Watch the trailer: Dance for Me premieres Monday, July 21, 2014, at 10 PM on PBS stations. (Check local listings.) Watch the program online for free starting Tuesday, July 22, 2014, for a limited time.
Since success in the intensely competitive art of professional ballroom dancing depends on finding the right partner, aspiring Danish dancers often look beyond their borders to find their matches. In Dance for Me, 15-year-old Russian performer Egor leaves home and family to team up with 14-year-old Mie, one of Denmark’s most promising young dancers. Strikingly different, Egor and Mie bond over their passion for Latin dance — and for winning. As they head to the championships, so much is at stake: emotional bonds, career and the future. Dance for Me is a poetic coming-of-age story, with a global twist and thrilling dance moves.
The broadcast will also feature a new StoryCorps animated short, A Good Man. In A Good Man, Bryan Wilmoth and his seven younger siblings were raised in a strict, religious home. He talks to his brother Mike about what it was like to reconnect years after their dad kicked Bryan out for being gay.
“As a former dancer, I know that dance can be a relief and can even help put things right when you feel out of balance,” says Dance for Me filmmaker Katrine Philp. “I know how it feels to train your body to be perfect — both in appearance and in movement. And I know how hard it can be not to achieve your dream — even though you have done everything in your power to get there. All these elements are part of Egor and Mie’s daily life, and I understand completely what they are facing. They have chosen to dance at the elite level — with all the sacrifices that entails.”
After the broadcast, visit the Dance for Me companion site to watch the full film online for free for a limited time following the broadcast (July 22 to August 20, 2014), learn from the filmmaker in an extended video interview, find out what’s happened to the dancers since the cameras stopped rolling, download a discussion guide and other viewing resources, and ask filmmaker Katrine Philp and dancer Egor Kondratenko your questions live on Google+ on Tuesday, July 22, 2014 (the day after broadcast) from 1-2 PM ET (10-11 AM PT).
“A moving story of a young dancer that has left behind everything for his dream, and together with his partner faces great expectations, cultural challenges and a constant requirement to perform.” — Documentary Edge
And watch Dance for Me on your TV or laptop and enter for a chance to win the DVD and film poster, plus popcorn, chocolate, coffee and more! Enter now at pov.org/premiereparty, and share your thoughts using the hashtag #danceforme.
Dance for Me premieres Monday, July 21, 2014, at 10 PM on PBS stations. (Check local listings.)
For updates on POV’s 2014 season, subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.
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