Parents' Guide to

Everybody Dance

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Sweet docu follows kids with disabilities at ballet school.

Movie NR 2022 85 minutes
A silhouetted figure in a wheelchair is poised in the wings to enter a ballet performance.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • A row of dancers on stage are ready to take a bow.
  • Three girls in white dresses holding hands while the one in the middle smiles broadly.
  • Three ballet dancers on stage with arms raised against a deep blue background.

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age 9+

Based on 1 parent review

Katherine R.
Katherine R. Parent of 18+, 7, 8 and 17-year-old
October 17, 2023
age 9+

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See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

EVERYBODY DANCE follows the lives of several children taking classes at Ballet for All Kids, a school in Southern California that offers ballet lessons to kids with different disabilities. Over the course of several months, we see the students in class and at home, and learn about them from interviews with their parents, family, and staff at the ballet school. We also see students and staff prepare for a big recital with hundreds of people in the audience, and experience the fears, frustrations, and joys of putting on and participating in a big show.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This is a touching and uplifting documentary ultimately about the power of artistic expression and why we all benefit from opportunities to learn an art form. Everybody Dance also gives a lot of information about disability and neurodiversity, especially autism, that may encourage empathy for some viewers and provides a lot of food for thought about a wide range of subjects like arts education and being a more inclusive society.

Taking the students and staff through the process of preparing for a big recital adds a story-like flow and a lot of suspense to the documentary. Viewers get to know the students and staff as individuals, and their joy and pride in their accomplishments are infectious.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about artistic expression in Everybody Dance. Why is it important? What do people get out of it?

  • Everybody Dance showcases students working through various challenges in order to pursue dance. What kinds of emotions felt the most relatable to you? How would you feel performing in front of an audience?

  • How do you like to express yourself artistically? Dance, music, acting, painting, drawing, building, tinkering?

  • What character strengths do the staff and students demonstrate?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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