''The Forbidden Dance'' (also known by its full promotional title ''The Forbidden Dance is Lambada'') is a 1990 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 ...

starring former

Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020. ...

Laura Harring in her first major acting role. It was produced by

Menahem Golan Menahem Golan (; May 31, 1929 – August 8, 2014, originally Menachem Globus) was an Israelis, Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He co-owned The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon specialized in producing low-to-mid ...

's 21st Century Film Corporation as a quick attempt to capitalize on the brief but intense

Lambada Lambada () is a dance from the state of Pará in Brazil. The dance briefly became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in the Philippines, Latin America and Caribbean, Caribbean countries. It has adopted aspects of dances such as Maxi ...

dance craze ''Dance Craze'' is a 1981 documentary film about the British Two-tone (music genre), 2 Tone music genre. The film was directed by Joe Massot, who originally wanted to do a film only about the band Madness (band), Madness, whom he met during th ...

that had swept parts of the U.S. following the release of the song "

" by the French-Brazilian pop group

Kaoma Kaoma was a French-Brazilian band formed around 1989 by French producers Jean Georgakarakos and Olivier Lorsac to promote the song "Lambada (song), Lambada". Loalwa Braz was hired to sing lead vocals, other musicians were Chyco Dru (bass), Jacky ...

. The story follows Nisa, a princess of an indigenous Brazilian tribe, who travels to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in a desperate attempt to stop a powerful corporation from destroying her homeland's

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

. Bringing the Lambada dance with her as a symbol of her culture, Nisa becomes involved with Jason, a young American dancer. Together they try to raise awareness about the destruction of the rainforest through their dance, culminating in a high-stakes Lambada competition. ''The Forbidden Dance'' was released on the exact same day—March 16, 1990—as a rival Lambada-themed film simply titled ''

'', produced by Golan's former partner and cousin,

Yoram Globus Yoram Globus (; born 7 September 1943) is an Israeli–American film producer, cinema owner, and distributor. He has been involved in over 300 full-length motion pictures and he is most known for his association with The Cannon Group, Inc., an ...

, through

Cannon Films The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that investe ...

. The simultaneous releases sparked interest in their behind-the-scenes rivalry, but neither film was well-received critically or commercially. Nevertheless, ''The Forbidden Dance'' gained a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

over time thanks to its over-the-top plot, early 90s aesthetic, and frequent television airings.

Plot

Nisa is a native princess from a northern Brazilian tribe who travels to Los Angeles to stop an American corporation from destroying her rainforest home. Accompanying her is the tribal

shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

Joa, who uses

black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

to bypass the corporation's guards and confront its chairman, leading to his arrest. Alone in Los Angeles, Nisa finds work in a

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

mansion with the help of a woman named Carmen. She becomes a servant for a strict couple whose son, Jason, lives to dance. After secretly watching Nisa dance in her room, Jason takes her to a club. There, she is rejected by his friends, and Jason is scolded by his parents for dating someone from the staff. Nisa leaves and takes a job at Xtasy, a seedy nightclub and

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

, working as a dance partner for male customers. When Jason's friends visit the club and try to dance with her, Nisa refuses. One of them becomes aggressive, and she defends herself. Later, the group tells Jason's girlfriend, Ashley, who accuses Nisa of being a sleaze. Jason distances himself from his friends and Ashley, then goes to Xtasy to rescue Nisa. A bouncer assaults him and attempts to force himself on Nisa, but Joa arrives and uses magic to incapacitate the attacker, clearing the venue. Joa returns to the tribe, while Nisa and Jason, now in love, prepare for a televised dance contest, hoping to use the platform to raise awareness about the destruction of the rainforest. They win the contest, but the corporation's enforcer, Benjamin Maxwell, kidnaps Nisa. Jason rescues her but injures his ankle, threatening their chance to perform on the show. Just in time, Joa reappears backstage and magically heals Jason. The performance goes ahead, the audience embraces them, Nisa's father joins them on stage, a boycott is launched against the corporation, and everyone celebrates with the Lambada.

Cast

* Laura Harring as Nisa *Jeff James as Jason Anderson *Angela Moya as Carmen *

Sid Haig Sidney Eddie Mosesian (July 14, 1939 – September 21, 2019), known professionally as Sid Haig, was an American actor. He was known for his appearances in horror films, most notably his role as Captain Spaulding in the Rob Zombie films '' House ...

as Joa * Shannon Farnon as Katherine Anderson * Linden Chiles as Bradley Anderson * Pilar Del Rey as Queen *Ruben Moreno as King *Barbra Brighton as Ashley Wells * Richard Lynch as Benjamin Maxwell * Miranda Garrison as Mickey * Tom Alexander as Kurt *Connie Woods as Trish * Steven Williams as Weed *Remy O'Neil as Robin *Charles Meshack as Eddie *Sabrina Mance as Cami * Kenny Johnson as Dave * Adriana Kaegi as herself * Kid Creole as himself

Production

''The Forbidden Dance'' was written, produced and released very quickly, in order to cash in on what some thought was a

. The script was commissioned on December 7, 1989 by Sawmill Entertainment and producer Richard L. Albert, after he had seen

perform the song "

" in Los Angeles. The script was written in about ten days, and filming began within a month. Albert's Sawmill Entertainment hired the same writers and director recently employed in making the suspense film ''Sight Unseen'', starring

Susan Blakely Susan Blakely (born September 7, 1948) is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role in the 1976 ABC miniseries '' Rich Man, Poor Man'', for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama a ...

