Falling for Tap: A strange look at Rhythm in the Air

Is this for you?

Honestly, only watch Rhythm in the Air if you have a soft spot for weird, short, black-and-white experiments from way back. If you need a cohesive story or characters who act like real people, skip it. You’ll probably hate it if you get annoyed by movies that feel like a glorified stage play.

The whole premise is just one guy on a girder being a creep, or maybe just a fan, of a girl dancing. He claps, he falls. That is it. It’s bizarrely simple.

The vibe

There is something about the way he’s just sitting up there, hundreds of feet in the air, watching a window. It’s not exactly romantic. It’s more like a scene from a strange dream you have after eating too much cheese before bed. 🧀

The tap-dancing itself is fine, I guess. But the editing is what got me. It jumps between the steel beam and the dance floor with zero grace. It’s like the editor was working on a deadline and just said, "Eh, good enough."

Watching the guy lose his balance isn't exactly high-stakes drama. It’s more like watching someone trip over their own shoelaces in slow motion. You can see it coming from a mile away.

• The guy’s focus is genuinely impressive.
• The girl’s shoes are loud enough to wake the neighbors.
• The stunt work is… well, let's call it 'creative'.

If you want to compare this to something else, it doesn't have the polish of Two Hearts in Waltz Time, which at least commits to its own charm. This one just feels like it was thrown together during a lunch break.

Still, there’s a weird innocence to it. It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just trying to be a quick distraction. Sometimes that’s enough, I suppose. Or maybe I’m just tired and the tap-dancing put me in a trance.

Anyway, don't look for deep meaning here. It’s just a guy, a beam, and a girl who needs a better place to practice her routines. 👞