DRAMA

The latest entry in the competitive step-dance cycle initiated by Bille Woodruff’s 2003 Honey, Ian Iqbal Rashid’s How She Move adds little to the tried-and-tested format of recent entries Step Up and sequel Step Up 2 The Streets.

Ripping off the central motivational premise from last year’s less than interesting campus drama Stomp the Yard, How She Move focuses on aspiring doctor Raya (Rutina Wesley). When her family finances are exhausted by the overdose of her sister, Raya is forced to enrol at her local public school. Bullied by former friend Michelle (Tre Armstrong), Raya seeks to express herself in the world of dance, but finds the male domination of the local step-dancing crews standing between her and a place at the annual Stepmaster competition.

An MTV production, How She Move’s natural energy is hampered by sanctimonious lectures about the value of education, accepting yourself and learning to be-all-you-can-be. While choreographer Hi Hat’s dance sequences are dynamically shot and edited, emphasising the physical aggression and agility of the performers, Rashid’s film comes too late in the cycle to move anyone; with stereotypical characters and hackneyed plotting, How She Move insults the very culture it seeks to celebrate.

General release from Fri 4 Apr.