Best Movie Dance Sequences

[dusang]

This is a mash-up of like 80 "dancing" scenes but if you don't want to shut up and dance after watching that... you might be dead.

 

[ToxicUnicorn]

Here's my favorite Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers number, from Swing Time:

 

 

I love the ending of Strictly Ballroom, too.  Glad someone mentioned it.

[raezen]

I'm not really much of a musical person but I would have to second 'Make Em Laugh' from Singing in the Rain.

 

I always remember first seeing Archie Panjabi in East is East dancing;

 

[Spartan Girl]

Has anyone mentioned Ezra Miller and Emma Watson dancing to "Come On Eileen" in Perks of Being a Wallflower?  I tried to link the video but it wouldn't work, so here's just the link to the uncut version:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q67h0NKas68

Edited May 7, 2015 by Spartan Girl

[Princess Sparkle]

I don't know if this was in an actual movie, or if it was filmed for something else, but Mental Floss recently had an article about the routine that Fred Astaire called "The Greatest Dance Number Ever Filmed".  It is pretty spectacular to watch.  Plus, it comes with bonus Cab Calloway!

[Luckylyn]

I love the Nicholas Brothers work so much.   Those splits down the stairs are just amazing to watch.

 

There's a great sequence in the movie Tap where elderly dancers including one of the Nicholas brothers show off how great they still are.   Tap did such a great job showing respect to dance history.  Unfortunately, I could only find a tiny bit of the scene.  

 

 

There's also a lovely rooftop dance scene that's very Fred and Ginger.

[ToxicUnicorn]

Those splits down the stairs are just amazing to watch.

 

Is it wrong that all I could think of was "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!!"?

 

There's a great sequence in the movie Tap where elderly dancers including one of the Nicholas brothers show off how great they still are.

 

I remember this.  It makes me wish I could be reincarnated as a dancer.

Edited May 10, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn

[DollEyes]

  Bumping it up with four more dance sequences. The first is from Beauty Shop, the sequel to the Barbershop movies, in which Lynn and James dance together for the first time. What really makes this scene work for me, besides the dancing is the punchline by Alfre' Woodard:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jhEe9nr-Js

 

  Then there are three NSFW numbers from Magic Mike. First, "Pony":

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6vxxQr_bLo

 

Next, "It's Raining Men":

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjcWTIS-bGU

 

Next, the black vest dance:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCSPRqtZi2I

 

Last, but not least, for the curious, here's the trailer for Magic Mike XXL:

 

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

 

You're welcome.

Edited June 17, 2015 by DollEyes

[cpcathy]

Thank you. That Pony dance gave me an appreciation for Channing Tatum that I didn't have prior.

[Rick Kitchen]

Channing Tatum really was a stripper IRL when he was young.

[xaxat]

Big, the piano scene. So much fun.

 

Edited June 14, 2015 by xaxat

[DollEyes]

It sure was. That scene was IMO not only one of the main reasons why Tom Hanks got his first Best Actor Oscar nomination, it made me love FAO Schwartz, the toy store where it was filmed at-which, unfortunately, is also about to be shut down.

 

Edited to add another treat: Chris Pratt's opening dance number from Guardians Of the Galaxy:

 

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

Edited June 17, 2015 by DollEyes

[mredlich21]

I'm not really much of a musical person but I would have to second 'Make Em Laugh' from Singing in the Rain.

 

I always remember first seeing Archie Panjabi in East is East dancing;

 

I actually registered on the forum just to reply to this post!  I hadn't seen this video before, but I recognized the song as from one of the all time great musical dance sequences ever put on film, Duppata Mera from Pakeezah.  The heroine is a courtesan dancing in the red light district, the cool thing is if you look in the background you can see they created a whole neighborhood on the soundstage, complete with multiple other courtesans doing their own dances in the background.

 

[caracas1914]

Fred Astaire once said that Rita Hayworth (the Love Goddess) was his favorite female screen partner for dance.   She really did make it look easy, wonderful in her wo movies with Fred Astaire.  "You were never lovelier" is my fave.

[Crisopera]

The Nicholas Brothers are some of the greatest dancers on film.  The number is from a movie, Stormy Weather (1943), which while a terrible movie, is stuffed with amazing African-American talent of the day.  (It stars Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and the very young, unbelievably beautiful Lena Horne.)  If you want to see another jaw-dropping Nicholas Brothers routine, take a look at the title number from Down Argentine Way (1940), another stupid movie with some great numbers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU-AfrNLHLU.

