Shake the Dust

As with similar breakdancing documentaries, Shake the Dust offers testimony to the self-esteem and sense of escape that hip-hop dance affords some impoverished younger people, only here in different parts of the world. Filmmaker Adam Sjöberg takes an enthusiastic tour of four developing countries (Colombia, Uganda, Yemen, and Cambodia) where he finds communities of kids who entertain one another (and happy passersby) by breakdancing wherever there happens to be an available surface, whether it's the dusty ground of a crumbling building or a corner in some public square. The quality of dance may vary greatly from one person to the next, but the cultural and political accessibility of hip-hop and street dancing extends to all comers—so even though the best dancers are widely admired as local legends, everyone who enters the center of the circle to spin and tumble is a star. Sjöberg talks to extremely well-spoken youngsters (often speaking in English) who explain what breakdancing means and how it helps fill out the narrative of a life characterized by feelings of hopelessness or more dangerous temptations. While Sjöberg gives viewers the big picture during the first half-hour, he subsequently focuses on individual stories of adversity and triumph, such as that of a Ugandan boy who danced at his mother's funeral. Executive-produced by rapper Nas, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)