20 movies like Desert Dancer, ordered by similarity : The Red Shoes(1948), Tehran Taboo(2017), ABCD - Any Body Can Dance(2013), Polina(2016), The Dancer Upstairs(2002), Uuf Kya Jaadoo Mohabbat Hai ... !(2004), Aaja Nachle(2007), ABCD 2(2015), Northern Soul(2014), How She Move(2007), Love at First Dance(2018), Step Up 2 the Streets(2008) ...
Drama
UK|United Arab Emirates|Romania|Morocco
2015
104 Minutes
Freida Pinto Reece Ritchie Tom Cullen Nazanin Boniadi Makram J. Khoury Marama Corlett Bamshad Abedi-Amin Daniel Bass Neet Mohan Sam Kordbacheh Simon Kassianides
dance instructor dancer older woman government agent police officer secret agent confident passionate spirited iran tehran, iran hideout dance studio family home subjugation dance rebellion oppression adventure quest
Afshin Ghaffarian risks everything to start a dance company amidst his home country of Iran's politically volatile climate and the nation's ban on dancing.
Romance, Drama
UK
1948
133 Minutes
Emeric Pressburger Moira Shearer Anton Walbrook Marius Goring Robert Helpmann Leonide Massine Albert Basserman Ludmilla Tcherina Esmond Knight
dancer instructor composer emotional passionate spirited france waterfront stage ambition dance love romance forbidden love rivalry discovery rise sacrifice 1940s
A young ballet dancer is torn between the man she loves and her pursuit to become a prima ballerina.
Animation, Drama
Germany|Austria
2017
96 Minutes
iranian citizen prostitute beautiful woman musician friend lover emotional passionate melodramatic engaging heartwarming spirited iran tehran, iran iranian society religious traditions attraction friendship family honor secrets
In their desperate search for freedom and happiness, four young people from Tehran, Iran are forced to break the taboos of a restrictive, islamic society.
Drama
India
2013
210 Minutes
Prabhu Deva Ganesh Acharya Kay Kay Menon Lauren Gottlieb Terence Lewis Dharmesh Yelande Noorin Sha Punit Pathak Prince Gupta Mayuresh Wadkar Vrushali Chavan
young man dancer dance instructor business partner street performer inspiring creative melodramatic airy emotional heartwarming mumbai, india street dance studio dance dancing competition new life bollywood love metamorphosis
When a capable dancer is provoked by the evil design of his employer, naturally he will be out to prove his mettle.
Drama
France
2016
108 Minutes
Angelin Preljocaj Anastasia Shevtsova Veronika Zhovnytska Juliette Binoche Aleksey Guskov Niels Schneider Jérémie Bélingard Miglen Mirtchev Kseniya Kutepova Oriana Jimenez Ambroise Divaret
ballerina ballet director ballet instructor dancer dance instructor frenchman engaging charming creative playful melodramatic emotional paris ballet dance floor dance studio ballet attraction new life dancing
A young girl studies classical ballet. As a young woman she turns to modern dance and choreography.
Drama
Spain|USA
2002
133 Minutes
Javier Bardem Juan Diego Botto Laura Morante Elvira Mínguez Alexandra Lencastre Oliver Cotton Abel Folk Marie-Anne Berganza
detective terrorist dancer daughter father tense engaging sultry latin america dance studio apartment political unrest terrorism romantic dilemma dance deception investigation discovery quest love
A police detective in a South American country is dedicated to hunting down a revolutionary guerilla leader.
