Forbidden Dance (1990) - The

If you grew up in the early '90s, you likely remember the brief, fiery cultural explosion known as the . Marketed as "the forbidden dance," it was everywhere for about fifteen minutes. But did you know it was so popular that two rival films about it were released on the exact same day in 1990? One was Lambada , and the other—the one with the surprisingly heavy heart—was The Forbidden Dance . The Plot: Dance for the Trees

: Unlike its rival, this film tried to have a "soul," ending with actual statistics about rainforest destruction—a suggestion made by Harring herself. The Forbidden Dance (1990)

Check out how the Lambada craze took the world by storm during this era: If you grew up in the early '90s,

: It served as an early showcase for Laura Harring, who would later become a muse for David Lynch in the masterpiece Mulholland Drive . One was Lambada , and the other—the one

Once in L.A., she meets Jason (), a wealthy kid who loves to dance. They realize the only way to get her message to the masses is to win a televised Lambada dance contest. It's Dirty Dancing meets Captain Planet , featuring a legendary appearance by Sid Haig as a magical shaman. Why It’s a Cult Classic

: It was born out of a feud between Cannon Films founders Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, leading to two competing Lambada movies being produced simultaneously.

Review: The Forbidden Dance (1990) — When Environmentalism Met the Lambada