Many of the students have seen their parents and other relatives massacred. Some have survived being kidnapped and forced to kill for the rebels. At the Patongo school in the refugee camp they get a fresh opportunity in life. Children from the war-torn north are looked down upon in other areas, so the deck is stacked against them.

In the documentary “War/Dance” Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine capture the sad plight of survivors who poignantly tell their stories but also the heady experience of training for the competition and the positive effect of being instilled with hope for recognition and victory.

For viewers there is the great pleasure of watching the actual performances, the exciting dances unlike those to which we are normally exposed and the musical groups with instruments we may not know about. We, of course know about the xylophone, but it is fascinating to listen to the tones come out of the crude versions used by these young musicians.