High Strung (2016 Film)
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''High Strung'' is a 2016 American
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed by Michael Damian and written by Janeen Damian and Michael Damian. The film stars Keenan Kampa, Nicholas Galitzine,
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...
,
Sonoya Mizuno Sonoya Mizuno (born 1 July 1986) is a Japanese-born English actress. She is known for her roles in the Netflix series ''Maniac (miniseries), Maniac'' (2018), the HBO series ''House of the Dragon'' (2022–present), the FX on Hulu, FX miniseries ...
, Richard Southgate, and Paul Freeman. The film was released on April 8, 2016, by Paladin. A sequel ''High Strung: Free Dance'' was released in 2019.


Plot

Ruby is a classical ballet dancer who earns a scholarship to the Manhattan Conservatory of the Arts. She meets an edgy, British, moody young violinist named Johnnie who performs in the
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...
. While watching him play, two groups of hip hop dancers start a dance off, and Ruby gets pushed and she falls down. Johnnie gets distracted while helping her, and his violin and the rent money he earned busking are stolen. He gets very upset, stating the violin was given to him by his grandfather, who he seemed to have been close with, since he had a tattoo of his grandfather's death date on his bicep. Later, she tries to help him with a loaner violin from the Conservatory, but he tells her he doesn't want charity and seems to be accusing her of being a rich, entitled snob because she attends the Conservatory, not knowing she's on scholarship. She learns he is illegally living in the USA, which is why he didn't report the theft to the police or ask them for help to retrieve his violin. She also learns that there is a competition where a dancer performs with a string musician, and the winner gets a scholarship, which could qualify Johnnie for a student visa, and earn him 25 grand. Ruby's scholarship is on the line because she is failing a mandatory contemporary dance class so she and Johnnie must find a way to save Ruby’s scholarship and keep Johnnie from being deported. Ruby's friend and roommate Jasmine "Jazzy" is also at risk of facing expulsion because she is repeatedly late for her classes because of partying late with her boyfriend. The two have a struggle with friendship over Jazzy's situation, and Jazzy ends up calling Ruby "you bitch!" Jazzy realizes her mistake, and starts to improve her dancing and habits. Meanwhile, Johnnie had paid an immigration attorney to help him get a green card but the attorney turns out to be a fraud. The situation is made more complicated by the rivalry of some other students (April and Kyle) entering the competition, one of which has a particular jealousy of Johnnie's talent, Kyle Endeca. Meanwhile, Johnnie makes up with Ruby after going into a violin competition at a gala with Kyle earlier, and the two kiss, starting a relationship. With the help of a hip hop dance crew living a floor beneath Johnnie, they must find a common ground while preparing for a competition that could change their lives forever. Right before the competition, Johnnie is taken in by the police, and he can be forgiven for illegally living in America if he helps them find out the fraud attorney. Ruby and the hip hop group are about to start the competition without Johnnie since he hasn't shown up, but he finally does show up. The group performs their dance and music. The judges have mixed feelings about the non-classical dance, and when the group finishes, no one claps. Finally, the audience erupts into clapping and whooping. The judges announce Ruby and Johnnie's group the winner, and everyone is happy, except for the rival team.


Cast

* Keenan Kampa as Ruby, a ballet dancer who learns at the MCA; she is the friend of Jazzy and the girlfriend of Johnnie Blackwell; she doesn't enjoy contemporary * Nicholas Galitzine as Johnnie Blackwell, a British violinist who is Ruby's boyfriend and dislikes Kyle Endeca; he was close to his grandfather *
Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...
as Oksana, the MCA Contemporary dance teacher; she has a liking for April, and seems to dislike Ruby; later, she reveals Ruby is too good, and she wants to push Ruby *
Sonoya Mizuno Sonoya Mizuno (born 1 July 1986) is a Japanese-born English actress. She is known for her roles in the Netflix series ''Maniac (miniseries), Maniac'' (2018), the HBO series ''House of the Dragon'' (2022–present), the FX on Hulu, FX miniseries ...
as Jazzy, Ruby's roommate, fellow dancer, and friend who is in danger of expulsion from school since she misses so many classes because she drinks and parties late night with her mysterious boyfriend. She also ends up sleeping with him and is late for class. Her relationships are shaky with her friend Ruby * Richard Southgate as Kyle, a violinist at MCA, a boy who crushes on Ruby and dislikes Johnnie, seeing him as competition violinist-wise and also for Ruby * Paul Freeman as Kramrovsky, the ballet teacher at MCA who was in concentration camps when young, and teaches Ruby the lesson of perfection; how it should never be achieved because imperfection drives perseverance and talent * Maia Morgenstern as Markova * Ian Eastwood as Rik * Anabel Kutay as April, the possible girlfriend of Kyle, a good contemporary dancer who dislikes Ruby and has a traditional "perfect mean girl" personality. * Marcus Emanuel Mitchell as Hayward Jones III * Comfort Fedoke as PopTart * Simon A. Mendoza as Ollie * Miranda Wilson as Mary * Dave Scott as Macki * Andrew Pleavin as Slater * Tomi May as Detective Mullen * David Lipper as Sam * Nigel Barber as Mr. Peterson


Release

The film premiered at the
Santa Barbara International Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California in February annually, since 1986. The festival screens over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. ...
on February 6, 2016. The film was released on April 8, 2016, by Paladin. Songs featured in the film include "DJ Fav" by singer/actress Nia Sioux.


Reception

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
the film has a score of 75% based on reviews from 8 critics.


Sequel

A sequel, ''High Strung Free Dance'' (also known as '), was released theatrically in October 2019, and on Netflix on May 31, 2020. Jane Seymour is the only cast member from ''High Strung'' to return for the sequel, which stars Harry Jarvis, , and Thomas Doherty.


References


External links

* {{Michael Damian 2016 films 2016 drama films American dance films American drama films 2010s English-language films Films directed by Michael Damian Films set in New York City Films set on the New York City Subway Films shot in New York City 2010s dance films 2010s American films