‘High School Musical’ Stars Reunite for ‘A Christmas Dance Reunion’

Lifetime’s holiday movies have become a seasonal staple and a Holiday tradition for many people. And the studio’s newest romantic delight is debuting tonight. This new film is reuniting two beloved actors who, while having fantastic on-screen chemistry, haven’t performed next to each other for several years. 

A Christmas Dance Reunion follows Lucy Mortimer, played by Monique Coleman. She and her mother, Virginia, return to their beloved Winterleigh Resort. Unfortunately, the resort is having financial issues, so the pair plan to celebrate the resort’s final Christmas season together. However, things quickly turn romantic when Lucy reunites with the owner’s nephew, Barrett Brewster (Corbin Bleu.) Barrett and Lucy have a history as when they were children, they were dance partners, but they have since drifted apart.

However, the resort’s budget issues mean that the traditional festive activities have been canceled, which upsets Lucy and Virginia. Keen to protect their memories, Lucy decides to recreate many of the traditions she remembers from her childhood, including the traditional Christmas dance. But with that event comes a question, will she partner up with Barrett once more? 

A Christmas Dance Reunion has been getting a lot of hype due to its cast. Coleman and Bleu made their mainstream debuts playing Chad Danforth, and Taylor McKessie in 2006’s smash hit movie High School Musical. This film propelled both actors to stardom, and they went on to reappear in the film’s two sequels, the last of which broke records when it was released in theaters. However, the pair haven’t acted alongside each other since that third movie, making this the pair’s first time working together since 2008, which parallels their characters in the film. 

The film has a fascinating production history as it was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, Lifetime holiday movies have a quick turnaround time, taking a few months to write and develop, around 15 days to film, and then a few weeks of post-production before the movie hits screens. However, filming for A Christmas Dance Reunion took place in October 2020, at the height of the pandemic, which forced the filming to be handled differently.

In fact, in an interview with Variety, Bleu explains how the cast rehearsed the film’s dance sequences over Zoom while all of the cast and crew were doing their hotel quarantine in Canada, with the performers only getting two days of in-person rehearsals. However, despite these setbacks, the film followed the usual Lifetime timescale, which is a testament to how efficiently the studio makes its movies. 

A Christmas Dance Reunion premieres on December 3rd at 8/7 central on Lifetime. Those who want to stream the movie can do so via the Philo streaming platform.