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COLUMN: Stepped on reader's toes

| November 30, 2010 6:22 AM

Regarding Alecia Warren's dance movie analogies and cynical view of plots ( Friday Nov. 19th ), she needs to check her facts and actually watch the movies she feels the need to distort.

First of all, her concepts of plots and events are extremely exaggerated if not completely incorrect. I was in junior high when I saw "Footloose" at the theater and have seen it countless times on video and on TV. Unless she has a new version I don't know about, the showdown in the film is between two tractors, not forklifts - there's quite a bit of difference in their designs.

To call "Dirty Dancing" "hokey" is a total insult. Gee, ticket and record sales seemed to fare pretty well for such a "hokey" movie. If you would have watched the movie you would have seen there was a story as well as dancing.

And there is a plot to "Flashdance" if you would have actually watched it as well. Most of all I'm less than pleased at your synopsis of "Saturday Night Fever."You basiscally said it was nothing more than sub-plots where everyone is wanting to kill themselves, assaulting each other, and overall depressing ruining the music. WHAT?! There is no way you have seen this movie or at least tried to pay attention. And it wasn't a plethora of spandex either. Try polyester. It dominated the record charts and box office sales when it came out, it popularized disco around the world as well as propelling the career of John Travolta. There was also a famous night club in New York City called  Studio 54 that only allowed the famous and select few. By the way, the disco craze led into country western popularity and "Urban Cowboy"  which is also another amazing Travolta hit.

I have a feeling you Googled 'dance movies' for each decade, picked the first ones,  got a brief concept via Netflix or the back of the video and went from there without knowing what you're even talking about. Gee, what about "Grease" as one of the most amazing dance movies ? That's my favorite! It came out when I was  7 years old but wasn't allowed to see it. The second it came on HBO, I watched practically every airing for months. Even if it meant getting up at 2 a.m. on a school night to enjoy it.  It mesmerized me then and still does - especially the 'Grease Lightning' part when the beat-up car becomes a hot rod. My heart rate still goes up just thinking of John Travolta singing and dancing around the dream car.

Try watching a movie before you criticize it because it's not as special as your really, super-cool "High School Musical" or preschooler Justin Bieber still waiting to hit puberty. Maybe if you were more accurate and less critical you might have a less humorous column.

TRACI HAYES

Coeur d'Alene