''The Forbidden Dance'' (also released as ''The Forbidden Dance is Lambada'') is a 1990

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. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

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 Laura Elena, Countess von Bismarck-Schönhausen (née Martínez Herring; March 3, 1964), known professionally as Laura Harring, is a Mexican-American actress. In 1985, Harring became the first Hispanic woman crowned Miss USA. She later began her a ...

. Made to cash in on the

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

dance craze by

Menahem Golan Menahem Golan ( he, מנחם גולן; May 31, 1929 – August 8, 2014, originally Menachem Globus) was an Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He was best known for co-owning The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon sp ...

21st Century Film Corporation 21st Century Film Corporation Inc. was a theatrical distribution company formed sometime in the 1970s as a production company and distributor. Menahem Golan served as CEO of the company from 1989 to the company's bankruptcy. History The compan ...

, it opened on the same day (March 16, 1990) as a similarly themed film, ''Lambada'', produced by Golan's former company

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 invested ...

and his cousin,

Yoram Globus Yoram Globus ( he, יורם גלובוס; 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 ...

Synopsis

Nisa (

) is a native princess of a northern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian tribe who comes to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to stop an American corporation from destroying her rainforest home. With her is tribal

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

Joa (

Sid Haig Sidney Eddie Mosesian (July 14, 1939 – September 21, 2019), known professionally as Sid Haig, was an American actor, film producer, and musician. He was known for his roles in several of Jack Hill's blaxploitation films from the 1970s, as well ...

), who uses

black magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 145 ...

to get past the company guards and see the chairman of the corporation, resulting in his arrest. Left to fend for herself in

alone, Nisa, with the help of Carmen (

Angela Moya Angela may refer to: Places * Angela, Montana * Angela Lake, in Volusia County, Florida * Lake Angela, in Lyon Township, Oakland County, Michigan * Lake Angela, the reservoir impounded by the source dam of the South Yuba River Fiction * Ang ...

), finds work in a

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

mansion as the servant of an uptight couple whose son, Jason ( Jeff James), lives only to dance. After spying on Nisa as she dances provocatively in her bedroom, Jason takes her out to a club. She is rejected by Jason's friends, and he is berated by his parents for dating the help. Nisa runs away and gets a job at Xtasy, a sleazy dance joint/brothel, as a dance partner for male customers. Jason's friends visits the club and want to dance with Nisa, but Nisa refuses to dance with them. One of Jason's friends (

Kenny Johnson Kenneth Allen Johnson (born July 13, 1963) is an American actor, producer, and model. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in ''The Shield'', Butch "Burner" Barnes in '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', Detective Ham Dewey in '' Sa ...

) becomes sleazy towards her and she knees him in the groin. Later, the friends tell Ashley ( Barbra Brighton), Jason's girlfriend, and she runs back and tells Jason his little girlfriend is a sleaze working at Xtasy. He becomes morose, turns away from his buddies and Ashley, and goes to Xtasy to try to take Nisa out of the place. A bouncer beats up the would-be rescuer and prepares to deflower Nisa, but Joa walks in and magically stuns the attacker, which clears the place. The shaman then heads back to the tribe, while Nisa and Jason, now in love, prepare for a dance contest, hoping to speak out about the plight of the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

when they are showcased on TV. They win the contest, but the corporation's head stooge, Benjamin Maxwell (

Richard Lynch Richard Lynch (February 12, 1940 – June 19, 2012) was an American actor best known for portraying villains in films and television. His film credits included ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'', '' Invasion USA'', ''The Seven-Ups'', ''Scarecr ...

), kidnaps Nisa afterwards. Jason finds them and helps Nisa to escape but twists his ankle, ruining their chances of performing on the show. Luckily, Joa shows up backstage, heals Jason's wound, and the dance goes ahead as planned. The crowd loves them, Nisa's king father joins on stage, they start a boycott against the destruction of the rainforest, and everyone gets into the Lambada.

