Films & Events

Gotta Dance

Director and Broadway producer Dori Berinstein's exuberant and warm-hearted documentary opens with a quote from Florenz Zeigfeld (by way of wife Billie Burke), Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese. While her previous effort, Gotta DanceSome Assembly Required, revolved around kids, Gotta Dance focuses on folks 60 and above. Not the kind who putter around the house in slippers all day, but the kind who like to hoof it. In this case, as members of the NETSationals Senior Dance Team, part of the New Jersey Nets entertainment package. The Nets Dancers hold the auditions, which attract hopefuls from all walks of life (including a few dancer grandparents), select 13, and begin rehearsals. As Joe Bianco explains, The only way that a chubby guy like me would be able to pick up girls is not because of my looks, it's because of my feet. The other participants, like 80-year-old grandmother Fanny Militar, have equally compelling stories, and Berinstein delves into their diverse backgrounds while capturing their crowd-pleasing hip-hop performances and the media stardom that follows their first season. As Berinstein says in her director's statement, I’ve witnessed ageism and it stinks.” Her inspiring film offers a welcome corrective. Director Dori Berinstein expected to attend May 25 screening

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Sponsor:
Alaska Airlines

Cast & Crew

Director: Dori Berinstein
Producer: Dori Berinstein
Editor: Adam Zucker
Cinematographer: Leo Lawrence

Music: Craig Sharmat
Filmography: Some Assembly Required (2008); ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2007)

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(2 reviews)

User reviews

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    Heart-warming and life-affirming!, May 26, 2009

    By zhwang

    “Grandmothers dancing hip-hop? Fun, fun, fun!! A group of seniors age 60 and above - 12 women and 1 man - were recruited by the New Jersey Nets to form a new dance team. Director Dori Berinstein brings us through their journey of hard training, warm camaraderie, national fame, and audience adoration” … full review

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    awesome!, Jun 08, 2009

    By denisepacker1

    “these women (and man) are everything i want to be if and when i ever grow up! they were so funny and real and completely unfazed by all the attention! it was such a cleaver documentary and well worth seeing again and again. i think this one is sure to be picked up because of it's huge amount of” … full review

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Screenings

SIFF Cinema
May 25, 2009 4:00 PM
4:00 PM (Date has passed.)
Kirkland Performance Center
June 3, 2009 4:30 PM
4:30 PM (Date has passed.)