The Forbidden Dance Is Lambada (1990)

Taglines: LAMBADA…If it got any hotter, it wouldn’t be dancing!

Filmed during the Lambada dance craze, this film tries to have a social conscience. A princess (Laura Herring) in the Amazon rain forests tries to fight a conglomerate threatening the forests by going to Los Angeles. There she links up with a rich kid (Jeff James) who tells her that she must get on tv to succeed with her mission. Quick as a wink the two come up with the idea of winning a lambada dance contest that is getting tv attention. Sid Haig also co-stars as a witch doctor who accompanies the princess and provides some humor.

The Forbidden Dance (also released as The Forbidden Dance is Lambada) is a 1990 drama film starring former Miss USA Laura Harring. Made to cash in[citation needed] on the Lambada dance craze, it opened on the same day (March 16, 1990) as its competitor, Lambada.

About the Story

Nisa (Laura Harring) is a native princess of a northern Brazilian tribe who comes to Los Angeles to stop an American corporation from destroying her rainforest home. With her is tribal shaman Joa (Sid Haig), who uses black magic to get past the company guards and see the chairman of the corporation, resulting in his arrest.

Left to fend for herself in Los Angeles alone, Nisa, with the help of Carmen (Angela Moya), finds work in a Beverly Hills mansion as the servant of an uptight couple whose son, Jason (Jeff James), lives only to dance. After spying on Nisa as she dances provocatively in her bedroom, Jason takes her out to a club. She is rejected by Jason’s friends, and he is berated by his parents for dating the help.

Nisa runs away and gets a job at Xtasy, a sleazy dance joint/brothel, as a dance partner for male customers. Jason’s friends visits the club and want to dance with Nisa, but Nisa refuses to dance with them. One of Jason’s friends (Kenny Johnson) becomes sleazy towards her and she knees him in the groin.

Later, the friends tell Ashley, Jason’s girlfriend, and she runs back and tells Jason his little girlfriend is a sleaze working at Xtasy. He becomes morose, turns away from his buddies and girlfriend Ashley (Barbra Brighton) and goes to Xtasy to try to take Nisa out of the place. A bouncer beats up the would-be rescuer and prepares to deflower Nisa, but fortunately, Joa walks in and magically stuns the attacker, which clears the place.

The Forbidden Dance Is Lambada movie trailer.