. ''The Forbidden Dance'' was shot on 35mm film, in and around Los Angeles, California, and was completed when a color-corrected answer print and other film elements were delivered to Columbia Pictures on March 15, 1990. Editing went on around the clock, with two separate crews of editors working while the film was being shot. Two choreographers were hired, Miranda Garrison and Felix Chavez, and the work apportioned between them. Film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

visited the set during filming, as news was publicized on how fast a major-studio film could be produced. The film featured the 1989 song "

" (performed by the group

), which became involved in the Lambada dance craze. ''The Forbidden Dance'' was released on March 16, 1990, the same day as rival film ''

'' – whose producers brought an action before the MPAA title registry to block the use of the word 'Lambada' in the title. Notwithstanding that attempt, posters went up in New York before the release promoting ''Lambada'' in large type followed by the tag-line 'is the Forbidden Dance', with a picture of Laura Harring and Jeff James dancing in the rain forest.

Release and reception

The film was panned by critics and received little attention in the theaters. Opening in 637 theaters, it grossed $720,864. By the end of the theatrical run, it grossed $1,823,154. ''The Forbidden Dance'' received largely negative reviews, and currently holds a 23% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 2.77/10. The film was also nominated for Worst Picture at the 1990 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Jon Pareles, of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', summed up ''The Forbidden Dance'' as "B-movie drab, with its dance sequences barely sexier than a bowling tournament", while Rita Kempley, in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' was to say "heavy-handed and somewhat mean-spirited, ''The Forbidden Dance'' is a slap-dash message movie, about as subtle as a clog dance." Critics also considered ''The Forbidden Dance'' to be the worse of the two rival lambada movies, and the film grossed less than ''Lambada'' during its theatrical run. However, years after the release, the film finally found a cult following, especially after continuous re-runs on television and being sampled on the album ''Rainha do Gueto'' by pop singer Jully Luz.

Soundtrack

# Chorando Se Foi (Lambada) -

# Lambada A La Creole -

Kid Creole and the Coconuts Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created by August Darnell with Coati Mundi (musician), Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin ...

, featuring Cory Daye # It's Automatic -

# My Soul Intention (It's a Horror!)" -

Kid Creole and The Coconuts Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created by August Darnell with Coati Mundi (musician), Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin ...

# You and Me Alone - Mendy Lee # Lambada: The Forbidden Dance -

José Feliciano José Montserrate Feliciano García (; born September 10, 1945) is a Puerto Rican musician. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' " Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song "". Music genres he explo ...

# Always You - Joyce Kennedy # Limba Limba Lambada - Reginaldo Pi # Capoeira - The Dream Machine # BH Disco - Bob Midoff # Good Girls Like Bad Boys - Victor Moreno # Hand To Hold You Over - Mara Getz # Last Lover - Gene Evaro # Reaction To Passion - Gene Evaro # It's Never Too Late - Jeff Harper # Stop, Listen, Look & Think - Exposé

Original score

(Music by

Vladimir Horunzhy Vladimir Anatoliiovych Horunzhy (born September 19, 1949) is a film producer, composer, and jazz musician. Horunzhy graduated from a Special music school at Kyiv Music Conservatory. His first composition was written at the age of 12. In the '7 ...

) # Carmen Meets Nisa # Joa In Jail # Scene At Jason's House # Nisa and Jason In Bed # Nisa On Hollywood Boulevard # Jungle I # Jungle II # Nisa's Lifestory # Joa With Shaka # Maxwell Clears Jungle # Jungle III # Nisa Is Gone I # Nisa Is Gone II # Nisa and Jason's Getaway # Joa Gotten Free # Jason Fight In Extasy Club # Joa Goes Back # Nisa and Jason # Nisa and Mickey In Brothel # Nisa and Maxwell At Warehouse # Quarrel Between Jason and His Dad # Bonus Track

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forbidden Dance, The 1990 films 1990s dance films 1990 romantic drama films 1990s musical drama films American dance films American independent films American musical drama films American romantic drama films American romantic musical films 1990s English-language films Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Columbia Pictures films Films directed by Greydon Clark Films with screenplays by Menahem Golan Films about princesses Films set in country houses Domestic workers in films 1990s American films Films scored by Vladimir Horunzhy English-language romantic drama films English-language musical drama films 1990 musical films