Who is the artist behind the ‘Rhythm is a Dancer’ cover in the ‘Pretty Lethal’ Soundtrack? Discover how the Maddie Ziegler film subverts a dance classic into a cinematic anthem for its deadly ballerinas.
“Inside every ballerina’s heart beats the blood of a warrior.”
Watching Pretty Lethal is a visceral, almost hedonistic experience. At first glance, the new film starring Maddie Ziegler feels like a modern iteration of From Dusk Till Dawn, placing a group of young ballerinas in a desolate tavern populated by gangsters and vampires in the Hungarian forests. Yet, it quickly reveals itself as something more: an unprecedented perspective on the struggle for survival that unearths the indestructible spirit of a prima ballerina.
The combat scenes featuring these five exceptionally graceful women, dispatching scores of criminals with sharpened blades and exquisite choreography, have already achieved cult status. However, the allure of Pretty Lethal does not reside solely in the visual contrast between the protagonists’ grace and the violence they are capable of wielding to stay alive. In an unexpected way, the film serves as a reminder of the immense physical and mental endurance required to become a successful ballerina—an achievement forged in one of the most competitive and challenging artistic environments in the world.
There is another element that has provided pure joy to audiences: a meticulously curated soundtrack that blends modern reinterpretations of vintage dance hits with the unique energy of history’s most famous ballets. One moment, the five “deadly ballerinas” are clearing a room to the notes of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker; the next, we see them surging forward to a glorious, reimagined version of Rhythm Is A Dancer.
Indeed, Rhythm Is A Dancer emerges as the true protagonist of the Pretty Lethal soundtrack. Featured in two distinct versions—first during the opening titles and again immediately preceding the final scene—this 90s Eurodance classic acts as a surprising interpretative key for the film’s narrative arc.
To convert a song originally designed for the liberation of the dance floor into the backdrop of an improbable fight for survival might seem absurd. But absurdity is the true source of pleasure in Pretty Lethal.
The Pretty Lethal Soundtrack & Rhythm Is a Dancer: From Dancefloor Energy to the Glory of Victory
First, a brief historical context. The 1990s in Europe were an inimitable laboratory for visceral dance tracks that remain unforgettable today. From time to time, they resurface as viral trends on TikTok, recently prompting us to compile the definitive playlist on these very pages.
Rhythm Is a Dancer is likely one of the first hits that comes to mind for anyone who lived through that era. Released by the German group Snap!, featuring the powerhouse vocals of American singer Thea Austin, the song is remembered by both listeners and critics as one of the most beautiful and enduring hits of the entire 1990s.
In the Pretty Lethal soundtrack, Rhythm Is a Dancer appears twice. The first instance occurs at the very beginning of the film, before we even see the faces of the protagonists, in a version pulsating with pure dance energy—very close to the original (credited as the “Ballerina Remix,” likely featuring minor refinements to align it with the film’s spirit). The second appearance occurs at the end, as the five protagonists flee the hotel in Hungary, in an orchestral version possessing a glorious, triumphant spirit.
It is likely this second version that sparks the most curiosity. This reimagination of Rhythm Is a Dancer was crafted by Scottish composer Paul Leonard-Morgan—who also curated the film’s entire score—and producer Ross Hamilton, also known as Buzz Killer. This version was mixed by two-time Grammy-nominated sound engineer Jason LaRocca.
An official streaming release for this version is not yet available, though we have little doubt it will arrive soon (Amazon Music, do you hear us?).
It’s a Passion: The Art of Ballet as a Double-Edged Sword
Rhythm is a Dancer asserts its presence over the imagery at the film’s most pivotal junctures. At the outset, a narrating voice awakens us to the warrior spirit inherent in every prima ballerina—a message that soon returns to mind as we witness them transform into precision-engineered killing machines the moment their lives (and careers) are threatened by crude, inelegant criminals.
The song’s lyrics seem to whisper something far beyond the original intentions of Snap! in the 1990s:
It’s a passion
You can feel it in the air
These verses no longer seem to reference the pulse of Eurodance. Instead, they appear as a tribute to the inexhaustible determination of every professional dancer—an artistic path demanding decades of sacrifice, physical agony, and psychological toll.
Cinema has often invited us into this world through dramatic works, from Aronofsky’s seminal Black Swan to the more recent Netflix production Dancing on Glass. Yet, Pretty Lethal offers an unprecedented perspective: a ballerina, fueled by grit and the sheer urgency of survival, can hold her own against a horde of seasoned, heavily armed assassins.
After guiding the viewer through combat sequences that resemble high-art choreography, tales of dancers forced to sacrifice everything for an ancestral criminal debt, and young artists learning the necessity of teamwork, hearing Rhythm is a Dancer once more carries the flavor of an unexpected triumph.
Lift your hands and voices
Free your mind and join us
From the golden age of instinctive, carefree dance, Rhythm Is a Dancer has evolved into a hymn of resistance. It reminds us that we live in a world where, if you do not show your teeth, you succumb—figuratively, and in the case of Pretty Lethal, quite literally.
