Marilyn Agrelo's documentary on New York City fifth-graders who've been channeled into the stay-off-the-streets-and-stay-out-of-trouble activity of competitive ballroom dancing: "I see them turning into these ladies and gentlemen," one teacher manages to say while fighting back tears. We follow three disparate classes (only one of which will make it through to the citywide finals: "I still really don't understand what happened," a dejected curly top buttonholes the emcee at the quarterfinals, after his team falls three points short), and we follow them with an almost parental tunnel vision: we cannot really judge the competition; we have eyes only for "ours." Kids being kids, however, with no pumped-up heroes or villains (beyond a troublesome student named Jonathan, whose troubles go uninvestigated), this is an easy-to-like film with an easy-to-overlook fuzzy video image. (2005) — Duncan Shepherd
This movie is not currently in theaters.