See Jane
Dance
Running Time: 12:58, 24p color, sound
View
the trailer
View the film
Synopsis
When suburban housewife
Jane finds herself in the humdrum of daily life,
she takes a Brazilian dance class that changes
her outlook on life.
Festival
Screenings
Review
by Rory L. Aronsky (Click
to view article)
In all that we’ve learned
from the movies, such as how to catch a killer,
it’s always been clear that any life can
be changed by learning how to dance. Harried
businessmen (such as Koji Yakusho and Richard
Gere in “Shall We Dansu?” and the
Americanized version of that film), troubled
students (“Take the Lead”), struggling
students (“Fame”), and changing
towns (“Footloose”) all took part
in that rapidly growing cliché, but despite
the frumpy, frizzy-haired, red-headed housewife
Jane (Dawn Joyal) firing up her empty, routine
life through dance in “See Jane Dance”,
there’s something true about her transformation
that Hollywood wouldn’t dare think of
for fear that it wouldn’t be marketable.
At the beginning, living a humdrum life, Jane
picks up her daughter (Stephanie Joyal) from
school, makes dinner, and sits on the couch
knitting and watching TV while her husband (Christopher
Fraenza) snores closely next to her. Cleverly
enough, editor Derrick Boelter drives this point
through without hammering it, as he repeats
it three times without using mournful music.
Her life sucks. After running into a sensuous-looking
Brazilian woman (Ana Laidley) at the dry cleaners
and inadvertently taking her outfit home, Jane
calls her and arrives at a Brazilian dance class
and initially waves off the offer to attend
the new class being offered in a few days, obviously
too shy for it. But seeing what her life has
become---chaffeur, cook, knitter---she goes
for it, eventually losing long-held inhibitions.
Jane’s transformation, unlike other movies
that feature these kinds of transformations,
is not made through makeup or a new dress. Her
face brightens, she becomes more lively, and
is far happier at what she has found. It is
empowering, without being cloying, and inspiring,
without being maudlin. Most importantly, it
works on the level of the average person doing
something for themselves to be happier. And
that is the most refreshing part of all.
Directed
by
Mona Nash
Written
by
Colleen Gallion
Produced
by
Shelly Gant & Mona Nash
Cast
Dawn Joyal
Christopher Farenza
Stephanie Joyal
Ana Laidley
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