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Alive and Kicking

Name: Alive and Kicking
Director: Susan Glatzer
Released: 2017
Duration: 88 min

2017

Not Rated

Director

Susan Glatzer

Runtime

88 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

Alive and Kicking gives the audience an intimate, insider’s view into the culture of the current swing dance world while shedding light on issues facing modern American society.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

7.3/10

Good

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Good

The film explores a swing dance subculture known for its historical and contemporary inclusivity. It captures an insider's view of spaces where non-heteronormative identities often find community and expression.

Gender Representation

Good

The documentary disrupts traditional hierarchies by centering the agency of dancers. It highlights a communal social interaction where gender roles are often fluid or secondary to the dance itself.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Excellent

The film excels by highlighting the genre's origins in Harlem. It prioritizes the agency of Black Americans in the creation and preservation of this global cultural phenomenon.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Good

The narrative uses swing dance to explore community resilience and heritage preservation. It examines how grassroots cultural movements navigate and influence broader American social norms.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no specific evidence regarding the portrayal of visible or invisible disabilities within the film's documentation.

Strengths

Strong emphasis on the Black American origins of swing dance in Harlem.
Effective exploration of how marginalized cultural expressions influence broader society.
Captures the inclusive and fluid social nature of dance subcultures.

Areas for Improvement

Lack of specific information regarding the representation of disabilities.
Limited explicit detail regarding specific LGBTQ+ romantic pairings or individual narratives.

AI Analysis

Alive and Kicking is a sophisticated documentary that uses the history of swing dance to examine broader systemic shifts in American social identity. It moves beyond mere performance to provide a meaningful study of community agency and cultural continuity. The film's primary strength is its historical grounding, specifically its focus on the Black American roots of the genre. By tracing the movement from the Harlem Renaissance to its modern rebirth, the film honors the creators of the art form. While the film captures the inclusive nature of dance subcultures, it lacks specific details regarding disability representation. However, its focus on communal agency provides a strong foundation for cultural storytelling.

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