll see how it goes

and it was a tough year, because it was after 9/11.

So, we when got... We didn't get back to our building

until February, this started in march.

But, it seemed like,

"Oh, well, something positive has to come out of this."

And these kids need something uplifting.

Although, I'm not such a great fan of,

you know, hard competition and winning,

but I was thrilled with the outcome,

and that's why we're still doing it.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

[MERENGUE MUSIC PLAYING]

VICTORIA: 5, 6, 7, and

back, 2, 3, 4, walk in, 7, 8.

Back, 2, 3, 4, walk in, 7, 8.

Back, 2, 3, she turns.

5, 6, 7, yes!

Give yourselves a round of applause.

So, what happens is, everyone knows the merengue, feels very comfortable with it.

But then I start seeing some sloppy things.

Can I show you?

Sloppy arms. Are you ready?

[FEET POUNDING]

What am I doing wrong? What am I doing wrong?

Yes, sir.You're waking up the people on top.

I'm waking up the people on top of the hotel, right?

Upstairs, remember, hands on the hips?

Upstairs, people are sleeping.

Down here, the party's going on.

RONNIE: Remember in the beginning, we all thought that the dances

were going to be really hard, but it was mad easy?

It wasn't... It wasn't weird to me,

because I used to... I...I seen them a lot, 'cause my nanny does them.

And Ronnie even knows because when he was over,

my nanny was helping us do the foxtrot.

So, it wasn't, like, weird to me. It got easier and easier.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

RODNEY: What can you tell me about a fox?

What does a fox look like?

A fox look like a dog, but it's like, um,

a...a dangerous dog that lives in the woods.

RODNEY: Yeah, okay.

Good, excellent. What else does that fox do?

He go quietly and then he jump on the chicken.

Right, very good.

The fox sneaks up. He's quiet.

Right?

So that's what... How we're gonna dance this dance.

We're gonna be... We're gonna be smooth,

we're gonna be sneaky, we're gonna be quiet

when we do a foxtrot. Okay?

Let's get in our imaginary ghost position, dance position.

Without touching anyone, skate across the floor.

Ready, go. Skate, skate...

CLARITA: The children and most of the people who live here

in Washington heights come from Dominican Republic.

There are a large, large percentage of single-parent families.

There are many children being raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles.

Many situations where more than one family lives in a home.

So, the children don't have much advantage.

There's 97% poverty rate in the school.

So the children come to school with issues.

RODNEY: Here we go.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

Yeah, 5, 6, 7, go.

Slow, slow,

quick, quick, slow, slow, away.

Slow, slow...

CLARITA: Children in a middle-class neighborhood

have many more advantages.

If they want to go to dancing school,

they can go to dancing school.

They want to take piano lessons, they can take piano lessons.

'Cause their parents can afford it.

This program is free for the kids.

So, they have the advantage of learning something new,

of perfecting it, and of being successful.

And they'll compete because they want to win.

RODNEY: So, ladies and gentlemen,

when I said it's like a merengue step,

what I mean is just that you're going side together like the merengue.

But you don't have to move your hips like the merengue, okay?

I know, sometimes we just can't help it.

Let's do a quick merengue.

ALL: Yeah!

All right, here we go. Dance position.Yeah.

[MERENGUE MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 6, 5, 6, 7, 8.

GIRL: What's your favorite dance?

My favorite dance is the merengue. It's mad hot.

I know, I move my hips and Miss Reynoso is, like,

"Oh, you good, you good," and I like that.

Yeah, me, too. I like moving my hips a lot.

When I first got there, I didn't know that we had to dance with boys.

But I wasn't really so afraid of that.

"Oh, my God, a boy is going to touch me, wow."

'Cause I know it's just to dance.

It's not to do anything else.

That's what I hate, girls.

I know, girls always think...I can't never understand girls.

...they're the boss of everything and they're the best.

And always be like, "Okay. Uh?"

And you know... And you know what I hate?

When girls decide, when girls, like, um,

they think they're not allowed to like the boys.

The boys have to like the girls before they can like them.

Yeah, whenever I'm dancing with Emma,

she tries to lead me 'cause she...

Dancing with Emma?

In ballroom dancing.

Ballroom dancing.

Yeah.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

TARA: No.

No, not yet.

Of course, we do have, like, our crushes here and there, but you know,

nobody actually went out on a date somewhere.

But I do know that boys think about girls,

'cause I have a lot of guy friends,

and that's what they think about.

Hold up, let me do this.No, it's not right.

Bam!

[ALL LAUGHING]

ALEX: Tell me, please.

What color are your partner's eyes?

Don't look at her.

Greenish blue?

Okay, let's check it out. Yeah.

What's your name?

John.

John, would you please tell me about her eyes, anything?

No, no, no, tell me.

They're just brown.

Just brown?It's brown.

And beautiful. Look. She has beautiful eyes.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me show you one little trick.

[GIGGLES]

Ooh.

You see, very, very helpful.

So, let's use this trick. Eye-to-eye connection.

I'm serious.

Take a look at each other like last time in your life.

Take your parallel position, please.

[STUDENTS CHATTERING]

Okay, what's problem?

Take your partners. And now, listen to me.

Look at your partner.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 6, 5, 6, 7.

And, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

1, 2, close your fingers, 4, 5, 6.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Quick, quick, slow. Quick, quick, slow.

Look at that attitude. Look at that attitude on that face. I love that.

5, 6.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

1, 2, 3, look at this attitude.

I love this attitude right here, too. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

1, 2, 3...

YOMAIRA: You know, I feel bad for some of the boys.

'Cause you can tell that these boys have never danced before.

It's like, when I was younger, um, I used to dance a lot

and then, there's a saying that says, "If you don't dance..."

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

That means, you know, you didn't get to dance when you were younger.

So, you know, that's why I...I like this program so much.

Because those children that, unfortunately didn't get an opportunity to dance

like I did when I was younger are getting it now.

And then, you know, when they get into high school

or have to invite that girl to...to a prom,

you know, they... They'll know how to dance, at least how to move.

Maybe this is just an avenue opening up

for them to go into something that has to do with the arts.

And, who knows, maybe they do have it in them and this will bring it out.

You don't know what's hidden inside each child until you open it up.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[BELLS TOLLING]

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

STUDENTS: Good afternoon, Miss Victoria.

Follow me. Okay, ladies and gentlemen.

Today we're going to start a new dance.

Does anyone want to guess what the new dance is? Yeah.

Yo-yo.BOY: Electric slide?

Electric slide? It's a ballroom dance.

Ronnie?The swing?

The swing. Very good. Now.

What country do you think the swing started in?

We know it really well, I'll give you a hint.

What do you think, Michael?

Africa?

Africa? It's a good guess. Guess again.

United States?

VICTORIA: Yes, very good, Taha, the United States of America.

