‘Dare to Dance’ Makes Its Point Clear

Any aspiring young dancer can benefit from a new documentary-style video that revolves around three real ballet students.

A clear-eyed look at ballet’s physical and mental challenges, the well-made “Dare to Dance” was shot at the Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, and the Washington Academy of the Performing Arts, in Redmond, Wash.

It includes interviews with students Isis, age 10; Aya, age 14; and Maria, age 17, with teachers, parents and professional dancers and it gives viewers an inside look at classes, rehearsals and performances--the tedium, the grunt work, the joy and the rewards.

Divided into sections, the film is frank about the commitment, sacrifices and physical effort required of serious students. The rewards are evident, too, however, especially for Aya and Maria, who are eloquent about the moments of personal discovery, elation and freedom that make the hard work worthwhile.

* “Dare to Dance,” Grey Dawn Productions, 40 minutes, ages 8-17, $19.95 plus shipping; (800) 400-2036.

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On With the Show: “Lenny and Lori, Take II,” now playing an extended run at the Museum of Tolerance, is a sequel to last year’s long-running romp for children, “Lenny and Lori,” about an unlikely lamb-and-lion show-biz duo who learn to get along despite their conflicting positions in the food chain.

In “Take II,” a human boy, eager for stardom, joins the show. The Kid, however, has an attitude problem when he discovers the identity of his co-stars.

“I’m not working with a couple of farm animals,” he says with a sneer.

It’s a sure bet that at the end of a song-and-dance dream sequence, the Kid will have gotten the message heard in the show’s theme song, “Tolerance, Peace, Love.”

This second go-round from Action for Kids, a nonprofit organization that creates multimedia, inspirational entertainment to combat prejudice and social apathy, doesn’t balance education and theatricality as evenly as the first.

The dynamic is more teacherly here, although the elements are the same: a talented professional adult cast, quick-witted humor and catchy, pop-style original music.

Bill Evans, a stage and screen veteran, returns as the fast-talking lamb hoofer with a penchant for stand-up comedy, and TV and musical stage pro Susan Edwards, who co-wrote the music and lyrics with Alphonse Ranaudo, spices up her role as the glamour-queen lion with big, melodic vocals.

Michael Yurchak, as the Kid, adds some polished athletic dance moves and rap to the mix.

Written by Ben Mittleman and directed by Nancy Gregory, the show ends with the audience being sworn in as lifetime members of the Tolerance Team, membership card included.

One intolerant quibble: When Lori, in accented English, sings “Don’t You Wish You Was Me,” the grammatical error, apparently meant to fit Lori’s English-as-a-second-language character, isn’t particularly appropriate for a child audience.

* “Lenny and Lori, Take II,” Museum of Tolerance, Peltz Theatre, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., Sundays, 2 p.m. (Jan. 28, Feb. 11, Feb. 25, March 10, March 24). $3 per child; $4 per adult. (310) 859-7292.