Synopsis

After a personal tragedy, street dancer DJ moves from Los Angeles to Atlanta and enrolls in college, hoping to start over. He becomes involved with a fraternity's step team and finds himself caught between rival groups, academic responsibilities, romance, and his own unresolved anger. To earn his place, DJ must learn that discipline and teamwork matter as much as individual talent.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was originally titled "Steppin," but the name was changed to avoid confusion with the 2006 dance film "Step Up."

• Filming took place in Atlanta, including locations connected with Morris Brown College, Morehouse College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Clark Atlanta University, and the MAK Historic District in Decatur.

• The production reportedly kept the two fictional fraternity groups apart during rehearsals so their routines would remain secret and the performers could maintain a genuine sense of rivalry.

• About 2,000 extras were used for the climactic step tournament. According to production trivia, many were not told they were participating in a film, allowing the crowd's cheering and booing to remain spontaneous.

• The billboard graffiti reading "The future is ours" echoes a moment from the 1995 French film "La Haine."

• Released in the United States on January 12, 2007, the film opened with more than $21.8 million domestically. It ultimately earned about $75.5 million worldwide against an estimated $13 million budget.

• The hip-hop-oriented soundtrack was released through Artists' Addiction Records and helped position the film as part of the mid-2000s wave of music-driven dance dramas.