Lean on your front foot.

Put all your body weight on your front foot.

We're gonna change our weight now.

Ready, go back. Back, front. Say it with me.

Back, front. Say it again. Back, front.

Again, back, front. Again, back, front.

Again, back, front.

Faster! Back, front!

Back, front, back, front, back, front!

Okay. Taha?

Number 10.

[SWING MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

Am I supposed to jump that much?

Watch what happens. It's very small. I just want a walking step.

Walk, walk again...

We can't dance at all because it's...it's against my religion,

and it's also against his religion, too.

And, so far, I like being a DJ.

MOHAMMED: I think it's good because everyone is nice to me.

They don't care if I'm

from another country.

Look, this is how you do a pull. Okay?

It's like you both separate each other,

but you still have your hands.

Like a rubber band when you stretch it, okay?

VICTORIA: Taha, could we try the next swing song?

I think it's number 11.

Pick...pick up the phone, switch to B.

Miss Verdemare knows the swing.

Listen! This rhythm is faster.

This rhythm is faster. In, out.

LOUISE: I think it's really important for the kids.

I think... I think it's much more than learning a bunch of steps.

And I think it's much more than just a part of physical education.

It's...it's not at all just that. It's etiquette.

It's knowledge of other cultures.

It's life.

VICTORIA: Aww, excellent.

PRISCILLA: The strange thing about being a girl...

Is that your hair is so long?

No. That you have to be pregnant.

What?

You have to have a baby. It's hard.

Yeah, I heard in a book about...

It's called Why It's Great To Be A Girl.

That-that women, overall, judging by scientific research

are the more advanced civilization.

Oh, yeah. That's good.

Even though that makes perfect sense. Oh!

Girls, they're all right.

I judge by their outer beauty and their inner beauty.

Both.

Mostly their inner beauty.

Mostly their outer beauty.

Do you like any of the girls in the class?No.

As a girlfriend.

No.

As a friend.

I like in Miss Conte's class, Miss Conte's class, Marissa.

Yes, okay.

Yeah, now, she's hot!

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

MOM: Okay.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Now, I'm not in the mood for boys.

I'm, like, in the mood, uh, for studying and everything,

for dancing, for school,

and for, um, for family and everything.

But I'm not in the mood for boys now.

When I'm big, I'm gonna be in the mood for boys.

I like to be with a guy that, like,

he's concentrated in school.

Mmm-hmm.

That he...he wants to make something out of his life.

A guy that doesn't sell drugs.

Yeah.

A guy that... I know that he's gonna have a good future.

Yeah.

And a guy that respects people and...

Respects you.

And respects me and have a good education.

Yeah.

[MERENGUE MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

ALEX: 5, 6.

Quick, quick, one.

Quick, quick, 2.

Quick, quick, 3.

Not bad.

Stationary.

Ladies, show them off, please.

Say, "cheese."

[SNAPPING FINGERS]

Ladies, you're doing excellent job.

Excellent.

But you could do brilliant job,

if you will just listen to me right now and imitate what I'm doing.

Look at my watch. Watch, watch, watch!

Crown, up, hairstyle.

Let's try it, please. One more time.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

Ladies, please.

Good. Very good girl.

GIRL: Sometimes we feel uncomfortable

when Alex comes to dance with us.

ALLISON: Why?

'Cause he's older.

[ALL CHATTERING]

BOY: He's, like, 50 years old!

One thing that's really annoying is,

this is especially if you're a girl,

is if your partner doesn't know the dance very well and they're supposed to lead.

And it's just kind of like...

They don't do anything!

BOY: Sometimes I feel them pull...

Sometimes you pull us!

Yeah, but they go the wrong way.

Sometimes you guys go the wrong way.

Sometimes you guys go the wrong way, too.

How do you think we will feel by the time competition is here?

Three of us thought we would be nervous and excited and stuff.

And then Richard got up and just killed himself.

ALLISON: What?

Richard said he'd kill himself.

So, Richard, what made you say something like that?

'Cause I don't like ballroom dancing.

I'll kill myself so I don't have to go.

You know, why do you dislike ballroom dancing so much?

Because I don't like it.

ALLISON: So, now that competition has been brought up,

how do you guys feel about this?

If you practice a lot, you're practicing a lot, a lot, and it's like,

"Oh, yeah, I'm...I'm really doing well, I'm probably gonna get in."

Then you find out you're not getting in.

Then you're... Then you're, like, really sad

that you've done all this practice, but you didn't get in.

We have to make sure that when we are chosen for the competition,

that the people who are chosen,

don't boast and brag about it 'cause it's gonna make the other people feel like

they're worthless.

So, I just wanted to say that.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]ALEX: 5, 6, ready, go.

Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.

Slow, quick, quick, slow.

Slow, quick, quick, in.

In, and out, around. Slow, around.

Glide.

BOY: I can't.

Eye-to-eye.

Around, very good.

♪ It's got to be a barnum world

♪ Just as phony as it can be

♪ But it will never be make-believe

♪ If you believe in me

♪ If you believe in me

RODNEY: Very good.

And gentlemen, what are you supposed to do at the end of a dance?

What do you do at the end of a dance?

BOY: You bow.

You turn the lady and you give her a little bow, all right?

Okay, so we're gonna go to Argentina.

STUDENTS: Argentina.

Argentina.

To dance the what?The tango.

The tango, that's right.

T-a-n, outside.

Let's do it together. 5, 6, begin with your left.

T-a-n-g-o.

YOMAIRA: Last year, we won gold,

but there was one final competition

that involved a huge, huge, giant trophy.

And we didn't get it.

But this year, I want that trophy.

It's like Susan Lucci, "I want that Emmy." I want that trophy.

Even if it's once and that's it.

Just one time and that's it. I won't bother you anymore.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]6, 7, go.

T-a-n-g-o. And, t-a.

Again, and, t-a-n-g-o.

And t-a-n-g-o.

T-a-n-g-o.

All right, cool.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

You all right?

I don't feel so good.

What's wrong with you?

My tummy hurts.

Your tummy hurts? Well, the period's almost over.

You go see the nurse after class, all right?

YOMAIRA: Do you think you can wait for two minutes?

Wait for two minutes and then go see the nurse, okay?

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

All right, here we go.

Rodney, weren't they tired?

RODNEY: They were, they were a second ago.

5, 6, 5, 6.

5, 6, 7, and...

All my tired students.

Look how tired you guys are.

Go out first. Out, cross, turn it around.

[SHOUTING]

Come on, come on, come on, come on, go!

When I see people outside selling drugs and stuff, I feel bad.

Because they missing such a big part of life, you know.

They got the opportunity to go to college and stuff

and, I mean, some people don't have the opportunity.

They just wasting... But sometimes, it's not all their fault.

