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Strictly Ballroom

Group membership is an essential component of human existence. An individual's view

and sense of belonging differs from another’s.  Baz Luhrmann’s film Strictly Ballroom examines

the changing and sometimes contradictory aspects of the sense of belonging. Luhrmann

juxtaposes the different characters to contrast artificial and authentic sense of belonging.

Authentic sense of belonging is one where one truly fits in a certain group despite their actions or

contradictory points of view while an artificial sense of belonging requires one to adhere to a

certain set of rules to be accepted as part of the group. This essay uses instances in Strictly

Ballroom as well as references to external sources to show how a community can enhance or

reduce ones sense of belonging based on that person’s conformity to set group norms. Baz

Luhrman’s Strictly Ballroom shows how the pressure to conform to the strict, rule-based world

of ballroom constrains the protagonist’s freedom of expression forcing him to dance to his own

moves.

The pressure to conform to strict group or social norms restricts individual’s freedom of

expression. The third reflection paper on Mao’s Last Dancer and Cabaret explored the concept

of restricted freedom of expression. The characters in the films Mao's Last

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Dancer  and Cabaret were both subject to the power of autocratic regimes that directly impacted

their personal rights and freedoms. I argued that In “Mao’s Last Dancer”, Cunxin Li was invited

by the Houston Ballet to study in the United States for three months but decided to stay and

marry an American ballerina a few days before returning home. The situation quickly evolved

when the US and Chinese media and senior government agencies got involved. When Li

persisted in resisting deportation, the Chinese government agreed to release him, but revoked his

citizenship and declared that he could never return to the country of his birth. Cunxin Li was able

to stay in the United States, but a Chinese consular official told him, “The Chinese government

now allows you to stay in the United States. I’m sorry that China lost a son, but now you have

only yourself. You have lost your country, your people, and you can never go back.” Li’s case

represents the suppression of personal rights and freedoms by autocratic regimes. The reflection

also argued that Cabaret is about the suppression of freedom, especially sexual freedom of the

gay community during the Nazi era. The next sections will build on the expression of this theme

in Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom.

A sense of belonging is always difficult to achieve because individuals must belong to

feel valued and accepted. However, one can only belong to the larger world if they are already

recognized and accepted. All at the Dance Studio dance in a band in pairs. Though Fran is part of

this circle, she dances alone, illustrating a misguided feeling of belonging to this group and how

associations are sometimes just artificial. Furthermore, the band represents continuity, implying

that a sense of community or alienation is always constant; enduring and persistent, particularly

in societies built on traditions. Luhrmarnn shows that it is often more enriching to sacrifice one’s

personal identity, than to not belong to the wider community.

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Strictly Ballroom depicts the sense of belonging within the context of the competitive

world of ballroom dancing. It begins as a quirky, straight-to-the-point satire mocking the

conventional pretentiousness of individuals who take competitive ballroom dancing far too

seriously. And, gradually, it changes into a powerful story about generations and families,

leading up to a nice ending. The plot of Strictly Ballroom revolves around the passion and

struggle of two young people who are fighting for artistic freedom in the face of a traditional

system. When Scott Hastings, a 21-year-old ballroom star, makes the “mistake” of performing

his own movements rather than those approved by the Dance Federation, he is dropped by his

partner and his chances of winning the Pan Pacific Grand Prize are shattered. Scott loses a

contest when he started dancing his own moves, and his longtime partner Liz abandons him to

pair up with Ken, whose partner is involved in a tragic accident making her unable to compete. 

With Scott now abandoned and just a few weeks before the competitions, Shirley Hastings and

her instructors at the studio, start an urgent search for a new match for Scott.  In the meantime,

unknown to Shirley, Fran approaches Scott. Fran is an understated novice dancer at the studio

(“Strictly Ballroom”). Scott finally decides to dance with Fran because he is impressed by her

desire to dance  his style. However, Fran, a plain-looking quiet Spanish girl from the dancing

studio managed by Scott’s family, appears from the background. She persuades Scott to give her

an opportunity, and then together they dance a rebellious storm, taught in Flamenco by Fran’s

family.

  Strictly Ballroom also looks at a cultural sense of belonging. Fran’s grandmother guides

Scott on how to dance the Spanish pasodoble while highlighting the significance of rhythm, as

shown by close-ups and the sound of Fran's grandmother's palms tapping the rhythm on Scott's

chest. Fran's family involves Scott in their cultural gatherings as a result of Scott's willingness to
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learn and his relationship with Fran's family through his experiential learning of Spanish

traditions. As a result, Scott has a stronger cultural experience and identity as well as a greater

sense of personal identity. Before this event, Scott had been the unhappy son of a family of

ballroom dancers, practicing how to be a competitive ballroom dancers since he was six years.

