We (my family) watched an AWESOME documentary this evening entitled Mad Hot Ballroom which received an 83% positive rating at RottenTomatoes.com.

In this documentary we follow several groups of fifth graders (age 10) in the New York City public school system as they are introduced to ballroom dancing in their P.E. classes.  A handful of these kids go on to compete in a city wide ballroom dance competition.  The results are amazing, delightful and heartwarming.

There are lots of reasons I love this movie…

You get to see teachers who love teaching.  You get to see kids who love learning how to dance.  You get to see 10 year olds talking about what it’s like to be 10 years old.

My first job out of college was working as a professional dancer with a group known as the Green Grass Cloggers.  (if you have a good eye you can spot me in this photo from 1986).  I danced and traveled with this group full time for one year.  I got into this scene in college because of the great music and dance community.  I had so much fun playing music (banjo) and dancing and I learned a lot about how to work with (dance with) others who are incredibly passionate about “getting it right” and being professional.  Up until this point, music and dance was just a hobby.  Making it into a job caused me to grow in ways unexpected and, to this day, I still benefit from.

All this to say – – You must watch Mad Hot Ballroom.  And if you’re lucky, you will pick up on the nuances of dance and how they apply to building high performing teams.

“And a five, six, seven, eight…”