It's like their parents, they don't care that much about them.

They don't take care of them.

And since they... Their parents don't...don't, um,

take care of them the way they're supposed to,

they think, "Oh, I might get into a gang.

"They just care for me, you know?

"And I'll, uh, get some drugs. And this is the right path," you know.

And it's not only their fault.

There's some, um, young girls that they... They be in the streets

'cause they... Either they don't have a father or either they don't have a mother

and they need both on their side.

So, like, if their parents have some problems, try to keep it together,

so your daughter or your son can be good.

But, uh, if somebody cheats

like my father did, no offense,

but, my father cheated on my mom, like, four years ago.

Now he's... I got a step-little-brother, he's four.

And I think... I'm always telling my mom to leave him.

"Oh, Mommy," I'm like,

"I'm sorry, but if my father's cheating on you,

"you should leave him, 'cause I don't want you to...

"I don't want you to cry and stuff just 'cause of him."

Thanks God, my parents are not... They are none of that.

My parents are cool with me. They cool with each other. They haven't got separated.

They haven't fight or nothing. That's cool.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

Okay, my turn.

T-a-n-g-o.

[ALL CHATTERING]

5, 6, ready, begin.

T-a-n-g-o.

T-a-n-g-o.

And, t-a, step right, left.

Step right, right.

VICTORIA: Now that's it. Go backwards.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]T-a-n-g. Again!

T-a-n, promenade.

T, tango faces!

ALL: N-g-o.

T-a-n-g.

Gentlemen, where's my tango face?

A-n-g-o.

T-a-n-g-o.

All right, girls.

ALEX: Make believe, everyone, when you're doing tango.

You're imitating some cat moves.

Very, very sneaky ways.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

It's... It's my fault?

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Step and rock.

Michael, step right.

That was terrible.

Time for surprise partner, surprise dance.

Everybody sit.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Okay. Wilson and Katherine.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

Your feet are not together, Katherine.

5, 6, ready, begin.

YOMAIRA: This boy that I've had my eye on, his name's Wilson.

He's developing into a very good dancer.

He doesn't know the language,

but he fits right in because everybody's supporting him.

And I see him in the process of learning these dances,

he's also learning the language.

I'm also looking at Katherine, but, you know,

I still have my doubts. I'm not too sure yet.

Surprise, surprise.

GIRL: Surprise, surprise.

You and...

Okay, this is the last one, because we're out of time.

5, 6, 5, 6, ready, go. And one.

[VICTORIA SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

It's tough, because everybody wants to compete.

But we want to have a sturdy team,

not only to make me proud, but for themselves.

And to represent their school and to represent their country.

You know, I think pride in themselves. pride that,

"Look, we're Dominicans, we're here, we're competing. And, you know, we're good."

Very nice, very nice.

Escort position.

Goodbye.

[BELLS TOLLING]

[CHILDREN CHATTERING]

How'd you do in, uh, social?

I don't know. There was 41 questions in it.

Okay.

On Friday, that's all I know.

[PHONE RINGING]

Hello?

RONNIE: Yo, Mike, who do you think the best dancers are?

Me, you or Delano?

I think it would be you.

Literally, I think it would be you.Why?

'Cause you get into it more.Yeah, like...

Like, me, most of the time,

sometimes I get very, like, mopey and confused.

You just get right into it and know everything.

Yeah, 'cause, like... You remember all...

It's really fun, and how can you forget a fun time?

I think that once you get to dance, you feel so nice

and fine, then, and you get energized.

It's like a sport that hasn't been invented into a sport.

Tracy? Do you like Michael as a partner?

Well...

He's a little smaller than you, right?

I wasn't comfortable at him first.

PRISCILLA: What about you?

I have to dance with Daniel, I don't like him.

Why?

Because...

He's so sloppy. Sloppy chicken-wings.

Yeah, and then he tried to bite my neck.

[ALL GIGGLING]

Sometimes people don't like dancing with Johnny,

just because he's chubby. Well, that don't matter.

He's just a... He's just a person.

Some people, like, from the group of dancers, they're better than me.

So, I don't know if they'll pick me.

I'm trying hard for I can be in it,

but I don't know if they'll pick me.

Like, the most important thing is just, like,

learning the dances and knowing how to do them.

So I'm not that psyched about the competition.

ZEB: I always think about it.

And sometimes, if I... If I don't do the steps,

I just go over them in my mind, even if I'm not doing them.

'Cause I always wanna... I really want to be in this competition

so I'm training my hardest to get in.

One thing I realized is that boys

that are normally rowdy and kind of rough,

that it really shows a different side to them.

Like, they can be very, very understanding and very gentle.

Well, if you really think about it,

ballroom dancing is like this tiny, little... Tiny, little thing.

A tiny little grain of sand if you count the entire country.

I don't know if I could get into the competition but I know what I might wear.

Which dress are you gonna wear? The...the...

Oh, that's a cute one.

That's a great dress, especially, like, if you do swing.

This is, um, the...the swing, it's a basic to the swing.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

ALEX: Listen the music. Change partner.

Five, change.

♪ Oh, come on, baby

♪ I know you are there

♪ Just answer that phone, honey

♪ You know it's me

♪ Don't let it go to your voicemail

♪ Come on! Just pick up that phone! ♪

Pick up the partner.I can't, I don't know...

Anyone.

I don't know.John.

Anyone. Look, look. Okay.

Invite her. Invite her. Ask her.

Thank you very much. It was very good.

We have one more hour before competition.

ALL: What?

[STUDENTS CHATTERING]

Shh! Let me explain what I mean.

We have to, myself and Allison

choose five couples and one substitute couple

to represent P.S. 150

in the quarterfinal competition next week.

Quickly, let me remind you what did we learn in this room?

What is ballroom dancing about?

Ballroom dancing, it's a dialogue

in between lady and gentleman.

Gentlemen, you're taking care about your partner

and main function during any dance,

you have to at least try to make her happy.

I really would love not to be involved in this process because...

I mean, they're all my kids and, just, I don't want to choose favorites.

I don't want to pick one over the other

'cause I don't want to hurt anyone.

I wish all the kids could just pair up

and compete in ballroom dancing. That would be the best way.

I need to turn around right now.

I hear a lot of whispering.

Just a couple more minutes.

I see them turning into...

I'm gonna cry...

Then I see them turning into, like, these ladies and gentlemen.

[CHILDREN CHATTERING]

[SCREAMING]

[GIRLS CHANTING]

Got it?

BOY: Rock and roll, babe.

[GIRLS HOOTING]

It's fun being 10.

'Cause when you 10, you like to play more

be children again. Still be children

and everything, have fun playing.

Something that scares me about my age

is that, like, the body that I have,

every time there's drunk people there, and I pass with my mother,

they look at me very weird. And I get kind of scared 'cause there's some drunk men,

they could do anything to you.

