Strictly Ballroom by Baz Luhrmann

Strictly Ballroom is an Australian dancing comedy in 1992. It focuses on Scott, a young ballroom dancer who was born in a ballroom dancing setting family. He was trained to dance by his dancer mother and is expected to win the Pan Pacific Award on behalf of his parents. Scott loses in a competition because of his attempt to create his own dance step. Everyone was shocked and disappointed with his action and Scott was warned to just stick to the conventional dancing step.

The scene when Scott’s mother was in a meeting with the president of Australian Dancing Federation reminded me of some daily issues and opinion that I always hear from my mother. According to the president, they can’t allow everyone to create their new dance step or else no one is going to attend to any of the dancing class. This scene clearly demonstrated the reality of our society also the use of power to control and manipulate people. There is nothing wrong with creating a new dance step; in fact, it actually encourages the creativity of each individual. However, those with power fear that their personal benefit will be harm, thus restricting every dancer in a little cage. The act to obtain and maintain power is not something new in our society especially to those who often involved in the office politics. I have some friends who make use of this form of power to demonstrate her superiority among her peers. For example, she would gossip and backstab person A to person B and do the same to person A. When person A and person B fights with each other, she would be the one that stand out and be their facilitator. Her worry is that if person A and person B is close to each other, they will no longer need her and she might be left out in the future.

There is no right and wrong when one tries to obtain and maintain his power. It may seem to us that what the president and Scott’s mother is doing is wrong because we are the third party and we are not involve. Hence, I think it is important for us to notice the existence of power and other’s attempt in obtaining it instead of concluding it as a bad act.