Romance, Drama
India
2004
135 Minutes
Sammir Dattani Pooja Kanwal Sachin Khedekar Akshay Anand Sandhya Mridul
young woman wealthy girl poor person love interest father dance instructor engaging heartwarming cheeky emotional melodramatic dance studio dance relationships father/daughter relationship class conflict intervention happiness love forbidden love
Daughter of a rich man, Pari (Pooja Kanwal) falls in love with a poor boy Yash (Sameer Dattani), whose dream is to open a dance academy. The relationship is disliked by her childhood friend... See full summary »
Musical, Drama
India
2007
147 Minutes
Madhuri Dixit Akshaye Khanna Konkona Sen Sharma Kunal Kapoor Darshan Jariwala Divya Dutta Felix D'Alviella Vinod Nagpal
dance instructor politician guru best friend divorcée daughter emotional amusing passionate ajanta theater shamli, india new york city village dance going home performance death land grab legacy quest
Dia's dance teacher is dying. She returns to the town where she learnt to live and dance and most importantly to save the endangered Ajanta theatre.
Musical, Drama
2015
152 Minutes
Prabhu Deva Varun Dhawan Shraddha Kapoor Sushant Pujari Tisca Chopra Lauren Gottlieb Allu Arjun Raghav Juyal Dharmesh Yelande Salman Yusuff Khan
young man young woman friend dancer mentor confident fascinating intense passionate powerful moving india mumbai, india house street stage friendship dance dancing competition fighting
Childhood friends Suresh and Vinnie want to become successful dancers. To fulfill their dreams, they form a dance group with their friends and compete in a hip-hop contest in Las Vegas.
Comedy, Drama
UK
2014
102 Minutes
Elliot James Langridge Josh Whitehouse Antonia Thomas Jack Gordon James Lance Christian McKay Ricky Tomlinson Lisa Stansfield Steve Coogan Alex Esmail John Thomson
friend teen boy bleak amusing engaging gritty inspiring raw spirited northern england high school nightclub small town soul music dance passion teenage rebellion ambition underground scene adventure
Set in 1974, an authentic and uplifting tale of two friends whose horizons are opened up by the discovery of black American soul music.
Drama
Canada|USA|France
2007
98 Minutes
Rutina Wesley Tré Armstrong Dwain Murphy Brennan Gademans Clé Bennett Kevin Duhaney Shawn Desman Tristan D. Lalla Daniel Morrison Romina D'Urgo
student dancer rival friend inspiring heartwarming high school household inner city dance death drugs family competition rivalry underdog 2000s
Following her sister's death from drug addiction, a high school student is forced to leave her private school to return to her old, crime-filled neighborhood where she re-kindles an unlikely passion for the competitive world of step dancing.
Romance, Drama
USA
2018
84 Minutes
Becca Tobin Niall Matter Cecilia Grace Deacon Bethany Brown Veena Sood Laura Soltis Michelle Martin Jason Cermak Emily Holmes Gerard Plunkett Elizabeth Weinstein
dance instructor bachelor charming heartwarming uplifting tender mushy cheery manhattan city united states dance studio relationships marriage dance discovery love 2010s
There was a time in Mark's life where he thought he had it all. He had money, power but he had never experienced true love. That was until the day that Tonya came back into his life. Will ... See full summary »
Drama, Romance
USA
2008
97 Minutes
Briana Evigan Robert Hoffman Will Kemp Sonja Sohn Adam G. Sevani Danielle Polanco Telisha Shaw Cassie Ventura Black Thomas LaJon "Lil Duda" Dantzler
dancer teen girl teen boy friend guardian foster mother engaging positive tense uplifting creative spectacular baltimore school nightclub art school dance studio audition dance dancing competition
Romantic sparks occur between two dance students from different backgrounds at the Maryland School of the Arts.
