Dancing in Jaffa – movie review

         This hour and 40 minute film documents the journey of one ballroom champion returning to his home town to teach children of two divergent groups to dance. These children are not just from different neighborhoods, they’re from different heritages and religions, cultures perpetually on the brink of war.


          Internationally renowned ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine returns to his city of birth, Jaffa along the coast of Israel to teach 10 year old Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli children to dance and compete …together.  The film follows specifically the complex stories of a couple of different children who have had to deal with issues of prejudice, religious and cultural separation and politics of the unsettled region.

          While the individual stories are tender and touching, the bigger story is how the teaching experience becomes a microcosm of the Middle East’s struggle to work together in harmony.

          This is not a big film. It didn’t need to be made. The cinematography isn’t perfect. But I’m sure glad it was made. There’s nothing like showing children dealing with issues that adults have created for them.  We’re screwing up these precious, innocent, little sponges of delightful curiosity with our wars and politics and religious differences that get in the way of respecting the ways of others.

          Okay, okay….I’ll remember that this is a movie review and step down from my soap box and just say:  you’ll learn something if you take the time to see this little film. You’ll learn something about life in another part of the world and … about yourself.

Four out of five ticket stubs

Contact Antonia at antoniasseniormoments@hotmail.com