Lambada is a 1990 drama film starring J. Eddie Peck, Melora Hardin, Adolfo "Shabba-doo" Quiñones, Ricky Paull Goldin, Dennis Burkley, and Keene Curtis.

[1][2] A Beverly Hills school teacher by day, Kevin Laird (J. Eddie Peck) journeys at night to a warehouse in East Los Angeles, California, where a group of barrio kids gather to dance the lambada.

Using his dazzling dance moves to earn the kids' respect and acceptance, Kevin then teaches them academics in an informal backroom study hall.

[citation needed] Kevin Thomas, in his review (of this film and The Forbidden Dance) for the Los Angeles Times, noted that both of them 'revive the spirit of Sam Katzman, who turned out similar quickies in the ‘50s to cash in on rock ‘n’ roll and the Twist'; he singled out Lambada as the 'slicker but more impersonally directed' of the two.

[5] In yet another paired review of both films for The Washington Post, Rita Kempley dismissed them as 'pandering and exploitative'; she described Lambada as being 'far lighter on its feet with a flashier look and a professional cast'.