Drama, Music
USA
2018
100 Minutes
Teyana Taylor Bryshere Y. Gray Sierra Aylina McClain Charmin Lee Candice Craig Joel Rush Brya Wood Lawrence Kao Kwajalyn Brown Josh Ventura Maria Legarda
dancer student young woman dancing girl rival lighthearted cheeky cool playful united states city dance club dance floor college atlanta dance college admission friendship rivalry dancing
Aspiring street dancer Skyler (Teyana Taylor) is at a major crossroads in her life. She's decided to try-out for the same dance crew as her formally trained sister Tosha (Sierra McClain) in... See full summary »
Drama
1975
98 Minutes
Maureen Stapleton Charles Durning Michael Brandon Elizabeth Berger Lewis Charles Natalie Core Alan Fudge Florence Halop Danna Hansen Jacquelyn Hyde Holly Irving
widow friend mail carrier dancer love interest emotional somber uplifting household ballroom death loneliness dance romance revitalization quest love 1970s
A widowed grandmother (Maureen Stapleton) falls in love at a ballroom, dancing with a married mailman (Charles Durning).
Drama
USA
1962
120 Minutes
Robert Mitchum Shirley MacLaine Edmon Ryan Elisabeth Fraser Eddie Firestone Billy Gray Victor Lundin Shirley Citron Cia Dave Virginia Whitmore Colin Campbell
lawyer dancer ex-boyfriend ex-wife witty emotional profound new york city omaha, neb. law firm dance studio apartment marriage divorce unlikely romance dance law fresh start love transformation
Jerry Ryan is wandering aimlessly around New York, having given up his law career in Nebraska when his wife asked for a divorce. He meets up with Gittel Mosca, an impoverished dancer from ... See full summary »
Drama
USA
2000
114 Minutes
Amanda Schull Zoe Saldana Susan May Pratt Peter Gallagher Donna Murphy Debra Monk Ethan Stiefel Sascha Radetsky Julie Kent Ilia Kulik Eion Bailey
dancer teacher boyfriend friend choreographer director rousing engaging school new york city ballet eating disorder aspirations betrayal dance underdog rivalry quest 2000s
A group of 12 teenagers from various backgrounds enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York to make it as ballet dancers and each one deals with the problems and stress of training and getting ahead in the world of dance.
Comedy, Drama
Austria|France|Iran|Iraq
2006
114 Minutes
Golshifteh Farahani Ismail Ghaffari Hedye Tehrani Allah-Morad Rashtian Farzin Sabooni Kambiz Arshi Mohamad Nahid Sadiq Behzadpoor Ali Ashraf Rezai
kurd singer son daughter woman police chief moving powerful sad iran bus village turkey iraq border politics performance music family travel
Mamo, an old and legendary Kurdish musician living in Iran, plans to give one final concert in Iraqi Kurdistan. After seven months of trying to get a permit and rounding up his ten sons, he... See full summary »
Drama
USA
2015
72 Minutes
Royalty Hightower Makyla Burnam Inayah Rodgers Alexis Neblett Da'Sean Minor Antonio A.B. Grant Jr. Lauren Gibson
young girl dancer boxer dancing girl engaging gripping striking gym united states community center boxing ring sports dance competition growing up mother/daughter relationship growing up rise 2010s
A comedy concert film that captures the on-stage performance and inspirational success story of Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias.
Drama
2000
91 Minutes
Mariam Parvin Almani Nargess Mamizadeh Fareshteh Sadr Orafai Monir Arab Elham Saboktakin Fatemeh Naghavi Mojgan Faramarzi Fereshteh Sadr Orafai Maryiam Palvin Almani Solmaz Panahi
woman friend husband prostitute prisoner pregnant woman suspenseful disheartening profound emotional iran prison hospital street city bus pregnancy prison life iranian society journey
Three Iranian women (Mariam Parvin Almani, Nargess Mamizadeh, Fareshteh Sadr Orafai) battle oppressive governmental regulations that affect all areas of their lives.
Musical, Documentary
Spain|France
2005
120 Minutes
Sara Baras Antonio Canales Aída Gómez Marta Carrasco Enrique Morente Estrella Morente
dancer performance artist composer dance instructor confident creative engaging striking spain dance studio stage dance classical music the iberia suite isaac albéniz performance adventure transformation discovery 2000s
A series of dances inspired by composer Isaac Albéniz's "Iberia" suite.