Strictly Ballroom Analysis

Scott is displayed as the “untypical hero” in the film Strictly Ballroom as his passion and strong urge to dance his own steps outweigh the urge to win. However in order to do so Scott needs to change his attitude so that can fully understand the meaning of dance. This will be discussed with reference to Strictly Ballroom

In the beginning of the film we get the sense of arrogance and pride from Scott. He is the typical ballroom dancer with perfect posture and steps, but the audience see that this is not exactly true. When Scott and his partner Lizz are boxed in during their Latin number Scott takes this opportunity to show off his own steps, the low angle used in this scene gives him the image of being inferior and powerful. The camera is

not very clear and moves quite a lot it’s a very free movement quite like the steps Scott is doing. Scott however is later shut down when he does not win, but the lose does not stop him from wanting to dance his own steps although he has to face a lot of disappointed and angry people before he can do so.
Scott still has a lot to learn though and there are a few key scenes in which you can see the changes occurring
Scott is quite surprised when Fran suggests that the two of them partner up he is quite rude about it as he does not believe that an amateur has what it takes to dance with a champion like himself Fran is portrayed as the “ugly duckling” in this scene wearing a shade of pastel pink which portrays her lack of self-confidence. He accepts after she calls him a “gutless wonder” who has no courage to let her be his partner. In the next few scenes Scott and Fran continue to practice in secret a lot of colours like blue and orange are used in these scenes which give us the feeling of passion and heat and possibly a deeper relationship forming between the two dancers. The director makes use of a lot of medium shots in these scenes to set the scene. We see that Scott’s attitude is slowly changing
Scott is put in a tough position when he is given the opportunity to dance with Tina Sparkle.

As much as he wants to dance his own steps the idea of dancing with Tina is tempting and he stands a great chance winning. He is still very hesitant on what he wants. There is a close up shot of his face in this scene and we see that by his reaction after watching Fran he knows what he wants to do. The couple dance behind stage to the song “perhaps” which is perfect for the situation. There is a type of red lightning on the two which indicates a sense of passion and emotion.

When Scott goes after Fran to her house and is asked to dance he does not understand why he is made a joke and what the problem is he later learns from Yaya to “listen to the Rhythm”. He learns that dancing from the heart makes it more meaningful and we see a sense of happiness in him.

At the end of the film when he finally gets to dance with Fran we see that Scott feels free and does not feel he needs to listen to what people tell him. When he comes on to the dance floor the camera moves in slow motion and at an eye level portraying his bravery. The gold jacket he has on portraying success. He does not win but gains something much more important his own self-worth and the chance to dance his on

steps.