‘Step Up Revolution’, in theaters on July 27, brings together a young man and woman who might seem on the surface to have little in common, but their mutual love for dance blossoms into a passion that changes their lives. Sean Asa (Ryan Guzman) is the rebellious son of workingclass Cuban immigrants who finds self‐expression in street dance; Emily Anderson (Kathryn McCormick) is an aspiring contemporary dancer torn between the privilege provided by her father’s wealth and her own artistic aspirations.

“So much of these movies comes down to the casting,” says producer Jennifer Gibgot. “We got incredibly lucky with our leads. They are the heart and soul of the movie. Once we found them, we were able to tailor the dance sequences for their special gifts.”

Like Sean and Emily, Guzman and McCormick together become more than the sum of their parts, says executive producer Matt Smith. “There’s incredible chemistry between Kathryn and Ryan. They’re great friends off screen, and it really shows on screen. The movie challenged them, but they were totally up for it, killing it every day.”

Guzman, who comes from the world of Mixed Martial Arts, had never danced professionally before, and while the filmmakers were impressed by his audition, they were unsure that he was up to the challenging choreography. “He walked in the door with incredible charisma,” says Smith. “He was a very strong actor, but he had no dance training at all. Other people were flying in from tours with Rihanna and Britney Spears to audition, and here’s this Mixed Martial Arts fighter who never danced before.”

But Guzman defied expectations with a mixture of grit, determination and natural ability. “Every choreographer he worked with said that either he had danced in a past life or he was snowing everybody, because he picked it up so brilliantly,” says Gibgot. “Ryan turned out to be a natural. There’s nothing that he wasn’t able to do—hip‐hop, salsa, everything we threw at him, he did it.”

Aware of the producers’ concerns, Guzman responded by immersing himself in the learning process. He says their doubts made him work that much harder to prove himself. “I was in awe of what was going down around me. The audition process was really scary for me, especially free‐styling in front of a bunch of people, but it made me that much more motivated. I was practicing until one o’clock in the morning, and then showing up early to do my thing. I was a little shaky when I saw all the professional dancers in their element, but I pushed past the fear. Even though they had a dance double ready to fill in for me, I said, no way. This is my movie, I want to do everything.”

He gives credit to the film’s team of top choreographers for molding him into a dancer in record time. “I have been fight training for years, but dance training was as intense as anything I’ve ever done in my life,” he says. “It’s physically, mentally and emotionally draining. But then you look around, and you see the dancers having fun, with big smiles on their faces. I could be frustrated, but when I saw that, it always lifted my spirits.”

The actor is honored to be a part of the ‘Step Up’ tradition. “All the movies have been feel‐good, date movies,” he says. “But I do believe the concept for this one is unique. There are no more dance battles, plus it captures the unique feel of the diverse neighborhoods of Miami. My character has had a rough upbringing. He learned to be a leader on the go. What he wants now is to get his crew to the next level artistically and financially in order to enrich everybody’s lives. But his boss wants to destroy his neighborhood, and he’s trying to save it using dance. It’s an inspiring concept.”

Guzman says he was lucky to have a talented and supportive director to guide him through his big screen debut. “Scott Speer is an amazing director. When he needs to be serious, he’s serious, but for the most part he was very light‐hearted. He’s very detailed. And he knows how to talk actors, too.”

Image Courtesy of  Step Up Movie

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