Slow Dancing in the Big City is a 1978 American romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Paul Sorvino and Anne Ditchburn.

His life changes dramatically upon falling in love with neighbor Sarah Gantz, a young ballerina who had just discovered she is stricken with a debilitating condition that will eventually force her to quit dancing.

[4] At the time working for the National Ballet of Canada, ballerina and choreographer Anne Ditchburn was cast after Avildsen screen tested over 400 dancers for the part of Sarah Gantz.

The director then viewed and photograph of Ditchburn choreographing several dancers which, sensing her energy, caused his first hand witnessing of it during a tour of the foreign company at the Metropolitan Opera House.

The male dancer was initially auditioned due to his affiliation with another United Artists picture Hair, which was filming at the same time as Slow Dancing as well as a Broadway production of Box.

He later went on to say of his juggling of performances that "luckily the shooting of Hair was all before and after Slow Dancing, and the producers of Box allowed me to fit both of them in my schedule.

[7] The film was shot over a course of eight weeks on location in New York City alongside the movies The Wiz, Matilda, Eyes of Laura Mars, and Hair, as well as the television productions of The Dain Curse, To Kill a Cop, Daddy I Don't Like It That Way, and Monkey's Uncle.

[9] Following poor reviews the film was reedited and an additional ten minutes of cut footage was restored in order to further develop Sorvino's character.

[14] Norman Dresser of the Toledo Blade commented that the film "moved at the box office about as slowly as molasses pours out of a jar after a week in the refrigerator", noting its nine-week take of $335,436 was "dismal".

She went on to write a more critical review, praising Sorvino as a "perfectly plausible" newsman and Ditchburn as "so glamorous and mystifyingly odd that she recalls the young Audrey Hepburn" while stating that both were "sabotaged by the script".

[17] Ed Blank of The Pittsburgh Press wrote similar commenting that "Grant's script has little to do with real life and more to do with outdated movies", and noting that "Ditchburn looks and speak like Vivien Leigh".

[18] However, film critic Roger Ebert stated in his review that he "loved it" and that the movie "cheerfully exists in the world of big hearts and brave tears and happy endings that make you blow your nose."