Cast

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

as Joa *

Shannon Farnon Shannon Farnon (born November 28, 1941) is a Canadian actress. She is best known as being the first actress to voice Wonder Woman in a Hanna-Barbera production, having voiced her in ''Super Friends'' from 1973 to 1983. Early life Born into a sh ...

as Katherine Anderson *

Linden Chiles Truman Linden Chiles (March 22, 1933 – May 15, 2013) was an American character actor. Early years Chiles was born in St. Louis, Missouri but grew up in Barrington, Illinois. He graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor of arts ...

as Bradley Anderson *Pilar Del Rey as Queen *Ruben Moreno as King *Barbra Brighton as Ashley Wells *

as Benjamin Maxwell *

Miranda Garrison Miranda Garrison is an American actress, dancer, and choreographer, best known for her film choreography. Career For the 1987 film ''Dirty Dancing'', starring Patrick Swayze, Miranda Garrison assisted Kenny Ortega in choreography; she also act ...

as Mickey *

Tom Alexander Thomas Christopher Peter Alexander (born November 20, 1963 in Takoma Park, MD) is an American writer, broadcaster, composer, and voice actor. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Tom was the Executive Editor and Co-Founder of the s ...

as Kurt *Connie Woods as Trish *

Steven Williams Steven Williams (born January 7, 1949) is an American actor in films and television. He is known for his roles as Captain Adam Fuller on ''21 Jump Street'', Lt. Jefferson Burnett on '' The Equalizer'', Det. August Brooks on '' L.A. Heat'', X on ...

as Weed *Remy O'Neil as Robin *Charles Meshack as Eddie *Sabrina Mance as Cami *

as Dave *

Adriana Kaegi Adriana Kaegi (born March 17, 1957) is a Swiss-born American actress, producer and former singer. Career Kaegi co-founded the band Kid Creole and the Coconuts together with August Darnell and Coati Mundi, both formerly of Dr. Buzzard's Original ...

as herself *

Kid Creole Thomas August Darnell Browder (born August 12, 1950), known professionally as August Darnell and under the stage name Kid Creole, is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He co-founded Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band and subsequently f ...

as himself

Production

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

dance craze ''Dance Craze'' is a 1981 American documentary film about the British 2 Tone music genre. The film was directed by Joe Massot, who originally wanted to do a film only about the band Madness, whom he met during their first US tour. Massot lat ...

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

Kaoma Kaoma was a French-Brazilian band formed in 1988 by Loalwa Braz (lead vocals), Chyco Dru (bass), Jacky Arconte (guitar), Jean-Claude Bonaventure (keyboard), Michel Abihssira (drums and percussion) and Fania (backing vocals). Dru is from Martini ...

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 is an American actress and model. 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. Blakely also has ...

. ''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 critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

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'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 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'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' 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 Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin American, Caribbean ...

, featuring

Cory Daye Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was a big band- and swing-influenced disco band that was formed in the Bronx, New York. The band is best known for its number-one US dance hit "Cherchez La Femme/C'est si bon," from its self-titled debut al ...

*"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 Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin American, Caribbean ...

*"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, singer and composer. He recorded many international hits, including his rendition of the Doors' "Light My Fire" and his self-penned Christmas song " ...

*"Always You" -

Joyce Kennedy Joyce Kennedy (1898–1943) was a British stage and film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such ...

*"Limba Limba Lambada" -

Reginaldo Pi Reginaldo may refer to: * Maicosuel Reginaldo de Matos (born 1986), footballer * Reginaldo Araújo (born 1977), Brazilian defender * Reginaldo de Santana (born 1975), Brazilian football player * Reginaldo (footballer born 1983) full name Regina ...

*"Capoeira" - The Dream Machine *"BH Disco" -

Bob Midoff Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States * Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

*"Good Girls Like Bad Boys" -

Victor Moreno The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

*"Hand To Hold You Over" -

Mara Getz Mara or MARA may refer to: Animals *Mara (mammal), a species of the cavy family * Mara the Lioness, in the movie ''Born Free'' Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Mara (''Doctor Who''), an evil being in two ''Doctor Who'' serials *Mara, ...

*"Last Lover" - Gene Evaro *"Reaction To Passion" - Gene Evaro *"It's Never Too Late" - Jeff Harper *"Stop, Listen, Look & Think" -

Exposé Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...

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