As a child, Jamie Lesser (David Rhein) watched Strictly Ballroom ninety-seven times a day and dreamed of being a salsa dancer, but real life and his visual handicap of severe near-sightedness finally caught up with him. Living in New York City and working as an accountant, his life seems to make sense. He works nine to five, has a nightly beer in a sports bar (where he can’t even see the screens), but goes home with hardly any human interactions.
One night after receiving a promotion at work and feeling cocky, Jamie decides to stop by a salsa party at his local dance studio. He bumps into Elissa, a gorgeous Dominican girl from Washington Heights, and before he knows it, he now has a woman in his life. His world is brighter and more vivid than ever before…until Elissa stops calling him back. No explanation. Nothing. To return to the loveless world that was his reality before she came along is too unbearable. He sinks into a downward spiral and begins to lose everything; his job, his apartment, his self-esteem. With nowhere else to go, he reluctantly moves in with his estranged sister, Lianne (Marlene Rhein) – a streetwise, self-proclaimed hip hop dancing dynamo.
She tells him that this is all happening for a reason: that God, ‘The Big Shot-Caller,’ is in charge; that if he reaches for his childhood love of Salsa Dancing, he will find the answer to his broken heart; that you must look within to find happiness. Jamie ignores her psycho-spiritual banter and takes menial jobs to keep from feeling the pain. When even that doesn’t stop the downward spiral from engulfing him and the darkness has left him no option, he goes to the dance studio for a vulnerable first attempt at Salsa class.
He sets his sights on ‘kicking ass’ at the upcoming dance social. With no partner to help him, he enlists the help of Lianne to be his Salsa partner. The result is an inspiring, heart-warming story of a brother and sister overcoming their conflict to help each other find joy. Their triumph is small to the outside world, but huge inside their hearts.
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