Best Movie Dance Sequences

[DollEyes]

  Another great part of movies is dance sequences, whether they're from musicals, such as Gene Kelly's  iconic number in Singin' In the Rain or not, like John Travolta and Uma Thurman's twist to "You Never Can Tell" from Pulp Fiction or Leonardo Di Caprio's popping and locking in The Wolf Of Wall Street.  I loved all those scenes because they made me smile, whether I expected them or not.

 

Post all your choices for Favorite Dance Sequences here.

 

[roamyn]

John Travolta & Olivia Newton John in 'Grease'.

Any Gene Kelly dance sequence.

Mikhail Barishnikov & Gregory Hines in 'White Nights'.

Patrick Swazye & both his partners in 'Dirty Dancing".

The edited out Ray Bolger dance in 'Wizard of Oz'

There's so many more.

[Rinaldo]

The Gay Divorcée: Night and Day

Swing Time: Pick Yourself Up, Never Gonna Dance

Broadway Melody of 1940: Begin the Beguine

Kiss Me, Kate: From This Moment On

My Sister Eileen: challenge dance

West Side Story: Mambo

The Music Man: Shipoopi

Bye Bye Birdie: A Lot of Livin' To Do

Sweet Charity: Rich Man's Frug

1941: jitterbug contest

Edited March 30, 2014 by Rinaldo

[lucindabelle]

Oh the plowman and the farmer shoud be friends, Oklahoma

Thriller, 13 going on 30

Shall we dance, The King and I

The Rain in Spain, My Fair Lady

The jitterbug sequence in A League of Their Own

Edited March 30, 2014 by lucindabelle

[spaceytraci1208]

Gotta shout out the tap-dance battle between Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr., Sandman Simms, Harold Nicholas and others I'm not knowledgeable enough to name in "Tap".

[carlyhope]

Can I have this dance sequence from HSM3. The choreography as well as the music are just wonderful and the rain at the end just gives it that little extra.

Basically anything from Singing in the rain. Especially the dancing in the rain and Make'em laugh.

The club dance sequence form Step Up and their rehearsal montage. And also the final dance.

Dirty Dancing. The Time of my life dance is a classic, my mom likes Hungry eyes but my personal favorite is the dance after the butchered abortion when Baby comes to his cabin and confesses her feelings. It's so hot and sensual.

After watching Kevin Bacon's introduction at Tonight show, I have to say the Footloose factory frustration dance and Let's hear it for the boy montage.

Oh, and Antonio Banderas and CZJ in The Mask of Zorro. That was just ... caliente.

[roamyn]

Oh! Gregory Hines solo in 'The Cotton Club'.

Flashdance

The Karimozov brothers at the wedding dance in 'Fiddler on the Roof"

[Mozelle]

It isn't a dance sequence, per se, but I really like that moment in Center Stage where we see the dancers prepping their pointe shoes and their bodies for the class that day. In that same movie, I love the "casual" dance sequence that happens when Jody goes to a jazz dance studio downtown as a much needed break from her dance classes as ABA. 

Edited March 31, 2014 by Mozelle

[iggystar]

So many classy choices here.  My mind went immdiately to all of the dance battles in the cheesy 80's movies of my teens.  Breakin' or Flash Forward anyone?

But I must agree with a few of the better selections from that decade, Tap and the final dance scene in Dirty Dancing which, now that I think of it, might be my all-time favorite.

I also have an affinity for the dance scenes in the Step Up movies because...they remind me of the 80's.

Ok, I keep editing this post.  There is a brief dance sequence in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button where Cate Blanchett (or her dance double) does this beautiful dance for Benjamin/Pitt in a gazebo that is perhaps the most beautiful and sensual dance in movie history.

 

 

Edited April 1, 2014 by iggystar

[CherryMalotte]

Too Darn Hot from Kiss Me Kate - wow, could Ann Miller tap!

Big fan of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - that Barn Raising Dance is wonderful.

[jah1986]

I love the Dirty Dancing sequence too.

Love Fred Astaire and Cyd Charrise dancing in the park in The Bandwagon. Also, Fred and Ginger Let's Face the Music and Dance from Follow the Fleet.

[OakGoblinFly]

I really liked the "dance" sequence in 500 Days of Summer; something about watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt bouncing around to Hall and Oates' You Make My Dreams just makes me giggle and smile; I especially like the part where Tom seems himself as Hans Solo and then a freaking marching band joins the flash mob dancing.

[Monty]

The "Hand Jive" in Grease is just great. It's got a lot of camera moves, everyone gets a moment, and even Sha Na Na comes off well. I'm also very fond of the subway dance battle in Beat Street, although the breakdancing is probably going to come off as rudimentary to people used to seeing what people can do now.

But I'd like to recommend a scene from A Damsel in Distress, in which George Burns, Gracie Allen, and Fred Astaire dance all over a crazy funhouse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnOcpyG7w2k

(The movie is based on a P.G. Wodehouse book!)

[Rinaldo]

A Damsel in Distress gets a lot of flak, mostly for coming in the middle of the Astaire-Rogers series and giving us Joan Fontaine as a poor trade for Ginger Rogers. Some of the numbers are weirdly inserted too, like the dance sequence that comes out of three people repeating a spoken line again and again, or Fred singing "A Foggy Day in London Town" in a mist in the countryside. But there are fabulous Gershwin songs, and George Burns & Gracie Allen are just delightful. I don't know of another movie in which they got to show off their dance skills like this, and that funhouse sequence is deservedly famous. It won Hermes Pan an Oscar for Best Dance Direction. (The award was given for only three years.)

[Charlie Baker]

I love so much of what's already been mentioned, and I love this topic.

This one knocked me out when I saw it the first time in That's Entertainment, and still does every time I watch it. Have never seen the movie it's from. Astaire and Powell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37XhIuqsWVk

[DollEyes]

  Bumping it up to mention the tango between Gomez & Morticia Addams in Addams Family Values, the sequel to The Addams Family. Gomez and Morticia's dance in the former was not only funny, it was so sexy that even the champagne bottles were turned on.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Roseland dance sequence/Malcolm X

 

Jena Dewan doing the tango with two partners/Take the Lead

 

Final Dance Battle/You Got Served

[BooksRule]

I echo the fondness for the Barishnikov/Hines dancing in 'White Nights', especially when they are dancing together in that dance studio.  Their styles were different, but they worked together beautifully.

 

I always liked the number 'The best things happen while you're dancing' from 'White Christmas'.  Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen make it look so effortless.  When they are dancing along the dock and then on the overturned boat, I sometimes have to reverse the DVD and watch it all over again!

Edited June 7, 2014 by BooksRule

[GaT]

 

West Side Story: Mambo

I would just say West Side Story, everything.

[Charlie Baker]

Danny Kaye really dances like crazy in White Christmas--the part was intended for Donald O'Connor, and I wonder if they changed the choreography at all for Kaye,

 

[Brooklynista]

I'm going to go with the wedding procession from Coming to America.

Where else are you going to see half naked folks dancing with ostriches on their heads?

[Lonesome Rhodes]

My goodness, what a topic!

 

My all-time, all-time is "The Continental," from The Gay Divorcee.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjv6nmF7wdk

 

One that isn't technically brilliant, but shockingly (and lovingly) evoked the great era of dance in film, was in Xanadu.  Gene Kelly's last major dance performance, a darn fine Olivia Newton-John, and a tune that would absolutely have held it's own in the big band days.  It's called "Whenever You're Away From Me."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vsfpw3qKKc

 

For pure thrill and joy, I have to give it to "Shall We Dance."   My goodness.  

[Weak Sauce]

Fred Astaire's ceiling dance in Royal Wedding.

Gene Kelly and Jerry the Mouse in Anchors Aweigh.

http://youtu.be/ceQZhXSBdmU

Gene Kelly on roller skates in It's Always Fair Weather.

Gene Kelly on an empty stage in Summer Stock.

