Plot
Ruby, a classical ballet dancer, earns a scholarship to the Manhattan Conservatory of the Arts. There, she befriends her roommate Jasmine (nicknamed "Jazzy") and catches the interest of violinist, Kyle Endeca. With no formal training in contemporary dance, Ruby struggles with the lessons, especially in comparison to the top dancer of her class, April.
Ruby meets a struggling and moody British violinist named Johnnie, who performs in the New York City Subway for money. While watching him play, two groups of hip-hop dancers start a dance-off before the police arrives to break them up. In the chaos, Ruby gets pushed and she falls down. Johnnie gets distracted while helping her, and his violin and the money he earned busking are stolen. While helping Johnnie track down his stolen violin, Ruby learns he is illegally living in the United States, which is why he is unable to file a police report. The next day, Ruby rents a loaner violin from the Conservatory and suggests Johnnie enters a competition where a dancer performs with a string musician, with the winner gets a scholarship at the Conservatory, which could qualify Johnnie for a student visa, and $25,000. However, not wanting to accept charity, Johnnie coldly brushes the idea off and rejects the violin.
During a night at a pub, Kyle invites Ruby to attend a gala in which he will be performing and Jazzy enters a relationship with a man. Behind on his rent, Johnnie agrees to a job as a waiter alongside the Switch Steps, a hip-hop group who lives in his building, at the gala. Ruby encounters Johnnie, who apologies for his cold behavior, and the two share a dance. Kyle, jealous of the attraction between them, insults Johnnie for being a street performer, resulting in the two competing against each other with the violin. The Switch Steps assists Johnnie by dancing for the crowd before they are chased out by security. Johnnie later visits Ruby at the Conservatory and the two begin a romantic relationship. Johnnie also agrees to enter the competition with Ruby, who later learns from Kyle that he and April are also entering as a team.
As Ruby continues to struggle in her contemporary classes and Jazzy is repeatedly late for her classes due to partying late with her boyfriend, they are warned that they risk expulsion. After an argument, Ruby and Jazzy reaffirm their friendship and Jazzy starts to improve her habits. With the help of the Switch Steps, Ruby and Johnnie begin to rehearse for the competition.
On the day of the competition, Ruby receives a call from a consignment store that they had received Johnnie’s violin and goes to retrieve it. Meanwhile, Johnnie is taken in by the police for his illegal immigration status. He strikes an agreement with the police to assist them in finding a fraud immigration attorney who Johnnie had paid previously to help him get a green card, nearly causing him to be late to competition. Ruby returns Johnnie’s violin to him for him to play in their performance. As the group performs a piece that mixes classical ballet with hip-hop, the judges have mixed feelings about the non-classical performance. At the end, Ruby, Johnnie, and the Switch Steps are declared the winners.
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