Everyone who rides the subway knows that hearing someone yell out "showtime!" means that a group of young men will soon start flipping, spinning and swinging their way around the train car.
"We Live This," a short documentary directed by James Burns shows a day in the life of the often-maligned subway dancing crew that the film is named for. The four-man group is shown dancing on the J train, and arguing with people who are less than thrilled to see the performers on their train car.
The documentary shows how difficult life is for some of the crew members: one of them is homeless, and another member has an incarcerated parent. They’ve learned to use dancing to cope with their problems and support each other.
The stakes for the crew are raised now that the MTA's Subway Etiquette campaign has equated dancers performing on a pole with being as impolite as manspreading.
The film has won a number of prizes including Vimeo Staff Pick. The trailer itself is worth a watch:
