What messages are in Take The Lead?

One of the most overwhelming messages of the film is the
need for arts education.  In an age of high stakes standardized assessment, funding for
the arts in education is often a casualty.  The film makes very clear the idea that the
students that Mr. Dulaine teaches have been marginalized by the traditional educational
system.  Art is the medium by which they can be reached and through which lives can be
changed.  This is a profound message and one that is not easily forgotten.  Another
message that comes out of the film is a sheer beauty of classical dance.  This is more
subtle, but there is a transcendence present in dances like the waltz or the tango where
two people become merged in a "moment" that goes beyond external conditions and
contingencies.  There is a reason why the children are entranced and inspired by the
tango.  Seeing Mr. Dulaine tango is what initially causes the students to pivot towards
dancing.  It is this precise message about dance and believing in a craft that causes
the students to accept the idea that their identities are not solely determined by their
contingencies and conditions.