[topanga]

I'd never seen that number Crisopera. You sent me down a YouTube rabbit hole, and I found this clip from 1948's "The Pirate," featuring a great number with the Nicholas Brothers and Gene Kelly:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9250pY6wfQ

Edited June 25, 2015 by topanga

[Luckylyn]

The Fisher King

[DollEyes]

  As expected, there were several great dance sequences in Magic Mike XXL

specifically Mike's second "Pony" routine, the vogueing contest in the drag bar, Big Dick Richie's bump & grind to the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way,"  all the scenes in "Domina" and the finale in general and Mike & Malik's mirror dance in particular. Getting back to the Domina scenes, after seeing one to Jodeci's "Freek'n You,", I don't think I can ever look at Michael Strahan the same way again

.

Edited July 5, 2015 by DollEyes

[Princess Sparkle]

I watched Ferris Bueller for the 10,000th time last night, and felt compelled to add the Twist and Shout scene in the thread.  Some of it was planned dancing (like the group on the stairs), but apparently the window washer and construction worker were just people who they happened to catch dancing to the music while they were filming.  I love that.

 

[caracas1914]

Judy Garland highly underrated as a dancer...

 

[VCRTracking]

Finally saw The Red Shoes recently and Moira Shearer is spectacular in that 15 minute ballet sequence.

[Luckylyn]

The end of Damels In Distress has a lovely dance sequence done like a classic movie.

[Rinaldo]

Neat! And it's the song (similarly staged, on a wooded path) from the Astaire film A Damsel in Distress, which shows that someone knows what they're doing.

[Rick Kitchen]

Here's the original:

 

[anna0852]

Does this count? :)

 

[DollEyes]

That's already on top of this page.

 

  I clicked on the link to the Magic Mike "Pony" dance again out of curiosity & I found that now you have to sign in via Google to see it, so here it is again:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXQWI-iJr6Q

Edited August 9, 2015 by DollEyes

[Shannon L.]

This compilation is fun, too.  It's all of the Marvel actors (including those from Spiderman and Agents of Shield), from all different movies (so there are other actors and actresses in them, too).

 

WARNING:  It's 12 minutes long and could have been shorter, but they went on way too long with a couple of sequences, imo.  The actual warning, though, is that whoever made it, decided to loop "Shut Up and Dance" over and over again instead of fading into different songs. 

 

 

Now, I'm off to look for Dancing With the Stars Australia  ;)

[DollEyes]

Bumping it up to pay tribute to the late, great David Bowie with "That's Motivation," a number from the 1986 musical Absolute Beginners, in which Bowie plays an advertising executive. This scene features Bowie tap dancing, which is even more proof that he was truly a man of many talents:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVYHI1T0PGo&list=PLJV6Bt0Z6bmeQTM2ebvjj37w2LF38N9qO

 

RIP, Mr. Bowie.

Edited January 12, 2016 by DollEyes

[Spartan Girl]

In loving memory of David Bowie, I would like to add the ballroom dream sequence in Labyrinth.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0nSzSfmC4MI

 

He was the hottest goblin king ever.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[AshleyN]

Probably my favourite scene in the all-around excellent Ex Machina:

 

[Miss Dee]

I love Kevin Kline trying listening to that tape to be "more like a man" in In and Out, only to joyfully give in to the music. He's just so blissful about it, and watching him burst out like that and be true to himself in the face of the tape's call to conformity is completely heartwarming.

[DollEyes]

In Hail, Caesar!,  the upcoming Coen Brothers film about Old School Hollywood,

there's a scene of co-star Channing Tatum in a sailor suit, tap-dancing

.

[dusang]

Another fun mashup:

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm not really much of a musical person but I would have to second 'Make Em Laugh' from Singing in the Rain.

 

I always remember first seeing Archie Panjabi in East is East dancing;

 

Wow...... I forgot that East is East existed.  Thank you for the reminder.  I feel like I even had the VHS at one point, but I don't know for sure.

 

DollEyes, Magic Mike XXL was fucking amazing.  The dancing was just --- *kisses fingers*.  My vote for the best movie experience I had in 2015.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

Thanks for listing all the examples, everyone, I had goosebumps reading the entire thread!

