Movies Like Syvilla: They Dance To Her Drum

If you liked Syvilla: They Dance To Her Drum (1979), a movie directed by Ayoka Chenzira, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
El Cantante (2006)
★ 7.2/10
The rise and fall of salsa singer, Héctor Lavoe (1946-1993), as told from the perspective of his wife Puchi, who looks back from 2002.
2
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
★ 7/10
A film of the life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan.
3
Step Up (2006)
★ 6.9/10
Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.
4
The Dogs of War (1980)
★ 5.8/10
Mercenary soldiers Jamie and Drew are hired by a large corporation to liberate Zangaro, a small African nation, from an despot. Havoc ensues.
5
The Man Who Cried (2000)
★ 6.1/10
A young refugee travels from Russia to America in search of her lost father and falls in love with a gypsy horseman.
6
You Can See Everything (2026)
★ 8.9/10
Thirty-four days before she's sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon…
7
Peaceful Warrior (2006)
★ 7.5/10
A chance encounter with a stranger changes the life of a college gymnast.
8
StreetDance 2 (2012)
★ 6.2/10
After suffering humiliation by the crew Invincible, street dancer Ash looks to gather the best dancers from around the world for a rematch.
9
You Got Served (2004)
★ 6.4/10
At Mr. Rad's Warehouse, the best hip-hop crews in Los Angeles compete for money and respect. But when a suburban crew crashes the party, stealing their dancers — and their moves — two warring friends have to pull…
10
Take the Lead (2006)
★ 6.9/10
A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based…
11
Maria (2024)
★ 6.5/10
Maria Callas, the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life.
12
The One and Only Ivan (2020)
★ 7.3/10
A gorilla named Ivan who’s living in a suburban shopping mall tries to piece together his past, with the help of other animals, as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity.
13
The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
★ 6.8/10
A washed-up filmmaker gets a second chance at stardom when he discovers stunning peasant Maria Vargas dancing in a Madrid nightclub. Goaded by his producer, the director convinces Maria to screen test for, and then…
14
The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)
★ 6.3/10
The extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers as the female Christ.
15
Footloose (1984)
★ 6.7/10
When teenager Ren and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he's in for a real case of culture shock after discovering he's living in a place where music and dancing are illegal.
16
The Band Wagon (1953)
★ 7.2/10
A Broadway artiste turns a faded film star's comeback vehicle into an artsy flop.
17
American Pastoral (2016)
★ 6.2/10
Set in postwar America, a man watches his seemingly perfect life fall apart as his daughter's new political affiliation threatens to destroy their family.
18
High Strung Free Dance (2018)
★ 7.3/10
Zander Raines, a dazzling and tempestuous young choreographer, gives the break of a lifetime to two hopeful artists when he casts a stunning contemporary dancer, Barlow, and innovative pianist, Charlie, in New York’s…
19
Our Kind of Traitor (2016)
★ 6/10
A young Oxford academic and his attorney girlfriend holiday in Morocco. They bump into a Russian millionaire who owns a peninsula and a diamond watch. He wants a game of tennis. What else he wants propels the lovers on…
20
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
★ 6.7/10
Tony spends his Saturdays at a disco where his stylish moves raise his popularity among the patrons. But his life outside the disco is not easy and things change when he gets attracted to Stephanie.