"The Forbidden Dance" is the story of a Brazilian Indian princess who lives in the rain forest and learned "the white man's ways" through missionaries.

When her village is about to be razed by an American company that has purchased the land, the princess heads for the United States to plead her case. She is, naturally, ignored.

So she takes a job as a maid to a wealthy couple whose son goes out dancing every night. Naturally, she teaches him the lambada, but Mom and Dad are shocked that their son is going out with "her kind."

She leaves their employ and becomes a dancer in a brothel/chains-and-leather bar, but soon ol' sonny boy finds and rescues her.

When he becomes aware of her need to get some attention about the evil company threatening to destroy her Brazilian village, they decide together to do the only logical thing.

What? Approach a government official? Take her story to a newspaper?

Don't be silly.

They audition for a dance contest to do the lambada on national television with Kid Creole and the Coconuts _ "a live show that will go into every home in the United States" _ where she can explain her plight and start a boycott of the evil company.

Why didn't I think of that?

"The Forbidden Dance" ight be unintentionally funny if it didn't trivialize the very real plight of the Amazon rain forests.