We are rather short of words when it comes to our feelings for “Dance Brothers” because we don’t think we have any. The series lacked both the things it promised, one being dance and the other being brothers, or at least any semblance of a brotherly relationship. We gave up on having any thoughts or prayers about the show within the first four episodes, but here is a detailed recap of everything that goes down in “Dance Brothers.”
Spoilers Alert
What Happens To The Brothers’ Club?
Roni and Sakke are two talented dancers who want to play in the big leagues and keep auditioning to be part of dance crews but without much success. One day, they chance upon an abandoned building, and Roni wonders whether it would be the perfect place for them to open up their own dance club. It would be sort of an underground bar where people would come to watch dance performances and face-offs. The brothers are helped by Aida Bosch Azizi, the owner of that building, who agrees to rent it to them. Her real motive is that she wants to use the business as a front for laundering her money, and though Roni is initially hesitant, Sakke convinces him to figure out the whole thing. That is the start of “Laundry,” the name of their club derived from the laundromat where their family has worked their entire lives. Sadly, not many people know about Laundry, even though the brothers spent quite a bit on advertising. That is because they did nothing but rent a billboard. It is not clear if they are advertising an actual laundromat or a club. This is why not many people show up for their grand opening night, except one prominent person, Angelo, brought by Karo, Sakke’s friend. He runs a hugely popular dance crew and seems offhandedly interested in the club. But Roni unintentionally insults him by calling him a “has-been,” not so directly, but the meaning is clear. However, he is still bigger than them; therefore, the next day, Roni and Sakke ask him for a professional partnership, which actually works out for them and brings in people to Laundry. Seeing the crowd, Angelo and Roni decide to turn their gig into a long-term partnership.
But things are advancing on other fronts as well. A clip of Roni and Sakke dancing at the club has gone viral, though it carries more of a humorous tone than anything else. Why didn’t “Dance Brothers” show us this particular clip? Anyway, the institute that runs a particular dance festival shared the clip, and Roni and Sakke see a chance to perform there. The coordinator, who also calls a lot of the shots, Ranta, brushes away Roni when he approaches her. But Roni is not one to give up. He finds that his ex-girlfriend, Viima, is on good terms with Ranta. From what we gathered, they broke up because Viima chose a safe job that was away from her passion, and Roni was harsh in his judgment about it. But Viima joins them again, and she puts in a good word with Ranta for the trio to perform. Ranta is still hesitant, but Roni invites her to a dance battle at his club to be held in a few days and asks her to make her decision there.
What Is The Ice Vs. Fire Challenge?
In the clip that went viral, Roni and Sakke were dancing against each other, and it was a face-off of sorts. That is the theme that Roni capitalizes on when he pitches their dance group to Ranta: a face-off. However, he tells Sakke that it is just a concept, and they are not actually competing. It is all fine until Roni is a little keyed on by Angelo that Sakke is a better dancer than him since he got selected into Alvaro’s crew when Roni did not. Roni had known this fact for a while, but he had pushed it to the back of his mind. However, egged on by Angelo, he makes a bet that he will win the competition, even though he told Sakke that it wasn’t one. On the day of the face-off, it is Sakke who wins with the help of Karo. Though Sakke doesn’t know this yet, Roni has bet 35% of their club to Angelo, saying that they will be his if he loses to Sakke, and guess what happens? This is in addition to the money they owe Angelo for getting their music system fixed. But Sakke has yet to know that. For now, Ranta sees the potential of this dance group and agrees for them to be a part of HIDF.
But instead of jumping into practice sessions, things keep getting twisted for the Luoto brothers. Their DJ leaves them for another club in town named “Kiddo,” which has been started by Angelo by copying Laundry. This causes tension because it is hard to believe that Karo knew nothing about it, and while Roni is openly hostile toward her, Sakke is trying to find a middle ground. He obviously finds that difficult because one night at Kiddo, after taking some drugs, he slut shames Karo and insinuates that she is sleeping with Angelo. It doesn’t help a heartbroken Karo that Angelo indeed makes a move on her soon after, but she pushes him away. As for Sakke, when he was not at the club, it quite literally went up in flames due to faulty wiring, just adding to the brothers’ list of financial woes.
What Happens With Karo And Angelo?
Angelo made a song inspired by a lullaby that Karo’s grandmother used to sing for her. Karo gives him permission to use it, provided he gives the right people credit. Angelo is more than happy to do so and asks Karo to come up with the entire choreography. But when the day of shooting arrives, the director of the music video forces Karo to sexualize the video a little too much. When Karo refuses, they replace her. Karo confronts Angelo about it, and he openly shames her for her refusal to show skin in the video. Upset, Karo ends the relationship then and there. Angelo started acting like this because Karo turned him down, and he was just one of those men who couldn’t handle it. When Sakke tries to stand up for her, Angelo reveals the bet Roni made with him. This causes another confrontation between the brothers and ends with them parting ways and refusing to work together.
As for Karo, she eventually goes back to Angelo, but it is all a ruse. When she has to perform the song in front of an audience, she performs her grandmother’s version and gives credit where credit is due. Angelo had neglected to do that, and Karo got her payback for it. Since she has taken back her permission, Angelo cannot use that song anymore and is running out of money. This is in addition to the fact that he doesn’t really own 35% of the Laundry. The shares of the company belong to Aida Bosch Azizi, and they cannot be wagered away like Roni tried to do.
‘Dance Brothers’ Ending Explained: What Finally Happens To Roni and Sakke?
Ranta pretty much wants to kick the brothers out of the dance festival because of how they keep letting their personal problems get in the way of their professional lives. But she needs their presence to appeal to a younger audience, and their inclusion has sold out the tickets. Ranta has no choice, but she has a point. Due to Roni’s ego and harsh words, Viima is forced to leave the dance group, and the brothers must adjust the choreography all over again. But it is easier said than done, especially since Roni sprains his ankle. However, he is in a state of mind where nothing can get between him and his ambitions, and the two brothers reach the final stage. But this proves to be the real test of their relationship. Everything Sakke has been feeling is catching up to him. He has been insecure and pushed around by his brother his entire life, and the weight of that is bringing him down.
As for Roni, he sees how blinded he has been by his ambitions; he literally never thought about anyone or anything else. Their fight on stage could have been called the dance of their relationship, but it is not elegant enough for that. Luckily, Roni realizes how to set it right. He asks Sakke to lead, and this is the trick that works, helping them perform their dance routine on stage. At the end of “Dance Brothers,” Roni and Sakke give a successful performance, one that gets them a world tour, but this time, Roni lets Sakke leave the group. He realizes that he can’t keep dragging Sakke along for his own benefit and asks Sakke to follow his own dreams. As for the others, Karo is no longer with Sakke, but we believe they remain friends. Viima looks for independent collaborations of her own, and Angelo is still lost, trying to pick himself up. It is a bittersweet ending, the complete effect of which could have been better conveyed if it had been a neater script, but this is it for now.
Final Thoughts
“Dance Brothers” was a good idea on paper but just did not translate well on screen. Whoever wrote this was not able to gauge the fact that we are not interested in seeing another pair of siblings fight on screen but actually build something together with a common goal. Otherwise, “Dance Brothers” is just a generic piece of content that is not even good in its quality. We would recommend, with a vengeance, that you skip this.
