Monday, August 31, 2020

BALLROOM BOYS

In the world of competitive ballroom, there's a serious shortage of young male dancers, and hundreds of girls lining up for every boy. This one-off observational documentary from first-time director Carla Wright follows four of these rare boys from a small part of the South Wales' Valleys, as they prepare for the biggest competition of their dancing lives so far... the UK Championships in Bournemouth. The ballroom boys train six days a week and compete most Sundays, but these boys don't just have the pressure of the competition to contend with. In an area where rugby is an obsession, it isn't easy to go against the grain - even more so when dance competitions require the boys to wear make-up and fake tan, which doesn't wash off before school. The boys face disapproval from peers, friends and even fathers. When the competition is over, will any of them decide that the pressure isn't worth it? (1 EP, 2016)