Especially girls that they never know,

they could be older and they have already their body shaped.

When you're 11, your parents don't let you go outside alone

because they still think that you're a little kid.

But, when you're 12, they let you have freedom.

At least a little bit of freedom.

You gotta start putting deodorant.

You gotta start washing two times a day.

CYRUS: Oh, yeah.

Yeah, that is kind of weird.

You start growing hair in weird places.

And you don't change your sheets because you peed.

And also, did you know that 11-year-old girls

are the number one target for kidnappers?

It's really kind of...

GIRL: What are cadavers?

Kidnappers!Oh.

11-year-old girls are the number one target.

For, like, sick people who like little girls.

[HORN HONKING]

MICHAEL: I find hard would be school, sometimes.

That you have to learn these new, really hard things

and the teachers sometimes don't even understand it.

WOMAN: Not hard, what's weird in your lives?

Weird?

How, like, how people think.

Like, marriage, parts of marriage is weird.

Like gay marriage, how they been talking about.

Yeah, like...I don't think that's right.

...in the bible, it didn't say, like, it said people can get married.

It didn't say, like, what kind of people.Yeah.

I don't know why.

You don't have that hard math book?

'Cause that was...

Hate books.

[SIGHING]

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

Like this?

YVONNE: Brooklyn quarterfinal on Monday and Tuesday.

The quarterfinals for Manhattan are Wednesday and Thursday.

PIERRE: Let's start discussing the rainbow team match.

What is required with regards to judging?

First and foremost, they have to be on time.

And not just as soon as they hear the music, they just go.

Secondly is the dancing hold, the dance frame.

And then, you've got Cuban motion dances.

If they're able to use Cuban motion.

They get better points, of course,

if they are standing nice and tall.

How do you deal, now, with the teams

who do not make it to the semi-final?

VICTORIA: I think one way of doing it is

make a big deal at the school afterwards

that, "Oh, this team has been successful.

"They've achieved the bronze level

"and that they've gotten that far."

I also know for a fact that it is part of learning for life,

preparing yourself for life. It's not bad not to make it.

You know, you can say whatever you like.

You either win or you lose.

Okay? And if you haven't got number one

then you have not won, you have not lost.

I mean, you've not...not won, you've lost.

No matter how much you want to quit... Sorry?

Second place is the first loser.

And he knows from experience.

[ALL LAUGHING]

PIERRE: Let's do tango, please.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Forte now.

Promenade, please.

[ALL HOOTING]

RODNEY: There's something special about seeing a man dancing

and...and teaching dance in that environment.

And it brings the... It brings the...the...the boys along.

Yeah, yeah, because you don't really have, nowadays, we don't have

like, a Fred Astaire or a Gene Kelly, necessarily as a role model.

That's from a former generation.

And they see us very much as, like, a father figure

or maybe an older-brother figure.

And so, I think it's important,

especially for some of the guys,

to have that kind of validation from an older male figure

in a competitive venue,

because if you're cheering them on, you're rooting them on,

maybe they don't have that kind of encouragement at home.

[SPANISH MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

[ALL CLAPPING IN TIME]

[WHOOPING]

Give me a two. One, and place.

Place.

Give me one. Shake it.

Shake your hair. Shake your hair all around.

[CHILDREN HOOTING]

Take a good bow.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen.

I know what you're all waiting for.

Time to make the announcement,

okay, and it's been very difficult.

Ms. Freij and I have been really spending a lot of time talking

and really looking carefully.

We have a lot of classes to pick from.

And you're all doing a really terrific job. Everyone's working very hard.

So, this is what we'd like to...

People that we'd like to ask to be in the competition. We'd like to ask Jai-Wen.

Miss Jai-Wen, raise your hand.

Let's give a round of applause to Jai-Wen.

Also, Ariel. Raise your hand, Ariel.

Raise your hand. And Michael.

Where's Michael? Raise your hand.

But then I really liked watching him today with Emma.

Let's put Celia with, uh, Zeb.

And Willie with, uh, Briana.

[CHILDREN CHATTERING]

ALEX: Ladies and gentlemen.

Now, let us to announce

who will represent P.S. 150.

ALLISON: Zeb and Celia.

Willie and Briana.

Nile and Emma.

Joshua and Tara. Richard and Quana.

And Cyrus and Jaoke.

[CHILDREN CHATTERING]

YOMAIRA: Okay, since we scored so high in last year's competition

we're going straight to the semi-finals.

I don't know who yet.

But, you know, you'll know soon enough.

So I want to see who looks...

You know, I want to see the old partners.

I want to see new kids with old kids

and let's see how that works out.

I want to see some chemistry, I want to see,

you know, if you look better with another person.

You know, you have to, like, deserve it, and you have to win.

Win... This is not, like, you know,

"I can misbehave and then just not, you know..."

[JONATHAN MURMURING]Okay. Jonathan.

You're here on a trial basis.

You did something very wrong.

And I think that you should say something in front of everybody.

Or else you're not practicing.

You decide how bad you want it.

YOMAIRA: It's not funny.

Is it happening?

Or you can just leave right now.

JONATHAN: I'm sorry.

No, not like that, like...

STUDENT: Sorry about what?

Go ahead.JONATHAN: I'm sorry.

Wilson, he's talking to you.

Perdon.

Okay.

Take off your jacket.

No, it's only us two. No.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 6, ready, begin.

♪ Well, hey little baby

♪ I'm talking to your answering machine

♪ Well, hey little baby

♪ Why do you have to be so doggone mean

♪ I been speaking at you baby

♪ But you never speak back to me

[HOOTING]

♪ And I saw your bedroom light

♪ Raced back to my place

♪ And I dialed your number right ♪

Ah, clap for me.

[HOOTING]

KARINA: I won.

YOMAIRA: Who won?

GIRL: Karina.

Yeah.

YOMAIRA: Okay, let's go.

[ALL CHEERING]

[SIREN WAILING]

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

[GONNA MAKE YOU SWEATBY C&C MUSIC FACTORY PLAYING]

[CHILDREN CHATTERING]

Do we get medals?

You get medals and a goody bag.Goody bag!

I'm gonna have to check what's in that goody bag, because maybe I...

♪ Everybody dance now

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah

♪ Everybody

♪ Here is the dome, back with the bass

♪ The jam is live in effect and I don't waste time

♪ Off the mike with a dope rhyme

♪ Jump to the rhythm jump jump to the rhythm jump

♪ And I'm here to combine

♪ Beats and lyrics to make your shake your pants

♪ Take a chance, come on and dance

♪ Guys grab a girl, don't wait, make her twirl

GIRL: Break a leg, everyone! Break a leg!

