Inside ‘She Dances’: Family, friendship and healing on the competition floor

When you think of the high-stakes, high-stress, often cutthroat world of dance competitions, you probably don’t picture it as the setting for family reconciliation and healing. Yet, in the new film She Dances, that intense backdrop becomes the stage for exactly that.

The project began when Steve Zahn chaperoned his daughter Audrey, who stars alongside him in her feature film debut, to her final Nationals competition in Nashville. Throughout the trip, he sent director Rick Gomez behind-the-scenes photos of this high-energy world. The more Gomez saw, the more convinced he became that it was the ideal springboard for a story.

Drawing from their own lives, including the tragedies both families experienced during COVID, Gomez and Zahn (who co-wrote the script) transformed that world into a heartfelt comedy-drama exploring grief, connection and the redemptive power of dance. Joined by Mackenzie Ziegler and a stellar supporting cast, the team crafted a film that feels both personal and universal. Dance Informa sat down with Gomez, Ziegler and the Zahns to hear how they brought it to life.

Ziegler, who plays Kat, Claire’s best friend and dance partner to Audrey’s Claire, shares, “It really felt like we were fully immersed into the world again. I stopped competing when I was around 12, so it’s been a minute. Being back in that world gave me so much joy because I remembered why I love dance so much.”

When asked what it was like to prepare her body for dance again, Ziegler laughs and says, “Stretching. Every day. My body was definitely falling apart on set. When you did it for years and years, and then you stop – I felt like an old person.”

For character development, she drew from her own life. “Kat didn’t have a huge back story,” Ziegler continues. “We knew that her dad was terrible, so I put myself in that because I grew up without a dad being super present. I also wanted to show that I’m there for Claire no matter what. I thought about my sister in a lot of those scenes, because we’re such big supporters of each other.”

Audrey also tapped into her real-life experience as a competition dancer, including the nerves of performing. “It was a mix of feelings,” Audrey says. “We did all the dances in the first three days. The first day was the duet with Kenzie and me, and I remember we were onstage waiting to dance, and were both like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m nervous.’ At the same time, it was really healing and fun. It was in a space that was so creative and supportive. Especially the last dance was so beautiful to perform, and it felt like a gift to my younger self.”

When it came time to choreograph She Dances, there was no question who would: Jamie Harvener, Audrey’s long-time choreographer. “He started choreographing my solos when I was 11 or 12,” Audrey says. “I would assist him in classes, he would come to competitions with me, and he became my main dance teacher. I credit him with helping me create my own dance style.”

Steve adds, “He was one of the most important people connected to this film. There’s no way we could have accomplished this without Jamie – because of the connection to Audrey’s old dance school and all those dancers, and dance moms and dads.”

The emotional heart of the film rested on the friendship between Claire and Kat. Establishing a believable rapport between the two girls was critical, and the connection between Audrey and Mackenzie was instantaneous. “It really felt as if they’d known each other since they were five-year-olds, and if that doesn’t work, I don’t think the movie works,” says Gomez.

“It was so easy from the beginning,” adds Audrey. “We started off doing duet rehearsals, which is a great way to connect because you’re both sweating and exhausted. But we also dance really well together. We had the same kind of movement quality in mind, and that’s hard to find in someone right off the bat, so I think that connected us.”

Ziegler spoke to the value of showcasing friendship in a movie highlighting a world often sensationalized with drama and rivals. “You obviously have ‘rivals,’ but then you also have your closest friends that you lean on. You need that in competition,” she reflects.

“Kat and Claire’s relationship in the film represents those relationships you had in dance growing up where it turned into this beautiful sisterhood or brotherhood,” adds Audrey. “I think it happens more than people talk about.”

Steve had seen these kinds of bonds for years as a dance dad, a role he fully embraced. He says, “I was very proud of being a dance dad. I loaded trucks and was backstage moving sets and props. I wasn’t an actor there. I was really comfortable in this world because I knew these kids when they were little. They all become your kids, and it was a nice safe place.”

Dance runs deep in the Zahn family. Steve fell in love with his wife Robyn while touring for 13 months in Bye Bye Birdie alongside Ann Reinking and Tommy Tune. And if you dig back far enough on Audrey’s Instagram, you’ll discover a lovely father-daughter duet the two performed together during COVID.

Steve and Audrey’s real-life father-daughter relationship plays a large part in the effectiveness of the storytelling. Audrey shares, “Because we’re so comfortable with each other, it was easy to play into the estranged relationship. It was fun to mess around with that and pretend to be different people. I think the comfort of actually being father-daughter came across as well.”

Steve adds, “I think it helped, particularly in one scene that’s pretty heavy. It wasn’t difficult to do that – we did it once.”

The theme of dance as a safe space amid grief also shines throughout the movie. Audrey relates personally. “I definitely went through some grief when I was a young woman,” she shares. “I remember completely turning to dance, and that was the one thing in the world that really made me feel better.”

Even Steve’s experience as a dance dad helped him see the power of dance as a healing escape. “You’ll go to a competition and be in this dark theatre for three days and the world disappears. There’s something really great about that,” he says.

That healing escape sits at the heart of the film, yet She Dances balances it with humor, playing off the quirks of the dance competition world, as well as real-life mishaps and relational dynamics.

“I really think it’s just who Steve and I are,” shares Gomez. “We’re two middle-aged men, and people thought, ‘What right do you have writing for two young females?’ But we knew the screenplay had to be written, so we decided to write Kat and Claire like the roles we would have done when we were young actors. Then Kenzie and Audrey came in and were like, ‘We love this element of the Rick and Steve thing, and now we’re going to make it Kat and Claire.’”

Gomez continues, “It really was about balancing that humor so that the truth of the grief and what they had to get through can still play. That was the hardest part of my job. How do you hold the line so that the audience doesn’t feel like we cheated them in some way?”

This careful balance of humor and heart is reflected in what Gomez and the cast hope audiences will take away from the film. Ziegler stresses easing self-pressure in the demanding dance world and cherishing the friendships forged along the way. Gomez highlights the power of personal artistic expression, noting that simply having something to say is enough. Audrey hopes the film will encourage honest conversations around grief or difficult seasons in relationships, while Steve offers quiet reassurance: “There’s hope. You’re not alone.”

She Dances is playing in select theaters now. Visit fandango.com for local listings and times.

By Melody McTier Thomason of Dance Informa.

The post Inside ‘She Dances’: Family, friendship and healing on the competition floor appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.