Dance Goddess (1987)

The film follows Julie, who arrives at New York City's Kahn Dance Studios from London with but a simple dream - to be the greatest dancer in the world. She has a fire in her heart and believes with the right connections, she won't need luck. Julie immediately strikes a rapport with lead dancer Mike..

much to the chagrin of Mike's dance partner and secret/not-so-secret girlfriend and weed addict Maggie. Julie and Mike mesh so well from the jump they begin singing the film's first song, "Dream On", to the applause of their classmates. Has Doc (the director himself, Hamid Kahn) found his proverbial DANCE GODDESS?, he wonders aloud. Soon, Julie finds herself embroiled in a struggle between her heart's desires (Mike) and her dreams (dance). Why can't she have both, she wonders aloud a number of times? With the help of Doc, Julie meets up with Jack - a famous producer - who promises to get her all the way to Broadway. DANCE GODDESS hits the ground twirling (ever twirling) around 80's Manhattan with a huge dance sequence taking place in the middle of Times Square ("It's the heart of New York!" Mike tells Julie), complete with gawking tourists and rubbernecking locals. Marvel at the marquees of long lost theaters advertising hits like THE LOST BOYS, DISORDERLIES, WARRIOR OF SHAOLIN, THE TORMENTORS, and more. Delight in typefaces gone by and cheer for banks that no longer exist. The fashions, the passions, and the beat of the city abound in DANCE GODDESS' all-singing, all-dancing kaleidoscope. After moving to America and having a successful career as a real estate attorney, Hamid Khan found he missed the culture of India, particularly the movies and music. He dreamed of making the first American Bollywood movie, and so he wrote, produced, and directed DANCE GODDESS. Sparing no expense, he hired the best cinematographer, best dancers, and obtained permits to shoot scenes all over the city. To market the film internationally, all of the original actors dubbed their lines in both English and Urdu, and Kahn filmed alternate versions of every song in both languages.