Flashdance

"Something happens when she hears the music...It's her freedom, it's her first, it's her life."  Flashdance, starring Jennifer Beals as Alex Owens, was released in 1983.  Some of you will remember the song “FlashDance…What a Feeling”, performed by Irene Cara (“Fame”).  The movie received mostly negative reviews, with Roger Ebert even going so far as to put it on his list of “Most Hated” films.  Regardless of the criticism, the film was a huge financial success, ultimately earning over $200 million on a budget of $7 million.

In this movie, Alexandra “Alex” Owens (Beals) is a welder in a steel mill during the day and an exotic dancer at night.  She has aspirations of becoming a professional dancer, but with no formal education or path to fulfilling her dream, she languishes in the doldrums of reality.  Eventually, Alex becomes romantically involved with the owner of the steel mill, Nick, who encourages her to pursue her dreams.  When Nick pulls strings to get Alex a spot in a dancing school, Alex becomes angry, and prefers to get through on her own merits by auditioning (which she does).