The Forbidden Dance
Encyclopedia
The Forbidden Dance is a 1990 drama film
starring former Miss USA
Laura Harring
. Made to cash in on the Lambada
dance craze, it opened on the same day (March 16, 1990) as its competitor, Lambada
.
) is the princess of a Brazil
ian tribe who comes to Los Angeles
to stop an American corporation from destroying her rainforest home. With her is tribal shaman Joa (Sid Haig
), who uses black magic to get past the company guards and see the chairman of the corporation, resulting in his arrest.
Left to fend for herself in Los Angeles
alone, Nisa, with the help of Carmen (Angela Moya), finds work in a Beverly Hills mansion as the servant of an uptight couple whose son, Jason (Jeff James), lives only to dance. After spying on Nisa as she dances provocatively in her bedroom, Jason takes her out to a club. She is rejected by Jason's friends, and he is berated by his parents for dating the help.
Nisa runs away and gets a job at Xtasy, a sleazy dance joint/brothel, as a dance partner for male customers. Jason's friends visits the club and want to dance with Nisa, but Nisa refuses to dance with them. one of Jason's friends (Kenny Johnson) becomes sleazy towards her and she knees him in the groin. Later, the friends told Ashley-- Jason's girlfriend- and she runs back and tells Jason his little girlfriend is a sleaze working at Xtasy. He becomes morose, turns away from his buddies and girlfriend Ashley (Barbra Brighton) and goes to Xtasy to try to take Nisa out of the place. A bouncer beats up the would-be rescuer and prepares to deflower Nisa, but fortunately Joa walks in and magically stuns the attacker, which clears the place.
The shaman then heads back to the tribe, while Nisa and Jason, now in love, prepare for a dance contest, hoping to speak out about the plight of the rainforest
when they are showcased on TV.
They win the contest, but the corporation's head stooge, Benjamin Maxwell (Richard Lynch), kidnaps Nisa afterwards. Jason finds them and helps Nisa to escape, but twists his ankle, ruining their chances of performing on the TV show.
Luckily, Joa shows up backstage, heals Jason's wound, and the dance goes ahead as planned. The crowd loves them, Nisa's king father joins on stage, they start a boycott against the destruction of the rainforest, and everyone gets into the Lambada.
Tommy Davidson also makes a cameo in the film.
dance craze
. The script was commissioned on December 7, 1989 by Sawmill Entertainment and producer Richard L. Albert
after he had seen Kaoma
perform the song "Lambada
" in Los Angeles. The script was written in about ten days, and filming began within a month. Albert's Sawmill Entertainment hired the same writers and director recently employed in making the suspense film Sight Unseen starring Susan Blakely
. The film was shot on 35mm film in and around Los Angeles, California, and was completed when a color-corrected answer print and other film elements were delivered to Columbia Pictures on March 15, 1990. Editing went on around the clock, with two separate crews of film editors working while the film was being shot. Two choreographers were hired, Miranda Garrison and Felix Chavez, and the work apportioned between them. Film critic Roger Ebert visited the set while filming, as news was publicized how fast a major-studio film could be produced. The film featured the 1989 song "Lambada
", performed by the group Kaoma
, which became involved in the Lambada dance craze. It was released on March 16, 1990, the same day as rival film Lambada
– whose producers brought an action before the MPAA title registry to block the use of the word "Lambada" in the title. Notwithstanding that attempt, posters went up in New York before the release promoting "Lambada" in large type followed by "is the Forbidden Dance" with a picture of Laura Harring and Jeff James dancing in the rain forest.
Years after the release, the film finally found a cult following, especially after its continuous TV reruns and being sampled on pop singer's Jully Luz album Rainha do Gueto.
