The Way We Keep Dancing [2020]

With the release of The Way We Keep Dancing, the "third" instalment of Hong Kong street dance drama The Way We Dance, you'll probably wonder if there is a part two in between. Director Adam Wong has cleverly merged the story of the sequel into the new film, making it a story within a story. Eight years after the sleeper hit was released, the original cast, including Cherry Ngan and Babyjohn Choi, return along newcomers Hip Hop artist Heyo and child star Leander Lau. Gone were the dream chasing spirits and hot-blooded street dancing contest sequences, the new film centres on a more mature theme of anti-developer hegemony that mirrors the sad reality of the never-ending Hong Kong dilemma. Same characters in a completely different setting, the street dancing protagonists are now KIDA (Kowloon Industrial District Artists) who are invited to revitalise the old district by turning it into a dance street with a gentrification plan behind by the developer. Heyo shines as a soul-searching rapper with the lyrics of the Hip Hop numbers also part of the storytelling, and a surprising side story about the origin of Hip Hop adds a new perspective to the film.