The Dancin’ Bulldogs Review
The Dancin Bulldogs is a 2020 feature documentary written and directed by Christian Jessup.
A heartfelt and genuine look at the 2018-19 season of the Gardner-Webb University men’s basketball team and their journey against all odds to make it to the NCAA tournament.
What first must be said about this documentary above all else is the fact that it was still able to be completed despite all the craziness of the past year. While of course this had to be quite the adjustment for Jessup and his team, through the use of Zoom style interviews it all came together in a great way.
There was a lot of craftmanship that went into this film. Even with the limited ways to control things like sound, lighting, and framing it all worked in the end. What is even better is this is not your average basketball Cnderella story. Sometimes the way things work out is not that amazing upset to win it all, but yet to start the legacy that will soon follow.
It is easy to see where many would overlook this story as anyone who watches college basketball knows by now, this is not the team that wins the big national tournament. Yet there is still a reason to tell it despite all of that. What the team at Gardner-Webb was able to do was quite astounding, especially given the small stature of the school itself.
A lot of credit has to be given to Jessup who not only saw potential in this team’s triumph, but also took the extra care to present it professionally. This is a great documentary with soul and a lot of spirit to it.
The entire team behind this film should be proud and with this accomplishment they have honored the story of the team that didn’t quite make it as the national tournament champions, but made it work as best they could despite all their adversities. It is fitting then that I am sure just the making of this film very much mirrors that struggle, again given the state of the world over more than a year now. This is one to watch and it is exciting to see what Christian Jessup will work on next.
To follow on social media: Instagram, Twitter, and Full Film.
Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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