The film was panned by critics and received little attention in the theaters. "The Forbidden Dance is B-movie drab, and its dance sequences are barely sexier than a bowling tournament," said Jon Pareles of The New York Times
. "Heavy-handed and somewhat mean-spirited, The Forbidden Dance is a slapdash message movie, about as subtle as a clog dance," wrote Rita Kempley in The Washington Post
.
it was released on March 16, 1990. Opening on 637 theaters, it grossed $720,864. By the end of the theatrical run, it grossed $1,823,154. The Forbidden Dance received largely negative reviews, it currently holds a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
starring former Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
Laura Harring
Laura Harring
Laura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
. Made to cash in on the Lambada
Lambada
Lambada is a dance from Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in Latin America and Caribbean countries...
dance craze, it opened on the same day (March 16, 1990) as its competitor, Lambada
Lambada (film)
Lambada is a 1990 dramatic movie starring J. Eddie Peck, Melora Hardin, Ricky Paull Goldin, Dennis Burkley, and Keene Curtis. Lambada was written and directed by Joel Silberg....
.
Synopsis
Nisa (Laura HarringLaura Harring
Laura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
) is the princess of a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian tribe who comes to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to stop an American corporation from destroying her rainforest home. With her is tribal shaman Joa (Sid Haig
Sid Haig
Sid Haig is a American actor. His roles have included acting in Jack Hill's blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as his role as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's horror films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects...
), who uses black magic to get past the company guards and see the chairman of the corporation, resulting in his arrest.
Left to fend for herself in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
alone, Nisa, with the help of Carmen (Angela Moya), finds work in a Beverly Hills mansion as the servant of an uptight couple whose son, Jason (Jeff James), lives only to dance. After spying on Nisa as she dances provocatively in her bedroom, Jason takes her out to a club. She is rejected by Jason's friends, and he is berated by his parents for dating the help.
Nisa runs away and gets a job at Xtasy, a sleazy dance joint/brothel, as a dance partner for male customers. Jason's friends visits the club and want to dance with Nisa, but Nisa refuses to dance with them. one of Jason's friends (Kenny Johnson) becomes sleazy towards her and she knees him in the groin. Later, the friends told Ashley-- Jason's girlfriend- and she runs back and tells Jason his little girlfriend is a sleaze working at Xtasy. He becomes morose, turns away from his buddies and girlfriend Ashley (Barbra Brighton) and goes to Xtasy to try to take Nisa out of the place. A bouncer beats up the would-be rescuer and prepares to deflower Nisa, but fortunately Joa walks in and magically stuns the attacker, which clears the place.
The shaman then heads back to the tribe, while Nisa and Jason, now in love, prepare for a dance contest, hoping to speak out about the plight of the rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
when they are showcased on TV.
They win the contest, but the corporation's head stooge, Benjamin Maxwell (Richard Lynch), kidnaps Nisa afterwards. Jason finds them and helps Nisa to escape, but twists his ankle, ruining their chances of performing on the TV show.
Luckily, Joa shows up backstage, heals Jason's wound, and the dance goes ahead as planned. The crowd loves them, Nisa's king father joins on stage, they start a boycott against the destruction of the rainforest, and everyone gets into the Lambada.
Cast
- Laura HarringLaura HarringLaura Harring is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA . She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.-Early life:...
- Nisa - Jeff James - Jason Anderson
- Angela Moya - Carmen
- Sid HaigSid HaigSid Haig is a American actor. His roles have included acting in Jack Hill's blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as his role as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's horror films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects...
- Joa - Shannon FarnonShannon FarnonShannon Farnon is an American actress and voice actress. She is best known as being the first actress to voice Wonder Woman in a Hanna-Barbera production....
- Katherine Anderson - Linden ChilesLinden ChilesLinden Chiles is an American character actor. His television roles include Steve Kirk on Convoy, Paul Hunter on James at 15 and Clyde Darrell on Perry Mason. He has also appeared in a guest starring role in numerous other TV series during the 1960s and 1970s including The Fugitive.-External links:...
