There's a whole genre of dance that you may never have heard of, but after the world premiere of Jamal Sims' When the Beat Drops on Sunday, March 11 at the Miami Film Festival, the word may be out.
The documentary uncovers an underground dance movement, bucking, which is predominant in the LGBTQ community, and which centers on a group of dancers in Atlanta, Ga., and one of the pioneers of bucking, identified as Big Anthony.
Big Anthony is one of the pioneer of contemporary dance movement bucking, and is featured in the film "When The Beat Drops."
The Huffington Post explained the film like this: "Just as voguing was pioneered by members of the ballroom scene, bucking is thriving among displaced troupes of black gay men across the South."
Sims, who has choreographed for Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, finds a story in the characters of his documentary, which makes this more narrative feature, than documentary, and pleasantly so.
There's Big Anthony (Davis), who spearheaded the buck sensation in Atlanta in the 1990s. As the film's press notes say: "Anthony’s crew, comprised largely of other gay African-American men, grew into a family and, eventually, a national movement incorporating fierce competitions and becoming a force of education and affirmation."
And when Anthony suffers a setback after he's mugged in a grocery store parking lot, it's a dramatic character arc at its finest.
But this is real life, kids; not fiction. There are other edge of seat moments like when you're placed in the midst of the first Big Buck competition, where Phi Phi battles it out with a crew from Detroit. Guess who you are rooting for until the very end.
"Beat" also turns into a historical tome of the roots of bucking, although this fantastically, hyper active film never slows down to the tell the story. We meet the female dancers at HBCU's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), who perform the athletic style dance that you may recognize came in mainstream from Beyonce's video "Single Ladies."
Bucking, a style that is fluid, sensual, and perceived as female dance, was adopted by young, black, gay men in the South. However, the documentary shows the stigma that the men have internalized both for wanting to perform the dance, and because of the social stereotype of the men who participate. Therefore, it is still very much kept underground because of fears.
One dancer, a schoolteacher, relays his fears of being fired if his passion for bucking is discovered. Sims takes us inside their personal lives, outside of the dance pursuits, including family and personal struggles: We meet, for instance, one of the dancers, Flash, and his struggles with his mother, nicknamed Lil' Man, who has been incarcerated for drugs, and who talks, on camera, about her addiction to crack, and what that has meant to her family.
Watch The Trailer:
The movie, produced by Jordan Finnegan and World of Wonder’s Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, will premiere at the Miami Film Festival, then, according to Finnegan, will be followed by another film festival, that, as of yet, the producers have not yet announced. Additionally, "We are discussing distribution strategies with the interested parties to figure out the most effective and powerful platform to roll out the film," says Finnegan.
A mix of "Bring It On," "Step Up," and a heroic and historical documentary, which chronicles as dance movement, also shows strength in the face of adversity and what it means to create your own path. That's just part of what gives "When The Beat Drops" its heart and soul.
"When the Beat Drops" premieres Sunday March 11th @ 6:30pm at Regal 17, 1100 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Find the complete Miami Film Festival program here.
