Mad Hot Ballroom is a documentary film by director Marilyn Agrelo about a ballroom dance program for fifth graders in the New York City public school system. The documentary premiered at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival and was purchased by Paramount Classics and Nickelodeon Movies. It is the only Nickelodeon film to be released by Paramount Vantage.
Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes hilarious perspectives, these kids are transformed, from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen," on their way to try to compete in the final citywide competition. Providing unique insight into the incredible cultural diversity that is New York City, this film profiles several kids from three schools (out of 60) at this dynamic age, when becoming that "cool" teenager vies for position with familiar innocence, while they learn the merengue, rumba, tango, the foxtrot and swing. Written by Anonymous