♪ To the dance floor, so yo what's up

♪ Hands in the air, come on say yeah

♪ Move

♪ Let your mind

♪ Groove

♪ Work me all night

♪ Come on let's sweat, baby

2, 3, P.S. 150!

♪ Let the rhythm move you

♪ Sweat

♪ Sweat

♪ Let the music take control

♪ Let the rhythm move you

♪ Da, da, da, da

♪ Da, da, da, da

Escort your new partner. Come here, come here.

Other side, other side. Other side, other side.

There you go. Come on.

[ALL CHATTERING]

JUDGE: Bring her over here.

EMCEE: Boys and girls,

we're going to start our competition right now.

Michael, it doesn't matter how tall, you did really good.

It is a great pleasure, once again this year

to be hosting the quarterfinal

and all you beautiful young ladies and young gentlemen

have achieved a wonderful level of dancing

just by being here today.

[ALL CHEERING]

And so, without any further ado.

For the first round

may I please ask each merengue team, come on the floor first.

[MERENGUE MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 6,

5, 6, go!

Green, green, green, green, green, green,

green, green, green, green, green, green,

green, green, green, green, green, green, green!

BOY: It's wonderful that we learned how to do the dances.

But, also, in a way it's brought our relationships

and friendships a little bit closer.

Uh, hopefully, it'll come in use when I've married.

[LAUGHING]

Which will be a very, very long time from now. I hope.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

[ALL CHEERING]

EMCEE: Tango. Tango team.

Go Michael!

Michael!

You ain't seen nothing yet!

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

[TANGO MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

EMCEE: Ready, go!

T-a-n-g-o.

T-a.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

BOY: It was easy, kind of, 'cause you hear

pink, yellow, and everybody.

You're just concentrating on your partner and all the songs.

Then you hear the crowd beating

so you wanna... You wanna just win. You wanna have fun.

EMCEE: Take a big hand! Take a bow!

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

And now we're going to have our swing teams on the floor!

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

[SWING MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 6, ready, go!

GIRL: I wanna, like, you know, be a dancer.

As a career? Yeah, exactly. As a career.

Like, I wanna be a singer who acts

and dances during her concerts.

You know, just combine them all together.

It all happens there.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

EMCEE: Ladies and gentlemen, we are now

going to go to Cuba for the rumba!

[RUMBA MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 6, ready, go!

Quick, quick, slow.

BOY: You feel like even if you're gonna lose,

you've gotten this far. You're this good.

So it shows that you're actually good at something

and that you've proved something.

It's not that I want to prove something... Something to anyone.

I wanted to prove it to myself, that I can actually do this.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

CONTE: Let's see. Okay, over here.

Let's check over here. Girls, over here.

Oh, that's cute.

It's nice, but I don't like this.

[GIRL SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Do you like it, yes or no?GIRL: No.

Why not, why not?

It's too glittery.

It's too much.

Do you like this one? I'm... I don't like black.

What you got there?

Let me see. Yeah, I don't know if I'm liking this...

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

No, not like that.

What about sailor? I'm Popeye, the sailor man?

Too flowery.

No, too many flowers. A botanical garden.

GIRL: Oh, that's nice. Look.

It's all right, but no. No.

We always find our clothes here

and I don't want to leave without...

Oh, that's beautiful. Girls?

[GIRLS CHATTERING]

Whoa, of course, see anything

you think you gonna have your...your bellybutton out?

No, that's not happening.

Try that on. You two try it on.

Is it... Does it look like it's gonna fall off?

[GIRLS GIGGLING]

Yeah, well, if we find a shirt that looks nice

because you don't... You're not gonna have your bellybutton out. That...

That's something. Let's see. I don't know.

[GIRLS CHATTERING]

[ALL SPEAKING SPANISH]

[FEVER BY PEGGY LEE PLAYING]

GIRL: Look at the side, look at the side, look.

♪ Never know how much I love you

♪ Never know how much I care

♪ When you put your arms around me

♪ I get a fever that's so hard to bear

♪ You give me fever

♪ When you kiss me

♪ Fever when you hold me tight

♪ Fever

♪ In the morning

♪ Fever all through the night ♪

[ALL CHEERING]

EMCEE: Take a bow.

All right. May I please have

the orange team in front of Miss Joanna?

The pink team in front of Miss Victoria.

And the green team in front of Miss...

Escort position!

You have all been awarded the silver level ribbon.

Congratulations.

Silver level.

It is so close.

It's unbelievable.

The great thing is you all have silver level.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

So,

may I have Mr. Alex?

May I have Miss Lori?

May I have all you dance teams

in escort position, facing your teacher?

Ladies and gentlemen.

Everybody give these teams a big hand.

They all have a silver level ribbon.

Congratulations for our silver level winners.

Well done.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

Once you've got your gift bag and your ribbon, kindly sit down.

Now, ladies and gentlemen.

Everybody, listen, please. If you don't mind.

The pink, P.S. 11

P.S. 64 and P.S. 1, go to the semi-finals.

It's okay. It's okay.

It's okay.

Take a deep breath, right now.

You gotta take a deep breath.

Take it. It'll help you.

First off, every single one of you did an amazing job.

And I'm so proud of you.

And I couldn't have asked anyone better

to do it than you guys.

ALEX: All of you did an excellent job today.

And remember, whatever you got from this program

this is for the rest of your life.

Exactly! You're going to learn from this experience.

Everybody should be glad that they even went. Right?

Yeah, but we totally did everything they told us to.

I know you did and you did a wonderful job.

So, you gotta get up. You gotta rise above this.

BOY: Come on, yeah.Come on.

EMCEE: See, I really don't know exactly, you know,

but you can see if you had three more points, you would have got through.

You're 263, they're 265.

And the other team got 256, so you really were very, very, very close.

I still really don't understand and what happened.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[HORN HONKING]

What do you think are the things to remember? One thing? Hands together.

Second thing to remember?

BOY: Stand straight?Stand straight.

Um, smile.Smile. What else?

GIRL: Look at each other.Look at each other, smile.

What about your feet?

BOY: Together.Feet together.

The movements are only...

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Nobody look at me.

I don't want anybody looking at me.

After a... The tango corte, people tend to look at me.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Nobody look at me.

BOY: Okay.

Why you looking that way, Jonathan?

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

Smile!

Even if you can't stand your partner, but you're smiling.

"Oh, man, I don't like you, but I'm smiling," right?

Right, Joshua?

"Oh, no, look at this girl, but I'm still smiling," right?

Nobody's looking at Miss Reynoso.

So you're looking at your partner and you're smiling.

Yes!

Make it sharp. Sharp.

Ah.

Pretty good.

Let me try another song.

[JIVE MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

Oh, you're tired? I'm sorry to hear that.

5, 6, ready, begin.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Uh-huh.