- Bradley Anderson - Pilar Del Rey - Queen
- Ruben Moreno - King
- Barbra Brighton - Ashley Wells
- Richard Lynch - Benjamin Maxwell
- Miranda GarrisonMiranda GarrisonMiranda Garrison is an American actress and choreographer, best known for choreographing dozens of films. She worked on Mulholland Falls, and was assistant choreographer in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, where she also played the part of Vivian Pressman. She was an actress–dancer in The Forbidden...
- Mickey - Tom Alexander - Kurt
- Connie Woods - Trish
- Steven WilliamsSteven WilliamsSteven Williams is an American actor of films and television.Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Chicago. He is known for his role as Captain Adam Fuller on the Fox Network's hit TV series 21 Jump Street from 1987-91.He played Lt. Burnett on the CBS drama series The Equalizer in...
- Weed (as Steven Lloyd Williams) - Remy O'Neil - Robin
- Charles Meshack - Eddie
- Sabrina Mance - Cami
- Kenny JohnsonKenny JohnsonKenneth "Kenny" Johnson is an American actor well known for his portrayal of Detective Curtis Lemansky on the American drama The Shield and Detective "Ham" Dewey on Saving Grace.- Early career :...
- Dave - Adriana KaegiAdriana KaegiAdriana Kaegi and at 18 moved to New York City to learn the art of entertainment. She co-founded the band Kid Creole and the Coconuts together with August Darnell and Coati Mundi Adriana Kaegi (born in Switzerland) and at 18 moved to New York City to learn the art of entertainment. She co-founded...
- Herself - Kid CreoleKid Creole and the CoconutsKid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created and led by August Darnell. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular "American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway" and conceptually inspired by the big band era...
- Himself - Taryn Hagey - Herself
- Greg Niebel - Jail Cop # 1
- Janique Svedberg - Herself
- Kenny Scott Carrie - Jail Cop # 2
Tommy Davidson also makes a cameo in the film.
Production and release
The film was written, produced, and released very quickly in order to cash in on what some thought was a LambadaLambada
Lambada is a dance from Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in Latin America and Caribbean countries...
dance craze
Dance Craze
Dance Craze is a 1981 British documentary film about the English 2 Tone music genre.The film was directed by Joe Massot, who originally wanted to do a film only about the band Madness, who he met during their first US tour. Massot later changed his plans to include the whole 2 Tone movement...
. The script was commissioned on December 7, 1989 by Sawmill Entertainment and producer Richard L. Albert
Richard L. Albert
Richard Albert was president of the award-winning motion picture advertising agency Design Projects, Inc. from 1978 to 1992. Clients included major studios such as Universal Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., and Columbia Pictures, as well as major independent and international...
after he had seen Kaoma
Kaoma
Kaoma was a pop group made up in France of former members of the band Touré Kunda: Chyco Dru , Jacky Arconte , Jean-Claude Bonaventure , Michel Abihssira , Fania , and Loalwa Braz , Chico and Roberta...
perform the song "Lambada
Lambada (Kaoma song)
"Lambada", also released as "Chorando Se Foi " and "Llorando se fue ", is a 1989 song recorded by the French pop group Kaoma with the Brazilian vocalist Loalwa Braz. It was released as the first single from Kaoma's debut album Worldbeat...
" in Los Angeles. The script was written in about ten days, and filming began within a month. Albert's Sawmill Entertainment hired the same writers and director recently employed in making the suspense film Sight Unseen starring Susan Blakely
Susan Blakely
Susan Blakely is an American film actress who has mainly played supporting roles.-Early life:Blakely was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1948. She is the daughter of Weezie, a former art teacher, and Colonel Lawrence Blakely, a career Army officer. Her first career break came while she was living...
