I've seen about a half-dozen "urban teen dance movies" in the past couple of years, even going back to watch Save the Last Dance, which may have sparked the current craze for this genre. The best movies have naturally been the ones with the most interesting and energetic dance numbers -- the storylines are interchangeable and unmemorable, and the characters tend to be stock types. The latest in this genre is How She Move, a Canadian film about step dancing, that was bought at Sundance in 2007 right after the similar Stomp the Yard stomped the box office.

How She Move has some electrifying dance numbers, but the plot treads in the same steps as its predecessors. Raya (Rutina Wesley) is an ambitious teen studying hard at a private high school -- she doesn't want to suffer the same fate as her older sister, who just died from a drug overdose. But her sister's tragic troubles drained the family income, so Raya must return to her parents and go to the local public school until she can win a scholarship. She soon learns that other teens in her neighborhood are able to earn some cash at "comps" -- step competitions -- so she decides to make money for her schooling in this way. But which step team should she join: the all-girls group headed by her longtime neighbor Michelle (Tre Armstrong), the boys' team managed by her old friend Bishop (Dwain Murphy), who has a little crush on her, or the tried-and-true winners ruled by the guy who led her sister astray?

Sony Pictures has just launched Stage 6 Films, "a label that will acquire and produce films for theatrical and straight-to-DVD release." The Variety announcement reports that Stage 6 will focus mostly on the DVD market, and on films budgeted at $1 to $10 million dollars. They've got a lot of movies on the horizon, with some pretty big stars involved. Conspiracy is an action flick starring Val "Iceman" Kilmer, Gary "Lumbergh" Cole, and Jennifer "Hot" Esposito. Thomas Jane is acting in and directing Dark Country (hope it's not a punisher!). The Stone House is a horror film starring Shane West and JK "Schillinger" Simmons. The Lodger stars Alfred Molina, whom I always picture in his underwear singing "Sister Christian." And Felon brings us even more Kilmer thrills, with Stephen Dorff and Harold Perrineau in tow.

And you know when you're talking direct-to-DVD, you're talking about some really random sequels. Stage 6 has announced a prequel (a prequel?) to this year's pretty cool horror flick Vacancy. There will also be a second Starship Troopers sequel -- Starship Troopers: Marauder, with Casper "Van Dien" Van Dien, Boris Kodjoe, and Jolene Blalock. Wesley Snipes will star in a sequel to the absolutely terrible action movie The Art of War, which I will refer to as The Art of War 2: Seriously? And Center Stage 2 will capitalize on the public's love of melodramatic teen dance dramas. I must confess a special place in my heart for the original Stage, because it led to a memorable high school back seat rendezvous. Put that quote on your poster, Sony! "Stage 6 will also continue to leverage our vast library of studio films, as we have done with Daddy Day Camp and the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise," threatens a Stage 6 executive.

When I finished watching the teen dance picture Step Up, I didn't really know how to respond. My beliefs had been questioned, my faith had been shaken, my soul was born anew. I sat there in the theater as the lights came up, looking around at the other tear-drenched faces in the audience, and we all just knew. You know? We knew we had been a part of something special, something powerful, something ... important. Not a day has gone by since that I haven't wondered what became of Tyler Gage -- the rebel from the wrong side of Baltimore's tracks, and Nora Clark -- the privileged ballet dancer with the heart of gold. Watching the sparks fly between those two mismatched spirits, (both on and off the stage!) did this wintry heart good, and I've wondered about -- nay, longed for -- a day when we might be able to see those dreamers Step Up ... just one more time.

My dreams have become a reality. Step Up 2 begins filming this July, with John Chu directing. Chu directed the 2007 Chinese film The Secret of the Magic Gourd, about "a boy who learns the meaning of work after a magic gourd grants him anything he wants." (I'm assuming it's a documentary). Step Up 2 will be set at the Maryland School for the Arts. There's no word yet on whether frequently wife-beatered heartthrob Channing Tatum will return or whether the sequel will focus on new characters, but I'm betting on the latter. With his performance in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints so well-received and his next film being the buzzed-about Kimberly Pierce drama Stop Loss, I'd imagine Tatum is on to more serious projects. On a side note, are you aware that if Tatum O'Neal married Channing Tatum, her name would be Tatum Tatum? Something to think about.

John Waters' 1988 hit about a chubby teen who wins a spot on the American Bandstand-esque Corny Collins Show gets a makeover courtesy of choreographer-turned-director Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner) in this summer's Hairspray. This time around, John Travolta plays the plump Edna Turnblad, mother of the aforementioned aspiring dancer (Nicole Blonsky). Yes, that's correct: A virtually unrecognizable Travolta plays a woman. And he's married to Christopher Walken to boot. I'd go on about how the all-star cast also includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Bynes, and Queen Latifah, but frankly Shankman had me at "Travolta married to Walken." Get an exclusive first look at the poster below (double-click on the image for a larger version).

Get more about Hairspray | See John Travolta photos

Sometimes it seems like studios use the cinematic equivalent of a cookie cutter to produce genre films. Step Up is the second "dance film" that I've seen this year, and it is impossible not to compare it to Take the Lead. Step Up's lead actress, Jenna Dewan, was also in Take the Lead, which doesn't help matters. And the opening credit sequence of Step Up was structured in the same way as Take the Lead: juxtaposing two different types of dance moves (ballet and hip-hop this time) to show us the two different social spheres that we all know will eventually collide, just like peanut butter and chocolate, to create something new and wonderful.

Fortunately, Step Up is a much more watchable film than Take the Lead. The storyline is slightly more subtle and less predictable, and the dancing is more energetic. Take the Lead had a fussy lesson-like atmosphere at times, probably because of Antonio Banderas' instructor character, but Step Up doesn't rely on an older figure of authority as a catalyst for action.

One person once described Napoleon Dynamite to me as "an SNL sketch that goes on too long." Personally, I liked the movie, though I haven't seen it since it came out in theaters so it's not fresh enough in my brain for me to praise it coherently at the moment. However, I couldn't forget the sweet dance number at the end where Napoleon simultaneously wows and confounds his peers. Now, there's a site (click below) where you can learn the "Napoleon" dance. Using actual footage from the scene, it takes you step by step through each move and even lets you watch in slow motion. Start learning now so you're ready in time for the Sadie Hawkin's Dance.