In the Family Homeless Shelter of Bronx, New York, amidst hardship, locked doors and curfews, live little tykes with big dreams, and thanks to Steven Melendez, a former inhabitant of the shelter, those dreams are becoming a reality. Steven, the artistic director of the New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) is returning to the shelter to be a mentor for project LIFT – a program providing scholarships for talented underserved and at-risk children at the school of NYTB, championing dance for the greater good, and providing a year-round study program for children at risk and homeless.
This brings us to LIFT – the documentary providing a look into not only what the project entails, but also what these kids go through daily. In addition to Steven, who is now an adult, the doc follows three children: Victor Abreu, Sharia Blockwood, and Yolannsie Cardona, three rising stars who were – at the time – homeless or housing insecure. We begin the documentary with Steven visiting the shelter to meet the kids, and witnessing him be overcome with emotion as he visits the place where he once spent his days. Steven sets the tone for all that follows as he asks, “How do you confront the demons of your past and how do you go forward?”
We see Steven battle this notion throughout the documentary, as it seems to be the first time he’s confronted his past and all that it meant for him. Victor and Yolannsie also go through these moments of having to come to terms with current reality vs. possibility – Victor losing a big job due to a lack of taking it seriously and Yolannsie having to realize that her coming of age requires her to make decisions and mature in a way she perhaps is not ready for, but no doubt capable of. In an earlier moment of the doc, a child expresses to their mother that they want to be in the Ballet, and the mom’s response regarding Steven is “he probably had a whole lot of work to go through before he became who he was, but it paid off and now he’s good.”
While at times chaotic and even sad, LIFT makes you realize that although you can’t control where you lay your head at night, you can control the dreams stored inside of it. Taking a look at the parents of Yolannsie and Sharia, it is beautiful to see that they are so supportive of their kid’s dreams. One can see that they have the utmost faith that their daughters can be more than their circumstances and that’s important when going through any life struggle. You need to know that someone is rooting for you even when you can’t root for yourself so that you can do the advice Steven issues to his students: “Walk with purpose.”
Hearing from the parents and seeing the daily struggles that these families go through from fathers not being allowed to stay in the shelter to the families being bumped down on the waiting list for housing if they fail shelter inspection, LIFT gives eye-opening details into what it’s like to have a dream and not necessarily have the means to explore it. Victor is an exceptional dancer, but would he ever have known it if his mom hadn’t signed him up for the class or if he hadn’t been approved for the scholarship? That’s why it’s so important that projects like this exist – to open a door to those who otherwise may not have had the opportunities to see all that they could be, especially in the arts. To quote Steven once more: “You can take all of your anger and aggression, and you can put it into choreography.”
As you reach the culmination of the documentary, a final dance choreographed by Steven himself occurs. Performed entirely by the homeless and other students of the LIFT program, it is the most triumphant part of the film as it showcases a glimpse into what it is to be one version of yourself in situations you didn’t choose and who you could transform into when you dare to do the choosing. At its core, LIFT leaves the audience with a most valuable message: We are much more than where we come from.
LIFT will debut in select theaters on September 15, 2023 courtesy of Paramount Pictures. The film will be available on Digital on September 22nd.
Performed entirely by the homeless and other students of the LIFT program, it is the most triumphant part of the film as it showcases a glimpse into what it is to be one version of yourself in situations you didn’t choose and who you could transform into when you dare to do the choosing. At its core, LIFT leaves the audience with a most valuable message: We are much more than where we come from.
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GVN Rating 10
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