His overbearing mum, a former dancer, owns a dance school and has been coaching Scott since

childhood for the Pan-Pacific Cup Race. But Scott has a differing opinion, and his aggressive

preference for creative, crowd-pleasing but unauthorized movements threatens to sabotage his

professional career. Shirley, his mother, teaches ballroom dancing, and his father, Doug, quietly

does service and maintenance tasks at the recording studio while secretly spending a lot of time

in a basement playing old videos of his and Scott’s past dance performances. On his course to

win the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Dance Competition, Scott struggles to develop his own personal

dance routine, but his unique and dramatic dance moves are not found to be “strictly ballroom,”

and as a result, Australian Dancing Federation president rejects them. For Hastings, rejection

becomes his wake-up call, challenge and eventually his success. Baz Luhrmann uses his

protagonist to depict young people's hopes of succeeding, and also people fighting for creative

expression in the face of skeptics. Scott recognizes his abilities and wishes to be able to use it. It

is, however risky.  He chooses to follow his heart even if it means going against the rules.

Strictly Ballroom follows Fran and Scott’s journey from not belonging to finally gaining

acceptance in the world of ballroom dancing as their ability to dance their own steps gets

acknowledged. Through costume design, the scene in which Fran is unveiled shows her

“unbelongingness” to the Pan Pacifi’s Grand Prix dance world, as she rocks an old faded top that

clashes with the vibrant colors of the other performers’ outfits. In parallel, the film's closing scene

shows Fran and Scott as being embraced and fitting in the dance community as shown by the use
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of theme song and shots of almost everyone dancing together. Throughout the film, Luhrmann

makes fun of cultural traditionalism. Barry Fife, President of the Australian Dancing Federation, is

the personification of rooted cultural conservatism – and the antagonist of the show. Barry is

strongly against any dance move that is not “strictly ballroom,” as shown through Scott’s unique

dance moves in the opening scene of this film.  Most of the film shows an ongoing struggle

between Scott and Barry (freedom of expression and cultural restrictions). Scott wants to express

himself through unusual dance characterized by glides, jumps and twirl , but doesn’t want to

challenge the order of things that Barry and Scott’s mother and father, themselves long - time ball

room dancers represent. Scott represents the individual who repels against the group as it threatens

to consume him. From this we understand that some people may have to sacrifice their own true

identity to belong to a certain group.

The paso doble scene in the Pan-Pacific dance championship where Scott’s father stands up

alone and begins clapping for Scott as a sign of support clearly reinforces the theme of freedom of

expression and defiance of cultural traditionalism (“Strictly Ballroom | 'Paso Doble' (HD) - A Baz

Luhrmann Film | MIRAMAX”). In the scene, Scott and Fran break all the dance rules to give an

electrifying performance. They are however disqualified for going against the rules of the

competition. Scott's father breaks the shocked silence of the audience by clapping for the pair.

Despite being disqualified by the judges for refusing to perform ‘strictly ballroom' movement, they

are encouraged by Scott's father's emotional support. As an act of rebellion, his deliberately

slow clap echoes across the ballroom, drawing positive a reaction from the crowd. Scott and Fran

continue their show to the background noise of clapping from the audience before the music is

returned for the exciting climax. This scene depicts Scott and Fran’s great moment of victory.  This

scene, which foreshadows a positive ending, depicts the pair going against the rules and
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overcoming their challenges. Fran changes from being inexperienced  to being Scott's

elegant partner, as well as his partner. They effectively show the influence of real passion for

dance.

Strictly Ballroom perfectly illustrates how not belonging leads to alienation from a larger

group as evidenced by the various characters. This essay has shown that throughout Strictly

Ballroom, Scott realizes that he is most content, satisfied, and self-assured when he is dancing his

own steps because he is able to be independent and act freely. In the sequence where Scott danced

by himself in the Les Kendal Studio, this is conveyed by the use of fast-paced syncopated

controlling music, visual effects, and natural lighting. The film has a deeper message that promotes

inclusivity and a sense of multiculturalism, most likely beyond the context of the Australian art

fraternity in Strictly Ballroom. Strictly Ballroom's central idea is that art is about creativity and

freedom of expression rather than winning trophies. Barry Fife, who is the antagonist in the film

representing the strict social and cultural norms that alienate people from groups by making them

feel like they do not belong. Luhrmann’s intention is to expose the narrow-minded conservative

view of ball room dance in Australia, which is seen as a form of expression, but with a lot of

restrictions and a focus on winning trophies. This is in stark contrast to Fran’s view of  dance. 

Works Cited

"Strictly Ballroom | 'Paso Doble' (HD) - A Baz Luhrmann Film | MIRAMAX." YouTube,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUO5WPaIr-s.
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"Strictly Ballroom." Everything About Dancesport - Encyclopedia of DanceSport, 16 Oct. 2019,

www.wikidancesport.com/wiki/27435/strictly-ballroom.