Watch Step Up: Year of the Dance

Step Up: Year of the Dance is a dance movie that came out in 2019 directed by Ron Yuan. The film features a talented cast of dancers including Jade Chynoweth, Sean Lew and Stuart D. Latham who are all well-known in the dance community. The story of the film is centered around the dimming dance community of Houhai Arts School, a well-known institution that is at risk of closing due to lack of funding. Jingjing, played by Jade Chynoweth, is a standout dancer who has the potential to save the school from closure. She is tasked with putting together a dance crew, which she must lead to participate in the upcoming "Street Dance of China" competition. The winning team receives a substantial amount of money that the Houhai school can use to stay open.

Jingjing initially struggles to put together a crew as many of the other students at the school look down upon street dance and the other hip hop styles that she wants to incorporate into her routine. Eventually, she finds a few talented dancers who are also passionate about street dance, including twins Janelle and Joby played by Meiqi Meng and Yixuan Zhou and the amusingly flirty Harry, played by Zhengting Zhu.

As Jingjing and her crew prepare for the competition, they face many obstacles. They must learn how to work together as a team, develop new dance styles, and work with limited resources. Some of the other teams in the competition make fun of their street dance style, adding an extra element of pressure to the team.

As the competition approaches, tensions rise not only within Jingjing's crew but also in her personal life. Jingjing must navigate her feelings towards Hao, played by Tin Chi Law, a rival from another dance school, and her loyalty to her father, who doesn't approve of street dance and wants her to focus solely on ballet.

The dance sequences in the film are nothing short of amazing. Each dance routine feels fresh, exciting, and unique. The movie's ability to mix ballet and street dance seamlessly is a testament to the creativity of Yuan and his team.

Step Up: Year of the Dance is a perfect movie for people who love dance, music and stories about triumphing against long odds. While it has all the elements of an underdog story, it manages to stay fresh and engaging by subverting some of the familiar tropes usually found in such films. Instead of having the seasoned veteran come in to lead the team to victory, the movie focuses on the power of collaboration and the necessity of new and fresh approaches to art and dance.

Overall, Step Up: Year of the Dance is a thrilling dance movie that represents the state of modern dance culture. The movie's broad dance styles and the way in which they're blended with traditional ballet are perfect examples of where dance is headed, and how it can help bring multiple cultures together. The movie showcases the ability of street dance to inspire people and communities and its power to make a difference, and is an excellent viewing experience even for those who are not typically fans of dance movies.

Step Up: Year of the Dance is a 2019 music movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 3.7.