Strike a Pose (2016)

This documentary is truly moving and teaches many lessons. As not having witnessed the HIV epidemic (born 1993), this docu gave me a harsh but eye opening impression what it would have been. But most of all the Irony of the tour and the emotion that it gets out of them, when they talk about it years later. This is pain, this life. Amazing.

This doc is a bit lazy (it does not go into much detail on the cultural relevance of Madonna at her peak of 1989 - 1991) but will appeal to those of us who were in our teens to mid-20s at that time. From the BA tour to the release of TOD, Madonna was the center of the universe. Her PR at the time said she was giving the dancers an opportunity and it was up to them to exploit it after the tour. (This was never mentioned in the film but is my recollection.) Sadly, none have achieved what would be considered success in the material sense: most seem to live hand to mouth. If they had more maturity and some good guidance at the time, they may have developed careers of note - perhaps even judging DWTS and choreographing big names but mostly spiraled down and those that sued Madge? Well, let's just say she holds a grudge. This doc is a little sad, yet their impact at the time on some was significant. Ultimately, this will appeal more to those of us born in the 60s - mid-70s and does not have wide appeal. Yes, Madonna exploited them but in her world view she also gave them an opportunity.

Strike a Pose (2016) is a Dutch documentary that was directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan. It tells the story of the six surviving members of the seven-man dance group that accompanied Madonna on her Truth or Dare tour.It's a truly sad film. These young, talented men reached great heights during the tour. They became famous in their own right. They were like a family, and Madonna, who was in her 30's at the time, was like their mother hen.When the tour ended, they learned that they weren't really a family. Some of the dancers complained that Madonna had outed them in the movie Truth or Dare (1991). The conflict ended in a lawsuit.One died of AIDS, and the others have struggled with HIV, alcohol, and drugs. None of them maintained the heights they had achieved during the tour. All of them are struggling. (Some more than others, but still struggling.)In retrospect, these talented men would have probably done better if they hadn't been chosen for the tour. No one would have believed it then, but we can see it now.I didn't enjoy this film. The men may have been great dancers, and they may have felt like a family, but they each went their own way, and that way was down. I had hoped the movie would have had more dancing, but there wasn't very much of that either.Not my kind of movie, but the film carries an high IMDb rating of 7.7, so obviously I'm in the minority. I think dancing works better on the large screen than it does on the small screen. However, this movie will work well on either, because there wasn't much dancing.We saw the film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre, as part of ImageOut, the wonderful Rochester LGBT Film Festival.l

Having just watched the UK premiere at Sheffield Doc fest last night I have to say that this film is an heartwarming, intense, emotional and hugely satisfying journey going all the way back to Madonna's 1990 Blond Ambition tour to the present day documenting the seven backing dancers who worked with Madonna on her extremely popular worldwide tour. Be in no doubt this film does show bits and pieces of the 1990 tour (with Madonna's permission on music rights too) this film is not about Madonna but about her loyal and extremely talented dancers and the aftermath of the tour bringing us up to the present time dealing with their deeply personal issues that each dancer has gone through. Its an emotionally heartwarming film and one not to be missed, if you get the chance to watch it then don't hesitate- just go see it with your eyes open and you'll be rewarded.