[YOMAIRA HOOTING]

I'm tired, but I'm going to win this competition.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

YOMAIRA: I would say, I mean, I'm not rich,

but I...I am a teacher and I'm...I'm making it.

I just would like this for the children.

You like them to be successful.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...

I wish there was a magical way in which I can just

go inside of all the kids,

and like Jeannie used to do and, like, blink.

Like a little magic, "Okay, there, you'll be a perfect child.

"You're gonna do whatever you're supposed to do.

"You're gonna go the right way. You're gonna go to college."

And it's so difficult because you bring out

these things to these children.

You bring arts, you bring out all these programs.

And then a few years down the line

you'll see these kids out in the street and...

That's not what we want for these kids.

But I have this drive and this passion that I wish I could just

get inside these kids and, like, slap them and say

"Here, you know, you're worth it, you're an individual.

"You'll better yourself."

But, you know, unfortunately, it doesn't work that way with everybody.

And I can only do what I can.

Sexy, looking at your partner.

Look at him, he's gorgeous!

Stop moving your hands.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

YOMAIRA: Okay, now everybody will sit.

As you're sitting, you're resting.

Jonathan, are you... Is there a problem?

Have you danced with Karina so she can get her practice for today?

Only because you're tall?

It's okay. Go ahead, Karina and Jonathan.

No, no, no.

YOMAIRA: Eh? Eh?

Oh, no? Why not?

You dance with all the other girls, but not with Karina.

For a reason.

For a reason?

What was that reason?

That's how bad you want to be in this competition

that you can't dance with the girls I pick for you?

Okay. Then I know what I'm doing.

Everybody, back up.

If you have a partner, come up. Jonathan?

[YOMAIRA SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Can't deal with it. Either you dance or you don't.

I don't.

Goodbye.

[YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY BY DELLA REESE PLAYING]

♪ You

♪ You're driving me crazy

♪ What did I do?

♪ What did I do to you?

♪ My tears for you

♪ Make everything hazy

♪ Clouding my skies of blue

Those sunflowers are big.

Peon...

Peonies?

♪ Were the friends who were near me to cheer me

♪ Believe, me they knew, but you

♪ You're the kind who would hurt me, desert me

♪ When I needed you

[ALL CHATTERING]

So, I was wondering if there's anything that you guys want to share.

GIRL: I'm indignant.

I don't care much about winning or losing that much.

I mean, we dance, we have fun, well, too bad if we lost.

But, I mean, it's just that one of the teams,

the red team, it just didn't seem like

that they should be one of the gold levels.

I think the other schools danced horribly.

I mean, they were all jolty, and...

ALLISON: Listen, I don't want to, you know, make comments

about other schools.

I want you to think about us, and think about what we did really well.

All along I tried explaining it to you,

it wasn't about the competition.

It was just about learning ballroom dancing.

Well, when I saw everyone dance,

well, I didn't think that anyone

could do any better than they did,

like, what we did, what we practiced, that's all what we could do

and if they don't see that then that's their problem.

GIRL: Everything that we learned, we did right.

We were smiling we were, uh, we were doing the moves right,

we had eye-to-eye connection,

we were focusing, we were having fun.

If we did so good, why didn't we go to the semi-finals or finals?

GIRL: Because it's the... It's the judge's opinion, not ours.

All right.

It's their opinion of what a good posture is

and what good eye-to-eye contact is.

And we might have been doing it the way we learned.

But they didn't see it as the way

they learned it was supposed to be.

BOY: If everybody that was competing

could have done one thing

a little bit better.

And I don't know.

I think you did the best that you could do.

I know, that's in the past.ALLISON: It's in the past.

I just kind of felt, when I went away,

that I still could have done a little bit better.Ok.

PRISCILLA: But we did a lot of mistakes.

We did a lot of mistakes and we still got in second place.

I think it should have been harder. It was not too hard.

It was like, it was just like dancing in a regular auditorium.

GIRL: I liked the cheering, it gave me confidence.

At least I know, like, someone wants us to win.

So, like, um, we could keep on dancing.

They make us practice and practice

until we're sweating to death, or something.

And then they say, "The competition is starting."

Then they had us dance with a new partner that I'd never, ever seen.

[ALL GIGGLING]

It's like... It's like an alien. Dancing with an alien.

I was doing this. He said, "stop."

The girl was like an adult.

She was, like, so tall! I'm like...

Hey, at least I'm having fun!

BOY: I think it was pretty good

'cause I'm just glad that we, uh, like, didn't get bronze

and I just had a lot of fun.

At least we got something.

It's not like we didn't get anything.

It was the best that we actually got to that competition.

We could have got to the second competition if we'd tried harder,

but we just wanted to have fun.

We didn't want to try hard, we just wanted fun.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

Okay, together. Let's go. Let's go.

[YOMAIRA SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

EMCEE: Can we please start off with our merengue teams?

[ALL CHEERING]

[GIRLS ALL CHANTING IN SPANISH]

All right. Shh, now.

Music, please.

[SPANISH MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 6. Go!

[ALL CLAPPING IN TIME]

GIRL 1: I'm worried, because it's like

our team is getting, like, so apart.

And Angie, I heard she had some problems.

And that she might not, she might not go to compete.

Three people that might not go: Kelvin...

GIRL 2: Kelvin don't want to dance with me.

GIRL 3: Don't want to dance with her?

She wants to put... She wants...

She wants Kelvin to dance foxtrot with you,

and Joshua to dance, um, swing with me.

And...and my partner, I think he's being lazy. Lazy, very lazy.

GIRL 2: He's lazy, he doesn't like to do anything.

And, um...That's sad.

I hope that Miss Reynoso and Miss Zeppie fix this

because then, if we don't fix this by Wednesday, we're toast.

GIRL 1: That is true.

And right now I'm feeling a little bit

not sure that we're gonna win.

GIRL 2: Me neither.

GIRL 3: Me neither.

[FEVER BY PEGGY LEE PLAYING ON STEREO]

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

EMCEE: Take a bow!

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

Thank you.

Rumba teams on the floor, please.

[RUMBA MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

5, 6, ready, go!

GIRL: Just because...

Do you see the look that I give to Wilson

when I'm doing the turn in the rumba?

Just because of that, I like him.

I let them think whatever they want. They just wanna talk.

I feel sorry for him.

Especially him, that he don't even know English that much.

And you remember that Jonathan that had to say sorry to him?

'Cause he said, "Oh, you gay, whatever, whatever."

And Miss Reynoso was like...

GIRL: She made him say sorry.Yeah.

I think he's a very special person, 'cause he came in new.

GIRL 2: And he's going to the competition.

And he's going to the competition.

[ALL CHEERING]

EMCEE: Take your bows, thank you.

Swing!

[SWING MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

Wait for it.

5, 6, ready, go!

[ALL CHEERING]

GIRL 1: Didn't Miss Reynoso ask you, "What about the skirt?"

