Strike a Pose

Most who saw the 1991 documentary Truth or Dare, which followed the on-and-offstage culture of Madonna's “Blond Ambition” tour, will likely recall the male dancers who threw themselves into the fierce choreography, spotlighting vibrant male sexuality at the peak of the AIDS crisis. Filmmakers Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan's Strike a Pose reflects back on that sensational and sometimes controversial tour, catching up with six of those surviving dancers today (we also learn about a seventh member, Gabriel Trupin, who died of AIDS in 1995). The result is an entertaining and insightful look at these iconic performers a quarter-century after their brief time in the limelight, with some surprising details about the aftermath of “Blond Ambition.” Madonna herself does not appear here, except through a generous sampling of footage from Truth or Dare, and the documentary largely consists of a series of interviews with the former dancers, who have (to varying degrees) aged fairly well, some having dealt with drugs and alcohol, and a couple coping with being HIV positive. Familiar faces Luis Camacho and Jose Gutierez (veterans of the vogue-ing scene that Madonna celebrated in song), hip-hop dancer Oliver Crumes III (the only heterosexual in the group), and Carlton Wilborn are among those we hear from and see reunite for an evening of—what else—a game of Truth or Dare. More surprising is word of the lawsuits that three of these dancers brought against Madonna following “Blond Ambition.” Not every memory here is a happy one. Extras include additional interviews. Recommended. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights for $349 from Bond Educator, www.bondeducator.com]. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)