A documentary about a group of senior citizens dancers who bonded after a season of performing during New Jersey Nets’ home games, Gotta Dance makes its local premiere tonight at 7 at the Cleveland Museum of Art Lecture Hall. It also screens at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22.

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Gotta Dance (U.S., 2008) Last year, the New Jersey Nets basketball team decided to put together a senior dance crew and sent out a call for dancers over the age of 60. Lo and behold, a ragtag group of grannies and grandpas showed up. This documentary follows the evolution of the dancers as they first audition and then train, developing hip-hop dance moves to the music of Jay-Z and Kanye West. As much as the concept of “senior dance” team is a real novelty, it’s hard to get too worked about the drama here. Will the team get its dance moves down in time for the team’s home opener? Does the motley crew of housewives, therapists and paralegals end up bonding in the end? As much as the movie has a certain amount of heart and effectively profiles the diverse group of individuals who tried out for the team, it just doesn’t transcend its subject matter. Gotta Dance would have been better off as a reality TV series. **

This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2009.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.