So, when you're dancing, what you gonna do?

She didn't ask you?

Yeah!

What'd you say?She said...

I was like, "I'm gonna pick it up."

That's...that's... That was my answer.

What are you going to do? Leave it on the floor? Dance naked? No.

Pick it up. She went like, "no!"

I'm gonna take it off and throw it and keep dancing like that.

I'm like, "no."

GIRL 2: And dance naked?

EMCEE: Take a bow.

[ALL CHEERING]

All right.

JUDGE: Does that make sense?

This, this and this. Thank you very much. You got it.

Ladies and gentlemen.

The grand final is going to be

on Wednesday

at the World Financial Center's winter garden.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

I would like to have the yellow team

stand in front of Miss Madeline.

The red team, stand in front of Miss Carol.

Violet team in front of Mrs. Solomon.

Escort position.

Give them all a big hand for the bronze level!

May I please have

the green team in front of Miss Carol?

The emerald team in front of Miss Madeline.

You have got the silver medal.

The indigo team, the blue team and the orange team

good luck for the grand finals. Congratulations.

I don't know, but I think that

this competition, the last one, I think it's gonna be easy.

GIRL: I don't think so!

There's gonna be the team there that won it the last time.

And I heard that this school from Queens

they got... They won the gold medal.

That...that was the school that won, us, last year.

Mmm-hmm.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

MINTZER: Look at her hips.

Justin messed up, he just messed up there.

ASSISTANT: Who? Justin?

Justin, straighten up!

Okay, bow. Circle.

Okay, gather around. Let's listen.

Good, good... Ah, ah, ah.

Okay. Rock on. Great Cuban motion.

You guys totally rule.

Um, make sure your frame matches hers.

You both have beautiful frame, but it's not the same frame.

Your arms should be touching.

MINTZER: The thing that I felt with this dance that

really, I think makes a difference,

and I told them that they need to feel it in here.

When you do the "one, two, hold." feel it.

Like kind of drag a little instead of one, two, here.

You can still do the hips, but I want you to do one, two, hold.

Yam, pum.

Feel it, I wanna see that expression.

Wow, you're really into it.

Trust me, a key thing is your expression

and your attitude.

Okay, let's see the tango.

Don't be a bully. Don't let him push you.

All right, attitude! Real attitude.

ASSISTANT: James Bond!

Layla, remember? Bend your knees a little.

Okay, smile. You, too.

[MUSIC PLAYING ON STEREO]

Smile.

Matthew, don't turn out.

Matthew's good.

James Bond. Smile, just a little.

What I'm talking about...Oh, my God!

...I just always managed to say...

And you know we're at the citywide ballroom.

You know what? We'll do our best

and I hope we, I hope it's here to stay for awhile.

I think we need to build a permanent home for it, you know. We never...

WOMAN: It needs a shrine.

Maybe...maybe if we make a shrine, you know?

Like, build, like, this plexiglas. It knows it can't leave.

We love you, ballroom... Maybe if we're, like, really extra nice to it,

it really like, it'll want to stay here, you know.

I love it. Nice. It's like the genie,

you rub it, you rub it, you know, like the top, and it...

Boom, winner!

[SIREN WAILING]

ELSAMELYS: Jatnna, what do you think about the hairstyle?

JATNNA: I wish I could have bad hair

so that my bump would look more nice.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

JATNNA: I wish I could have curly hair.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Oh, my Lord!

I feel fine 'cause, like, I want to be on the basketball team.

'Cause I just want to, like, play basketball, and not dance anymore.

'Cause I dance every day at my house,

why am I gonna dance in school?

I want to play basketball.

And I wish them good luck.

Have fun.

And you better... And you better bring the...the championship trophy.

What's that?

Can you believe that those two huge buildings used to stand there?

That's crazy.

YOMAIRA: 1:15.

I don't have to tell you how to behave.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

RODNEY: You're representing your school, okay?

[ALL CHATTERING]

BOY: They have the palm trees, too?

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

It's facing out, the flower, rather than in to the boy.

We have to fix yours, Erica.

Man, this is like a double Windsor. All right.

You guys gotta tuck your shirts in all the way.

Not baggy, not loose, tuck them in all the way, all right?

It's not important to look good, but to smell good.

Gotta get some right here.

Oh, see, now, he's gotta check the hair.

All right, make sure there's nothing

standing up. All right, okay, cool.

You look sharp, bro.

That made a big difference.

MINTZER: Last minute things.

Each dance, merengue, keep your knees...

Down. Bent. okay.

And in the foxtrot, don't go up.

Move your derrieres, right.

It's very slight. Keep the body...

Body with your partner.

Smile, the biggest thing, okay?

Are we all set?

BOYS: Oh, yeah.

Anybody nervous?

[ALL CHATTERING]

YOMAIRA: This time you're not gonna have the same judges.

You're going to have professional dancers and people

from all over the world judging you.

Okay, remember, I'm not gonna be there with you, so...

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

I am nervous.

Okay, no, you're not.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[AUDIENCE CHATTERING]

I love you all.

EMCEE: Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the colors of the rainbow team match.

From Manhattan, P.S. 189, the red team.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Ladies and gentlemen,

from the South Bronx, P.S. 1, the violet team.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

From Queens, P.S. 122, the pink team.

And from Manhattan, Washington heights

P.S. 115, the indigo team.

From Brooklyn, P.S. 205, the orange team.

Ladies and gentlemen, from Queens,

P.S. 144, the emerald team.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

And ladies and gentlemen,

last, but not by any means least

from Brooklyn, the green team, P.S. 120.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, the colors of the rainbow.

Thank you. Now. The judges are ready.

The merengue teams stay on the stage, please,

and all of the other teams, escort your partner

back where you came from.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first dance, merengue, por favor.

[MERENGUE MUSIC PLAYING]

5, 6, ready, go.

Go indigo!

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

Indigo! Indigo! Indigo! Indigo!

EMCEE: Take a bow!

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

May I have the foxtrot teams, please.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Music, please.

[THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT BY FRANK SINATRA PLAYING]

Attitude!

5, 6, 7, go.

♪ Some day

♪ When I'm awfully low

♪ When the world is cold

♪ I will feel a glow

♪ Just thinking of you

♪ And the way you look tonight

ZEPPIE: Several of the children on the team

were challenging children,

as far as behavior issues, academic issues.

Michell is an adorable little girl.

Michell has a little mind of her own.

And Michell is a handful.

Even her mother would be kind of frustrated

and wondering what will be next.

She certainly was a very mischievous, incorrigible young lady,

and certainly not focused on school

or what she should be focused on.

And...and I think that

Michell has turned herself around to have real goals

and...and a much higher opinion of herself.

And I will tell you that Michell has not shown up in my office

this year, once.

