Rize up and dance.

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This is not a trend...

Too late. Madonna's gone and rubbed ABBA all over it. But don't worry, Clown, 'cos what you've got is so extraordinary and special and I hope that the spirit lives on long after Hung Up has dropped out of the charts.

Tonight I went to a preview screening of Rize and was blown away. The movement! The bodies! The people! Wow! Once again, dance is a wonderful thing, it's something real and human and give you hope. Here, the dancers have turned to dance as an alternative to the destructive force of gangs and, while the different groups are quite competitive, the movement is extremely aggressive and there still are instances of destructive violence that is common in a place like LA's South Central, there is so much spirit that makes it a beautiful thing. LaChapelle uncovers some truly amazing characters and gives it a bit (a LOT) of polish, complete with tight glistening bodies in slo-mo action. There's Miss Prissy, who is Prissy by day and something completely different at night GO GIRLFRIEND! and Tommy the Clown who is the father of the whole thing! Even the "liturgical Krumping" rings some kind of truth there.

It's been a good year for dance documentaries, hasn't it? People should be out on the streets dancing because dance is good. Don't take my word for it, see these movies and see for yourself.

Tags: Rize, Dance, Documentary.