. The film was shot on 35mm film in and around Los Angeles, California, and was completed when a color-corrected answer print and other film elements were delivered to Columbia Pictures on March 15, 1990. Editing went on around the clock, with two separate crews of film editors working while the film was being shot. Two choreographers were hired, Miranda Garrison and Felix Chavez, and the work apportioned between them. Film critic Roger Ebert visited the set while filming, as news was publicized how fast a major-studio film could be produced. The film featured the 1989 song "Lambada
Lambada (Kaoma song)
"Lambada", also released as "Chorando Se Foi " and "Llorando se fue ", is a 1989 song recorded by the French pop group Kaoma with the Brazilian vocalist Loalwa Braz. It was released as the first single from Kaoma's debut album Worldbeat...
", performed by the group Kaoma
Kaoma
Kaoma was a pop group made up in France of former members of the band Touré Kunda: Chyco Dru , Jacky Arconte , Jean-Claude Bonaventure , Michel Abihssira , Fania , and Loalwa Braz , Chico and Roberta...
, which became involved in the Lambada dance craze. It was released on March 16, 1990, the same day as rival film Lambada
Lambada (film)
Lambada is a 1990 dramatic movie starring J. Eddie Peck, Melora Hardin, Ricky Paull Goldin, Dennis Burkley, and Keene Curtis. Lambada was written and directed by Joel Silberg....
– whose producers brought an action before the MPAA title registry to block the use of the word "Lambada" in the title. Notwithstanding that attempt, posters went up in New York before the release promoting "Lambada" in large type followed by "is the Forbidden Dance" with a picture of Laura Harring and Jeff James dancing in the rain forest.
Years after the release, the film finally found a cult following, especially after its continuous TV reruns and being sampled on pop singer's Jully Luz album Rainha do Gueto.
The film was panned by critics and received little attention in the theaters. "The Forbidden Dance is B-movie drab, and its dance sequences are barely sexier than a bowling tournament," said Jon Pareles of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. "Heavy-handed and somewhat mean-spirited, The Forbidden Dance is a slapdash message movie, about as subtle as a clog dance," wrote Rita Kempley in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
.
Release and reception
As the movie LambadaLambada
Lambada is a dance from Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in Latin America and Caribbean countries...
it was released on March 16, 1990. Opening on 637 theaters, it grossed $720,864. By the end of the theatrical run, it grossed $1,823,154. The Forbidden Dance received largely negative reviews, it currently holds a 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Soundtrack
- Chorando Se Foi (Lambada) - KaomaKaomaKaoma was a pop group made up in France of former members of the band Touré Kunda: Chyco Dru , Jacky Arconte , Jean-Claude Bonaventure , Michel Abihssira , Fania , and Loalwa Braz , Chico and Roberta...
- Lambada A La Creole - Kid Creole and the CoconutsKid Creole and the CoconutsKid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created and led by August Darnell. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular "American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway" and conceptually inspired by the big band era...
Featuring Cory Daye - Automatic - Kid Creole and the CoconutsKid Creole and the CoconutsKid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created and led by August Darnell. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular "American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway" and conceptually inspired by the big band era...
- It's A Horror - Kid Creole and The CoconutsKid Creole and the CoconutsKid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created and led by August Darnell. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular "American and Latin American, South American, Caribbean, Trinidadian, Calloway" and conceptually inspired by the big band era...
- You And Me Alone - Mendy Lee
- Lambada: The Forbidden Dance - José FelicianoJosé FelicianoJosé Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
- Always You - Joyce Kennedy
- Limba Limba Lambada - Reginaldo Pi
- Capoeira - The Dream Machine
- BH Disco - Bob Midoff
- Good Girls Like Bad Boys - Victor Merino
- Hand To Hold You Over - Mara Getz
- Last Lover - Gene Evaro
- Reaction To Passion - Gene Evaro
- It's Never Too Late - Jeff Harper
- Stop, Listen, Look & Think - ExposéExposé (band)Exposé is an American vocal group. Primarily consisting of lead vocalists Ann Curless, Jeanette Jurado, and Gioia Bruno, the group achieved much of their success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, becoming the first group to have four top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from their debut...