For behavior problems. Not once.

So if that's not a dramatic improvement, I don't know what is.

♪ It touches my foolish heart

♪ Lovely, don't you ever change

♪ Keep that breathless charm

♪ Won't you please arrange it?

♪ 'Cause I love you

♪ Just the way you look tonight

♪ Mmm, mmm

♪ Mmm, mmm

♪ Just the way you look tonight ♪

And take a bow.

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, the dance from Cuba. Rumba!

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

[RUMBA MUSIC PLAYING]

Ready, go.

What color!

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

EMCEE: Take a bow!

[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]

May I now have the tango team?

[TANGO MUSIC PLAYING]

5, 6, ready, go.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

[WOMAN SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

EMCEE: And take a bow.

Thank you. Are you ready for the swing?

Are you ready for the swing?

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

So, let's go. Swing.

[JIVE MUSIC PLAYING]

[CROWD CHEERING]

EMCEE: Thank you very much. Thank you.

Okay.

We have to have a little bit of time for...

Miss Danielle and Miss Yvonne are doing the numbers.

Thank you very much, ladies.

And while they're doing that

I would like to ask

all of our alternate teams to come up on stage.

Ladies and gentlemen.

The teams that had to know all five dances

just in case somebody got sick.

So you need to show us what your mama gave you.

Merengue, please.

[MERENGUE MUSIC PLAYING]

5, 6, 5, 6, here we go.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

And take a bow.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you very, very much.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have the results.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

Now,

may I ask for the pink team, ladies and gentlemen,

to stand in escort position behind Mr. Danny?

May I ask the blue team to stand behind Miss Heather?

May I ask the green team to stand behind Miss Ellen?

Ladies and gentlemen, these three teams today receive

the bronze level medal.

May I now, please, have our yellow team stand here?

Violet and orange.

Ladies and gentlemen, you've won the silver level.

Congratulations.

Okay, now, the red team, stand right here, please.

The emerald team, stand here, please.

The indigo team, stand here, please.

Ladies and gentlemen, these are our gold winners.

So, what has to happen right now,

only one of the golden teams

will take home the challenge trophy.

Last year, P.S. 144 won it.

Who will win this year?

All right. So.

I'm going to ask Miss Reinking

to choose one of these dances. Please.

Could you tell us what it is?

MISS REINKING: Merengue.

The merengue team will dance.

And the tango team will dance.Tango.

May I have the three merengue teams come to me?

Now, you cannot dance merengue,

so choose another dance.

Rumba.

Yes!

Ladies and gentlemen, this is for the challenge trophy.

Rumba!

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Go Kelvin!

5, 6, 7, go.

ZEPPIE: You know, somebody said to me a long time ago

the key to success in life is to find something that you love to do.

And to do it very well.

And I tell that to the kids all the time.

Kelvin was very, very close to being a street kid.

A street thug.

Maybe even down the road to being a criminal.

But as we got started with the program

and Kelvin started to interact with Rodney,

we started to see a change in him.

He became almost like a little gentleman. Very polite.

Really committed to his team, to his dance partner,

and he has been such a role model for other kids.

Because he has leadership capabilities and kids will follow,

because they look up to him and they want to be like Kelvin.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

I think that Kelvin is gonna be fine.

I think Kelvin is gonna be a big success.

He's on the right path now.

And I attribute a large percentage of that to the dance program.

EMCEE: Now, you can't do tango. Good luck.

Merengue!

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

Go, Jatnna, attitude!

[MUSIC PLAYING]

EMCEE: Ready, go.

[AUDIENCE CHEERING]

Indigo! Indigo! Indigo!

EMCEE: And take a bow!

Thank you very, very much.

Okay.

Are you crossing your fingers?

Crossing your ankles?

All right.

We have to wait a couple of more moments.

We have to wait.

Shh. We are waiting.

Ladies and gentlemen, there's no second, there's no third.

There's only one challenge trophy.

The indigo team!

[CHILDREN SCREAMING]

Oh, yeah!

We rock! We rock!

[ALL CHEERING]

ALL: Go dancers! Go dancers!

[ALL SCREAMING]

[MAD HOT BALLROOM BY TINA FABRIQUE PLAYING]

♪ 5, 6, 5, 6, 7, 8

♪ Upstairs, they're sleepin'

♪ But downstairs, a party's goin' on

♪ Back front again, back front again

♪ Upstairs, they're peepin'

♪ The sloppy chicken wings are gone

♪ Gentlemen

♪ Tuck your shirts in your pants

♪ Okay, now you're ready to dance

♪ Why not, you got a shot

♪ Up at the mad hot ballroom

What would you like to be when you grow up?

I was thinking about it a few times.

First, I wanted to become a lawyer.

But then I realized that it takes a while to become a lawyer.

♪ Uptown, they're swingin'

♪ And swayin' all day long

♪ Downtown, they learnin' the moves to every song

I want to be an architect, because when you're an architect,

first of all, you can earn a lot of money,

and second of all, it's the only job

where you can really, really use

your imagination to make something.

Like, if I were going to make that building I wouldn't make it like that.

That's a really ugly, boring building.

♪ Some kids are hanging out in the street

♪ But we're gonna groove to a different beat

♪ I like to move my hips a lot

♪ Mad hot ballroom

Like, around high school, I want to have a boyfriend

and when I finish college, I want to get married,

and then at the age of 25, 26, I want to have babies.

I would like to be a mother, but only have one child.

No more childs. Because I would not want to have my house

to be all messy because of my child.

No, no, no. I would just have one child.

♪ When you look in your partner's eyes

♪ I'll bet you find yourself a wonderful surprise

♪ What I mean is

♪ Upstairs, they're sleepin'

♪ But downstairs, the party's goin' strong

♪ Uptown or downtown

♪ You're right where you belong

♪ Looks like my love is improving

♪ Moving on the ballroom floor

♪ Guess, I need that mad hot ballroom

♪ Mad hot ballroom more

Falling in love makes, like, happiness.

That's what it's all about.

You two, like two people bonding together.

Like, loving each other,

and knowing that they're going to have a happy life together.

Like, marriage, knowing that they're

going to have a happy life together.

It's like two people going together

either to bond together,

to love... To love each other and maybe even have a child.

It's just how they like each other.

It's so beautiful!

It's so beautiful!

♪ Then when you're holding your partner's hand

♪ You could let him know how much you'll understand

♪ Upstairs, they're sleepin'

♪ But downstairs, the party's goin' strong

♪ Uptown or downtown

♪ You're right where you belong

♪ Looks like my life is improving

♪ Moving on the ballroom floor

♪ Guess I need that mad hot ballroom

♪ Mad hot ballroom more

♪ Yeah, yes I need that mad hot ballroom

♪ Mad hot ballroom

♪ Floor