Christian sitcom Pastor Greg creator and star Greg Robbins trades holy humor for a weightier message with C Me Dance, which released earlier this month.
Shot in and around Pittsburgh, home to Robbin’s Uplifting Entertainment production company, the 88-minute drama about a young dancer whose career dreams are shattered by a diagnosis of cancer, aims to alert Christians and nonbelievers to the reality of spiritual warfare.
“We’re trying to show that we have to deal with spiritual warfare; if you turn your back, it is still going to be there, so it’s best to face it,” said Robbins, who was awakened to its reality by a personal experience several years ago.
He revisited a script he had originally written almost 30 years ago—inspired by a dancer friend—and developed the story of 17-year-old Sheri. After being diagnosed with leukemia, the teenager develops a miraculous ability to touch others’ lives for God—a gift that angers the devil.
Depicting the devil on screen prompted criticism from some Christian viewers when the movie had a short theatrical run earlier in the year, Robbins admitted. But while the film shows the reality of the devil—portrayed by longtime friend Peter Kent—it exalts God, Robbins said.
“We had people come to Christ in the parking lot of theaters,” he recalled. “We have had letters from people saying it has changed their lives.”
Rated PG despite its intense theme, the film attempts to “break the mold” of many Christian movies, Robbins added. “We wanted to attract the lost, and we won’t do that with ‘thees’ and ‘thous’ and Christianese.”
In addition to penning the script and directing, Robbins also plays Sherri’s father. Appearing as Sheri is Christine DeMarco, a regular on the Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Pastor Greg show, who went to ballet school for three months to prepare for her role. Actor Kent is a former stunt double for action star Arnold Schwarzenegger.
C Me Dance also features a 30-minute “making of” documentary.
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