- After being blinded by a group of tormentors, a teenage ballerina works with a local dancer to perform a duet for a hip-hop competition, but as the relationship between them unfolds, she discovers the true cause of how she lost her sight.
- Shadow Dancing by David Caidar
Feature film (Status: script) Screenplay by Steve Haberman Genre: Drama/Musical/Romance Budget: $5 Million Rating: PG 13 Target Audience: Teens, families.
Logline: When Ballet meets Hip-Hop Acclamation! After being blinded in a scuffle with a group of jealous tormentors, Ziya Petrova, an embittered teenage ballerina, works with Mando Diaz, a handsome young dancer, to perform a duet for a hip-hop competition. But can they succeed when Ziya learns that Mando was the one who accidentally blinded her. ß ß ß Overview: Shadow Dancing is exciting story of a girl who lets nothing stand between her and her dreams. It also contains important messages about forgiveness and finding redemption for our mistakes. The screenplay has been fully developed under Avyan Productions, LLC. This is a small budget, character driven project that would require a primarily young, teenage cast and minimal locations. Currently envisioned as a future film festival entry.
Contact Information: Avyan Productions Tel: 818.303.1742 2001 W. Magnolia Blvd. Suite E Fax: 818.303.1729 Burbank, CA 91506 www.avyan.com
Synopsis: Ziya Petrova, 18, just wants to be a ballerina. Born in Chicago to Russian immigrant parents, raised poor, educated in one of the toughest public school systems in America, she has studied dance all her life at a private studio. Her divorced mother works two jobs to pay for Ziyas lessons and give her a chance at the dancing career that she, herself, never had. And Ziya has real talent, so much that her instructor prepares her for an audition with the Joffrey Ballet Company. Lithe, beautiful Ziya shuns the rap and hip-hop music she hears from the cars, apartment windows and boom boxes in her poor neighborhood. She loses herself in the classical melodies of the nineteenth century. But Ziyas porcelain beauty attracts the attention of others her age. They mistake her shyness and focus for a feeling of superiority. Waiting for her mother to pick her up from the studio, Ziya hears hip-hop dancers practicing in the open warehouse across the street. The music is angry and vulgar, and the dances are athletic, almost like martial arts moves. Armando Diego, called Mando, the darkly handsome leader of the dancers, notices her watching them. Felicia, one of the hip-hop dancers, beautiful but tough, is in love with Mando. When Felicia sees Mando watching Ziya, she angrily denounces the ballerina, saying that Ziya looks down on them. At the studio the next night, Ziyas mother is late picking her up. Ziya waits alone, practicing to the recorded music in the mirrored room. Felicia and the other hip-hop dancers walk in on her. Felicia taunts her, telling her that her moves are old school and outmoded while their music is real and from the streets. Mando walks in just in time to hear Ziya tell them that she hates their music. Its ugly and angry, like them. Furious, Felicia grabs her and forces her to look at herself in the mirror. Felicia accuses her of being in love with herself. Ziya desperately struggles to get away from her. Mando tries to break them up. He brutally throws the two apart. Ziya trips and falls into the mirrored wall. The glass shatters in her face, shards piercing her eyes. The dancers flee as Ziya screams in agony. Mando stares at her with guilt and regret, then runs away with the others. At the hospital, the doctor tells her mother that Ziya has lost most of the sight in both eyes. She is legally blind. Ziya refuses to give up. She tries to keep practicing, but she cant judge the space. Growing bitter, Ziya turns her back on the beauty of classical ballet. Mando, full of guilt, contrives to meet Ziya. Unaware of Mandos identity, Ziya finds herself drawn to Mandos sexy music, his athletic hip-hop moves and Mando himself. Together, they practice to perform in a hip-hop competition that could win them fifty thousand dollars. And in the process, they fall in love. Mando insists that the prize money they win will go to restore Ziyas sight. But can Ziya and Mando succeed after Felicia jealously horrifies Ziya by revealing that it was Mando who pushed her into the mirror and robbed her of her dreams.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content