Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Savage Rhythm’ on Netflix, A Reggaeton Dance Drama From Colombia

Two dancers from opposite walks of life find their motivations entwined in the new Netflix series Savage Rhythm, aka Ritmo Salvaje. Reggaeton beats fuel the moves of Antonia, who studies at a prestigious Colombian dance academy, while the same grooves inform Karina, a shift worker by day and talented street dancer by night. And what starts as a hot opportunity for mutual benefit becomes an inferno of dance battling, romance having, friendships fracturing, and money flying everywhere.

SAVAGE RHYTHM: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A choreographer clad in an incredibly elaborate pancho is speaking authoritatively to the company at Bogota’s Royal Academy of Dance. “We’ll explore other movements. Decidedly more urban. Put yourself in another’s skin. Through the music, the dance, connect with another reality.”

The Gist: Antonia (Paulina Davila), well off and pretty, loves the adrenaline rush of being on stage. She’s the favorite for the lead in the Royal’s production of Romeo & Juliet, and she’s committed to making dance her life, even if her mother is fed up. “Dance isn’t a life,” she tells Antonia. “It’s a hobby, a whim. You’re an adult. You have to think about your future.” Dance is also life for Karina (Greeicy Rendon), but it takes a backseat to working at a steel mill so she can eat and support her sick grandma. Pura Kaye, her troupe of street dancers, is full of talent and popular on social media. But likes and hearts don’t pay the bills.

Savage Rhythm puts the lives of both Antonia and Karina on a collision course. And it’s one with clear benefits for both women, but also loads of sacrifice in ways neither of them expect. At the Royal, Antonia’s shot at the role of Juliet and a resulting scholarship is put in jeopardy by Brant (Andreas Juan Hernandez), the academy’s arrogant, hard-charging new choreographer. When she and her friend and fellow dancer Vicente (Sergio Herrera) attend a party at the Al Garete club on the other side of town, they’re captivated by Pura Kaye’s performance. For as much as she loves dance, she doesn’t move with Karina’s boundless freedom. And with Brant and her mom breathing down her neck, Antonia determines that befriending Karina and learning the ways of street dancing will buoy her chances to stay at the Royal.

At first, Karina isn’t sure about Antonia’s motives. But she could really use the cash this rich girl is offering. She’s being sexually harassed by her scumbag boss at the steel mill, and a producer has offered Pura Kaye a slot as the backup dancers for one of his acts. It’s the opportunity they’ve been hoping for, but they’ll have to travel to Medellin on their own dime. Can these two women help each other out of their respective jams? Or will the reggaeton beat pass them by?

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Savage Rhythm is the latest show to feature at Netflix as part of the streamer’s deal with Colombian broadcaster Caracol, a partnership that also includes the hit reggaeton telenovela Queen of Flow. For a decidedly different take on contemporary life in Colombia, Netflix also has the gritty, darkly funny narco thriller Dogwashers. Subject matter-wise, this will appeal to fans of the Step Up series.

Our Take: Savage Rhythm is directed by Simon Brand, who has multiple Grammys for his work helming music videos for Latin music superstars like Paulina Rubio, Thalia, and Juanes, and his feel for the pulse and movement of dance makes the extended sequence at Al Garete shine. The members of Pura Kaye are a flurry of pumping arms and undulating midsections, and the editing and lighting are superb. It certainly helps that Greeicy Rendon is a singer and dancer as well as an actress; her blistering, confident moves help sell Karina, and lend support to a storyline that tends to thin out whenever dancing isn’t happening. It’s also fortunate that Rendon has so much chemistry with Paulina Davila as Antonia. Through them, we can believe more in the forces that have brought these two together, because the narrative in Savage Rhythm is otherwise pretty trite and predictable.

Even if some have it, even if some don’t, money is the driver for everybody in Savage Rhythm. Even the boss at the sophisticated Royal is desperate for cash, making whispered calls to her creditors. We see Antonia steal pesos out of her mom’s purse to pay Karina, and a robbery at Al Garete to pay for drugs. So it’s clear going forward that cash will be a motivator. But in the end it’s the dancing that matters most here. Whenever that’s happening, that’s when Rhythm truly finds its flow.

Sex and Skin: Karina takes a shower.

Parting Shot: In its final moments, Savage Rhythm returns to a scene shown earlier, and this time around, we better understand the gravity of Antonia seeking out Katrina and knocking on her door in the barrio. “I have a proposal,” Antonio tells a wary Katrina. “I need to become you.”

Sleeper Star: Angela Cano is dynamite here as Ximena, Pura Kaye’s wigmaster and passionate mama bear. “I care about you, about Kaye,” she tells the other women in the troupe. “You also have to realize that life is fucking hard. It’s awesome for some, but not for us. It doesn’t let us dream. We work to afford to eat, girls.”

Most Pilot-y Line: “Get ready! Because what’s coming is pure rhythm!” The promoter at Al Garete’s introduction of Pura Kaye is basically a tease for every dance sequence to come.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The dance sequences in Savage Rhythm are a thrill, and its main draw. But don’t count out the melodrama that comes from people hungry for the opportunity to shoot their shot.

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges