An 11-year-old tomboy tries to assimilate into a tight-knit dance team in “The Fits,” opening Sept. 9 at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center. Also showing is “Equity.”

In “The Fits,” Toni trains as a boxer with her brother at a community center in Cincinnati’s West End, but she becomes fascinated by the dance team that also practices there. Enamored by their strength and confidence, Toni eventually joins the group, eagerly absorbing routines, mastering drills and even piercing her own ears to fit in. As she discovers the joys of dance and of female camaraderie, she grapples with her individual identity amid her newly defined social sphere.

Shortly after Toni joins the team, the captain faints during practice. By the end of the week, most of the girls on the team suffer from episodes of fainting, swooning, moaning and shaking. Soon, however, the girls on the team embrace these mysterious spasms, transforming them into a rite of passage. Toni fears these fits but is equally afraid of losing her place just as she’s found her footing. Caught between her need for control and her desire for acceptance, Toni must decide how far she will go to embody her new ideals.

“Equity” follows a female investment banker fighting to rise to the top of the corporate ladder in a competitive Wall Street firm. The story examines how women driven by ambition, deals and strategy must carefully calibrate every aspect of their professional and private lives to stay equal in the workplace game.

Both films will be showing through Sept. 15.

For more information on films at the Ross, click here or call 402-472-5353.