Judy Garland's Get Happy from Summer Stock.

Christopher Walken tapping in Pennies from Heaven.

[BizBuzz]

One that isn't technically brilliant, but shockingly (and lovingly) evoked the great era of dance in film, was in Xanadu.  Gene Kelly's last major dance performance, a darn fine Olivia Newton-John, and a tune that would absolutely have held it's own in the big band days.  It's called "Whenever You're Away From Me."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vsfpw3qKKc

 

Thanks for this @Lonesome Rhodes - Xanadu is one of those stupid movies I will always watch, but when I think of Xanadu, I never go directly to that scene, and you are right, it's a classic.  The video you posted was awesome.  I can only imagine what ONJ felt being able to dance with the master.  Wow, that was great.

[Rinaldo]

Those made me think of an unexpected yet transcendent dance bit, the epilogue that, after the story is over, resolves All of Me. (Brief summary: Steve Martin finds himself falling in love with the soul of the just-deceased Lily Tomlin, which keeps getting relocated (we see her only in mirror reflections of whatever/whoever she's in) until it ends up in the body of Victoria Tennant, and now they can finally dance together.) Though the dance isn't technically brilliant or anything, it's full of the joy two compatible people can find in dancing. All to the great song that gives the movie its title. And who would have thought Lily and Steve would pair so well?

 

[BizBuzz]

Another walk down memory lane, thanks @Rinaldo - awesome find.

[cpcathy]

"Cool" from West Side Story.

[WendyCR72]

As I'm sure has been mentioned here, I loved the end dance sequence in Dirty Dancing (#80steengeek!) and loved the dance off in Grease, just to name two.

[Jeebus Cripes]

The jitterbug sequence in A League of Their Own

 

One of my favorite dance scenes ever.

 

The "Hand Jive" in Grease is just great. It's got a lot of camera moves, everyone gets a moment, and even Sha Na Na comes off well. 

 

Whenever Grease is on TV, it's absolutely mandatory that I watch until the dance is over. Hand Jive is the best!

 

I enjoy watching foolish dancing like the wedding reception in Hitch (the scene where Will Smith teaches him to dance is also great).

[Luckylyn]

I have to mention Breakin 2's break dance version of Fred Astire's dance on the ceiling.

 

Every dance scene in Dirty Dancing.  I just love it.

 

The club scene in Dance With Me where they keep trading partners is such fantastic fun.

[ribboninthesky1]

I enjoy watching foolish dancing like the wedding reception in Hitch (the scene where Will Smith teaches him to dance is also great).

 

 

Oh, thank you for the reminder.  Eva Mendes' character in the film kind of annoyed me, but her dancing at the end was the best.  It just seemed she really cut loose, and was the most hilarious. Her facial expressions alone crack me up, perhaps because I tend to do the same thing when I'm dancing like that (so I have been told). Plus, the song itself is just so danceworthy. Heavy D at his best!

Edited June 12, 2014 by ribboninthesky1

[Rick Kitchen]

The opening swing dancing in the film Swing Kids.  The film itself is an underrated gem, but I just love watching all-out swing dancing.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2014 by Rick Kitchen

[Princess Sparkle]

So many great ones have been mentioned, but two of my all-time favorites are from Singin in the Rain: "Make em Laugh" and "Moses Supposes". I could watch Gene Kelly dance for hours on end and be perfectly happy.

[RedKoolAide]

The Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron fountain dance from An American in Paris. I dvr that movie just to watch that one scene.

Vera Ellen dancing her ass off during the Mandy sequence in White Christmas.

[Rinaldo]

I agree, @Rick Kitchen. I'm always surprised more people don't know Swing Kids. I also wish there were more behind-the-scenes stories available about it: I'm intrigued by the logistics of a (then) young African-American director (Thomas Carter) making his first movie in Prague as a depiction of Nazi-era Hamburg.

[Luckylyn]

House Party -   Boys vs Girls Dance off

[Jeebus Cripes]

This is truly Tom Cruise's best work to date.

