This documentary follows the Rock Kidz Crew, a revolutionary street dance team that forever changed the world of modern breakdancing. An inspiring film that disseminates life lessons as well as entertaining content.
I was excited to see this film because I thought it was going to have the essence of the movies “First Position” or “Step,” but I was wrong. “The Rising Sun” is a story about a group of street breakdancers called the Roc Kidz Crew who came together through a love of breakdancing. I loved their dancing style, the passion they putinto rehearsing and the commitment. The dance technique is incredible to watch, the movements are so precise, and you can tell it comes from a place of love and a deep desire to express themselves through this form of art. What made is super special was the fact that they have a dancer with a disability but he still finds a way to be just as good as the others. He is definitely very inspiring to anyone who loves dance.
What I didn’t like about the movie is that it is all dance and lacks an actual backstory. You will never know how each of them met, what their childhood was like, when they started to dance and why they gravitated towards breakdancing. You will never see behind the scenes of how they handle any conflict within the group because most of the footage is either dancing or them joking around with each other. There is a brief scene with one of the parents talking about their upbringing, but that is not enough to carry a strong story, especially about dance. When youhave a documentary about a group of exceptional self-trained dancers, you need to include the backstory of how they came to be.
I was captivated by the breakdancing but I couldn’t get past wondering how they all became so good. How did they learn so many specific moves without any training and what their families thought of their hippy lifestyle with five guys and one female living in a van traveling just to dance on the streets? I wanted to see struggle, I wanted to see some failures or setbacks, I wanted to see outside friendships and how it affected their relationship with the group. I wanted to see a full documentary from start to finish not just dance. You will enjoy the breakdancing if you are a fan but you will be hungry for a solid story. Too bad!
Available on DVD February 5th from Corinth Films
