STEP UP 2: THE STREETS

US, 2008, 98 minutes, Colour.
Brianna Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Adam G. Servani, Will Kemp.
Directed by Jon Chu.

It’s certainly exuberant and the cast are certainly agile – and even that is too simple a word to describe their dance acrobatics.

It’s certainly much the same as 2006’s Step Up. It has a Baltimore setting, dancing in the subway to the shock of commuters, dancing in the rough neighbourhoods (where the losing dancers take to graffiti vandalism and bashing instead of sublimating their anger in their dance as they usually do), dancing at the School of the Arts and, finally something that the athletic dancer and choreographer Gene Kelly would approve of: dancin’ in the rain.

The dialogue runs very much to formula and practically all of what happens is quite predictable, but that will not deter fans who don’t go to hear dialogue but to identify with the characters, their problems, what they do, what they wear and how they dance.

1.The audience for this film? Young, old? Dance audience? The streets and neighbourhoods?

2.The film as a sequel, the pattern of the first film, the focus on dance?

3.Baltimore, the city as a character, the art school, the streets, homes?

4.The musical score, the choreography and its agility? The design of the performances?

5.The initial performance in the train? Skill, people’s reactions? News on television? The police?

6.Andi as the central character, her voice-over, the death of her mother, her guardian and her strictness, the group on the streets, their performance, the leader, rehearsals, the train, photos? The dancing and its style? Tyler and his meeting her, talking about her future? At the dance? Chase? The ultimatum, her accepting it? Going to the audition, Chase’s presence, her getting in, Blake and his hostility? Her friends, meeting Moose, the poor dancing at the lesson, her trying, Chase and the interactions, her coldness towards him? His suggestion that they form a crew?

7.The crew, the group, the collage of the range of talented people but misfits? Rehearsals? Missy going to the group, joining? The performance, the Internet introduction, the group in the street spurning them? The meeting? Sophia, the relationship with Chase, everybody going to the barbeque, the Puerto Rican dancing, the spirit of dance?

8.Chase’s story, the ballet, the rich family, finding ballet boring, his interest in Andi, his pursuing her, her putting him off, his persistence, the break with Sophia?

9.The gang in the street, their skill in dancing, fighting, the attack on the group, the vandalism of the school, the bashing of Chase, the challenge? The final losing? Bad losers?

10.Blake, his ambitions for the school, the board, the auditions, his snobbery, the fundraiser, expelling Andi? Going to the street dance?

11.Andi and the crisis, taking the blame, her being expelled, her guardian’s reaction, the group coming to the door, the change of heart?

12.The climax, everybody going, Blake and his presence, Andi and her challenging speech, the rain, the performance, winning?

13.Everybody’s change of heart at the end?