Gotta Kick It Up (2002)
Gotta Kick It Up begins with a new teacher named Ms. Bartlett starting her career in a Southern California school with a large population of Latinx kids. Ms. Bartlett gets recruited by her Principal to be the new dance coach after the other coach left the team. When the team doesn’t agree with Ms. Bartlett’s strict rules and procedures they sneak away to a dance competition without her knowledge. This rebellious act pushes the team to figure out ways to work together and find common ground with one another. They learn that they can do whatever they set their minds to no matter what barriers are put against them. The best thing about this movie is that they learn to root for one another instead of tear each other down.
Gotta Kick It Up didn’t come out in the nineties but the early 2000’s technically still had elements of the nineties in my humble opinion. This movie was the first feminist Disney movie that I ever saw and it was the first movie where I saw a primarily Latinx cast. Even though, there were elements of white saviorism with the dance coach this movie was revolutionary for its’ time. This movie is not just about dance, it’s about characters that are questioning their own Latinx identity, what it means to be Latinx, their journey to achieving their own dream and empowering themselves in the process. The girls team chant “Si se puede” pushes them through their trials as a team, brings them closer together, and further cements their reputation of being total girl squad goals.