A year after the urban dance hit “Stomp the Yard” comes its Canadian sibling, “How She Move.” Although the recycled storyline is filled with clichés and a mind- numbing lack of logic, the blood pumping dance numbers are not. 

Set in the inner cities of Toronto, “How She Move” follows Raya Green (a superb Rutina Wesley) as she grudgingly makes her way back to her old neighborhood from a prestigious prep school after her sister’s unexpected death from a drug overdose. She is unpleasantly surprised when she is given a less than warm welcome by her old crowd because of her aloofness and desire to succeed. However, Raya is more than just a first class student- she’s also a force on the dance floor. She quickly teams up with her old friend Bishop (Dwain Murphy) and his all male step crew, “JSJ”, for the chance to compete for a large crash prize that will get her out of the ghetto once and for all.  Pretty soon, the sparks are flying between the two friends from the sandbox, and Raya must decide how far she is willing to go to secure her future.

Screenwriter Annmarie Morais and director Ian Iqbal Rashid do not attempt to discuss the undertones of socio-economic problems with greater depth than the premise, apparently, requires. Instead, the focus is on a shallow plot full of loopholes and a teen-oriented message that is questionable on more than one occasion. However, leading lady Rutina Wesley is more than talented enough to step up to the high energy beats and tricky foot work, and is paired well with Dwain Murphy, who does his job as the confident and suave Bishop by understanding that the film is not about him.  

The innovative and theatric choreography of Hi Hat is really what makes “How She Move” worth seeing. Although the filming is entirely captured on cheap 16 mm handheld photography, the frequent and lengthy dance-offs are nonetheless jaw dropping and give new meaning to step dancing.

Special features take a look behind the scenes with interviews of the cast about their roles and experiences in “The Characters of How She Move” and clips of the choreography process in “How She Move: From Rehearsal to Film”. The third, and final featurette, “How She Move: Telling Her Story”, is about the adaption of screenwriter Annmarie Morais’s coming of age story to film.