OK so Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker isn’t really a Christmas movie. It’s a dance documentary. But it is about a production of the Nutcracker so I’m counting it in my Christmas movie reviews.

The Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) teaches anyone who wants to learn dance, no matter their financial situation. Seventy-five percent of their students are on scholarship. DADA’s biggest fundraiser is their annual production of Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. Dance Dreams goes behind the scenes as the academy prepares for the annual production.

Debbie Allen is an amazing person. Even at 70 years old, she is still teaching and choreographing and, well, just being a badass. While she does have other teachers and choreographers that work with her, she is very hands-on with her students. She is there pushing them to make them better dancers, as well as better people.

If you are a dancer or a fan of dance, you should definitely watch this. Strike that, EVERYONE should watch this. Debbie Allen is such a ray of light and a source of inspiration that everyone could use her words of wisdom, even if you aren’t a dancer.