[spaceytraci1208]

House Party -   Boys vs Girls Dance off

I don't know many people in my age group (80's babies) who didn't attempt this at least once at a party lmao

 

One of my faves is Leroy's audition from Fame. Gene Anthony Ray (may he RIP) was a baaaaad dude!

[VCRTracking]

 

The "Hand Jive" in Grease is just great. It's got a lot of camera moves, everyone gets a moment, and even Sha Na Na comes off well.

 

My favorite scene in the movie. It's so fun.

 

The Lindy Hop scene in Hellzapoppin is phenominal: 

 

Edited July 3, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Jeebus Cripes]

The Lindy Hop scene in Hellzapoppin is phenominal: 

 

They're so fast that the film looks sped up!

[DollEyes]

More faves:

 

Another great dance sequence from Breakin' 2 was the hospital dance, with nurses who are so sexy they can not only heal the sick, they can even raise the dead:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzysbFcCYS8

 

Before that was TKO Vs. Electro Rock. Two words: "Nun chucks":

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQiYuehTecU

 

Another great one from the first Breakin' were Ozone and Turbo teaching Kelly how to breakdance to Rufus' "Ain't Nobody":

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXuNa_h804c

 

 

The last two numbers from the first Breakin' were great, whether it was the audition or the finale that followed:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkIYF80xSdw

 

  The ending from Take the Lead was a blast, from tango to freestyle and just about everything in between:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxQzIDsN0oo

Edited July 5, 2014 by DollEyes

[xls]

Thanks for this @Lonesome Rhodes - Xanadu is one of those stupid movies I will always watch, but when I think of Xanadu, I never go directly to that scene, and you are right, it's a classic.  The video you posted was awesome.  I can only imagine what ONJ felt being able to dance with the master.  Wow, that was great.

Me three! When it came out back in the day, my sister and I stayed to watch it 2-3 times, in the theater, just to watch the muses come out of the mural. Now we have you-tube

 

  

Edited July 6, 2014 by xls

[Jeebus Cripes]

The ending from Take the Lead was a blast, from tango to freestyle and just about everything in between:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxQzIDsN0oo

 

My favorite dance from that film is the smoking hot tango:

 

Has no one mentioned Strictly Ballroom yet? Love that movie.

[Athena]

@Jeebus Cripes  Yes, I liked Strictly Ballroom. I wish Lurhmann went back to that kind of "musical". I always remember the dancing scene on the roof and the use of "Time After Time"

[Rick Kitchen]

I love me a good, hot, sweaty tango.

 

"Roxanne" from Moulin Rouge!: (Another Luhrmann film)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s12XiAOtjcg

Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez in Shall We Dance:

 

[xls]

This Summer of Sam danc.e Mira Sorvino looks so great in the red dress and the way she moves; wish I looked like her!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94WBkcZFu_s

[Jeebus Cripes]

The dance scene from Once Bitten has always entertained the hell out of me.

[DollEyes]

No tribute to dance in film would be complete without the late, great Bob Fosse, so here's some of his best:

 

From Chicago, the "Cell Block Tango":

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA6R1DMb-z8

 

Then there's "The Rich Man's Frug," which inspired Beyoncé's video for "Get Me Bodied," from Sweet Charity:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0--eFfzDAM

 

Next, from All That Jazz, "Air-Rotica." Four letters-"NSFW":

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSHnK4dvi3w

Edited July 10, 2014 by DollEyes

[Mozelle]

I have to mention Breakin 2's break dance version of Fred Astire's dance on the ceiling.

 

Every dance scene in Dirty Dancing.  I just love it.

 

The club scene in Dance With Me where they keep trading partners is such fantastic fun.

 

Oh, that dance sequence in Dance with Me is what started me on my salsa journey! I've been dancing Cuban style (which is what they're doing when they're trading off then dancing together in a circle) for the past 10 years. I absolutely love it!

Edited July 9, 2014 by Mozelle

[Bort]

For all the love it tends to get, I was never crazy about "Boogie Nights" but the dance sequence was fun to watch.