Dance With Me (DVD)

When the charming Rafael (Chayanne) meets cool Ruby (Vanessa L. Williams), his honesty and sensuality awake in her new and, at first, frightening passions. Though Rafael follows Ruby to Las Vegas forthe World Open Dance Championships, she is destined to dance with another and win. But Rafael is looking for more than just a dance partner and Ruby could take home something far more precious than a trophy in this steamy story of love and dance. It's not exactly Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but this 1998 entry, starring Vanessa Williams and newcomer Chayanne offers its own terpsichorean pleasures. The story centers on Rafael Infante (Chayanne), a Cuban émigré to Texas, where he takes a menial job at a local dance studio run by John Burnett (Kris Kristofferson). There, he falls for Ruby Sinclair (Vanessa Williams), a one-time ballroom championship contender looking for the opportunity to compete for the title once more. The romance seems a foregone conclusion but has some snap thanks to a crisp performance by Williams and a sunny (If limited) one by Chayanne, a singing star in Puerto Rico. Best of all is the dancing itself. In terms of both energy, exuberance, and style, this film's dance sequences rank with the best of the decade's limited celebration of the kinetic art, such as Strictly Ballroom and Shall We Dance. Though the movie's central plot secret seems obvious from the first down-beat, the film takes off every time the dance music kicks in. Marshall Fine.