There's more than love in the air in "Strictly Ballroom," Australian director Baz Luhrmann's energetic and exciting tale of love among the dance steps that does everything but jump off the screen. The film is essentially a fashion show put to a beat, but it proves itself as more than just a glorious wallow in stylish excess with its love-conquers-all story and themes that, despite their familiarity, feel as good as new.

It's a simple tale of whimsy, focusing on young dancer Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio), whose looks and talent have secured him a future as the world's most revered dancer. We see in the film's beginning, through a fanciful documentary-like series of interviews and dance events, that Scott dabbles in his own style, creating his own crowd-pleasing moves in spite of the disapproval of his mother and highly regarded judges, who consider his technique a threat to their "strictly ballroom" approach.

Everyone that surrounds him pleads with him to give up his boyish dreams; his teacher, Les Kendall (Peter Whitford), feels his apprentice has unrealized potential that would be squandered were he to continue his imaginative steps, while his mother, Shirley (Pat Thompson), wants to steer her son from the same mistakes she made years ago. Scott's father, Doug (Barry Otto), secretly harvests a similar passion for originality, that which will come into play as the movie progresses.

Despite this barrage of protestations, Scott knows better, and holds true to his own heart, continuing his private dancing in his teacher's studio when no one is looking. He is approached by Fran (Tara Morice), a simple girl with a plain demeanor and an equal longing to dance as she pleases. Scott, at first hesitant at her proposal that they dance together in preparation for a grand contest, agrees to teach her; as you may well know, they develop a deeper bond than love of dancing.

Sound familiar? Well, it is, actually. The plot reminded me numerous times of various films, such as "Dirty Dancing," with its various characters denouncing Scott's dancing, and a pastiche of various fairy tale romances, as the two young lovers encounter obstacles in the way of their happiness. But, when filtered through Luhrmann's wondrous ability to make the old seem new and exquisite, such familiar plot characteristics are given new life, and possess the ability to move us, and excite us.

And speaking of exciting, when was the last time such energy and humor as this was seen? Luhrmann has quite the visionary eye, and puts it to incredible use, assaulting us with a visceral array of tightly-choreographed dance sequences, vibrant costumes, and a sense of humor and wit that stays with the film through its entire. Accompanying these attributes are young actors Mercurio and Morice, who sell us on the love story so well that its hard not to feel a sense of urgency when things look stormy for the two.

At various points in "Strictly Ballroom," the audience is given two options: surrender to the film's pseudo-realistic central message ("A life lived in fear is a life half lived"), or flee. Luhrmann throws so much of this into the mix of song, dance, love and ribaldry, that some may find it distracting, but make no mistake: such elements span the gamut of past and present, achieving a universal feel that almost anyone can relate to. This is a truly remarkable film, a special piece of fancy that captures the heart and incites it to soar.

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