Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Move’ On Netflix, A Docuseries About Unique Dancers And Choreographers

Move, produced and directed by French filmmakers but presented in English, profiles six dancers and choreographers in its five episodes; the artists profiled bring their unique influences to dance styles that they’ve either created or popularized. Interviews with the artists, plus family and colleagues, paired with extensive performance scenes, show how these people found their way to the interesting dance styles and philosophies that have guided their careers.

MOVE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A young man in a Keith Haring jacket and headphones walks among the bright lights of Beale Street in Memphis.

The Gist: In the first episode, Jon Boogz and Lil Buck, founders of the dance company Movement Art Is, are profiled. Boogz, who grew up in a gang-laden area of Miami, perfected his own style of popping, where he does robot-like moves via muscle memory and extreme control; he almost vibrates while doing his moves. Lil Buck is a master of Jookin, which originated in Memphis in the ’90s. The movements in Jookin are more fluid, and Lil Buck has incorporated ballet spins and toe dances, a style that he actually refined by actually studying ballet (in his sneakers and without tights, per his request).

Both men, who met shortly after they both moved to Los Angeles and struggled on their own dancing in public for cash, created their dance company because they think street dancing is a legitimate art form and they want to bring it to a wider audience. Both men’s moms, who raised them in tough circumstances after leaving their fathers because of domestic violence issues, express how amazed they were by how adept their sons were without much training, and are proud of all they’ve achieved. Interspersed with these interviews are rehearsal and performance shots of a show the company mounted in L.A.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Weirdly enough, Move is a good complement to Song Exploder, because both break down an artist’s influences and how they arrived at what has put them at the top of their professions.

Our Take: You don’t have to be a dance fanatic to enjoy Move, only because the show profiles people whose dance styles don’t fit in a tidy box. From Ohad Naharin, who created the “Gaga” method he deploys with Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company to Akram Kahn, who infuses moves from his Kathak ancestry into the shows he choreographs for his own dance company, the filmmakers take pains to describe each profilee’s influences and history.

What caught our eye was the bright, stylish photography, the bold graphics and the extended performance segments, whether they’re solo segments, like Lil Buck jookin on the top of a rusty old car, his bright-white ’80s-style high tops accentuating how proficient he is with his toe work, to the performance scenes of the dance company on opening night. They all convey how dedicated these people are to their art and what time, practice, and determination can produce, even from people who grow up in difficult circumstances.

The interviews with Lil Buck and Jon Boogz’s mothers were the most illuminating, because it showed just how special their skills were; it was good to see that these women were supportive of their sons’ dreams, and while not foolishly confident they would make it, they were confident that their sons would work their asses off in pursuit of success.

Sex and Skin: Nothing.

Parting Shot: Jon Boogz’s mother says “I’m so proud… I’m so proud,” as we see the dance company cross a lit-up line during a performance.

Sleeper Star: Robin Sanders, whose poetry drives the company’s dance numbers, is a powerful presence both on stage and during her interview segments.

Most Pilot-y Line: When Boogz mentions “the day in America where planes hit the Twin Towers, 9/11”, we had to remind ourselves that this is a French production. It leads us to believe that the filmmakers directed both men to not use the shorthand and state things in a way that an international audience would understand.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Move will introduce you to forms of dance that you likely haven’t seen beyond brief YouTube videos, and the great stories behind the dancers and choreographers who have brought these forms to the mainstream.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.

Stream Move On Netflix