 

Grease is a wonderful movie, I recommend it to everyone, just in case you haven't seen it.  The dancing scene in Unfaithful is quite sexy, but didn't see a clip of it.  There's also The Thomas Crown Affair.  I love the opening credits to Superbad where the boys dance to The Bar-Kays' "Too Hot to Stop".

 

"Cuban Pete"  by Jim Carrey as The Mask is amazing.

 

 

Biggie's "Hypnotize" by Julia Stiles.. yes, I thought this was cool once upon a time.  10 Things I Hate About You

 

 

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" by 13 Going on 30.  This was mentioned upthread and is so adorable.

 

 

Three way Tango starring Jenna Dewan in Take the Lead.  Mentioned upthread.

 

 

Rain Man clip, "This is dancing"

 

 

The Dream Sequence in The Big Lebowski - Just checked in, to see what condition, my condition was in.  (Kenny Rogers)

 

Edited February 1, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

Magic Mike XXL is so *kisses fingers* it deserves its own thread, this is one of the best things and funniest things I've ever seen in a theatre:

 

[DollEyes]

 As great as that MMXXL scene is, the "mirror" scene is even better:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XloPwXoTu4U

 

  Of course,  Step Up, the film which first introduced the world to Channing Tatum's dance moves, must be mentioned. Here's the final number, featuring his co-star/eventual wife, Jenna:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZZAf6Lgs98

Edited February 2, 2016 by DollEyes

[dusang]

 As great as that MMXXL scene is, the "mirror" scene is even better:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XloPwXoTu4U

 

  Of course,  Step Up, the film which first introduced the world to Channing Tatum's dance moves, must be mentioned. Here's the final number, featuring his co-star/eventual wife, Jenna:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZZAf6Lgs98

 

The whole closing sequence of MMXXL with the four dances is just so progressively bonkers it's amazeballs.  And the mirror scene... some of the women I saw it with were convinced that was Amber Heard's first time seeing/participating in the dance because her responses seemed so honest.  I think that might be the only solid evidence that Amber Heard can act because there is no way she was spontaneously prepared to be thrown around like that without there being one awkward arm/leg/hair moment.

[Athena]

The whole closing sequence of MMXXL with the four dances is just so progressively bonkers it's amazeballs.  And the mirror scene... some of the women I saw it with were convinced that was Amber Heard's first time seeing/participating in the dance because her responses seemed so honest.  I think that might be the only solid evidence that Amber Heard can act because there is no way she was spontaneously prepared to be thrown around like that without there being one awkward arm/leg/hair moment.

 

This is indeed true according to interviews:

 

At a press conference for the movie, Amber Heard told Vanity Fair: "In rehearsal, they only showed me like the polite, half-speed version of that dance," Amber added: "I didn't see it for real until I was in hair and make-up and 1,000 screaming extras were surrounding me . . . So a lot of my facial reactions were genuine. I couldn't stop laughing the entire time. It was fun."

 

 

I don't think it would have gotten old for me even if I had seen it in rehearsal.

[Rick Kitchen]

I can't wait to see Channing Tatum's dance number in Hail, Caesar.  From what I've seen in the trailers, it looks awesome.  He's a dancer, but he had to learn to tap.  And to sing.

[DollEyes]

Yet another MMXXL dance number, this time with Channing Tatum in "White Chocolate" mode. Four letters for this routine- NSFW:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O34NcFIW6rI

 

  In contrast, here's a snippet of the first dance between Cinderella & Prince Charming in the live-action reboot of Cinderella:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6wShzhcbYg

 

  The way I see it, both these dances give "blush" new meanings. While the latter is about the blush of falling in love for the first time, the former is about making people blush.

Edited February 24, 2016 by DollEyes

[Babalu]

The wedding dance from The Second Best Marigold Hotel. I could watch Dev Patel dance forever.

[Luckylyn]

[Luckylyn]

[SFoster21]

Can't embed or link, but the most beautiful dancing I've seen is Vernel Bagneris in Pennies Frim Heaven.. Check it out on youtube.

http://youtu.be/ICVryHXtE10

Edited May 8, 2016 by SFoster21

[Luckylyn]

1 minute ago, SFoster21 said:

Can't embed or link, but the most beautiful dancing I've seen is Vernel Bagneris in Pennies Frim Heaven.. Check it out on youtube.

Just copy and paste the url in the reply box and the forum will embed the link for you

[SFoster21]

8 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

Just copy and paste the url in the reply box and the forum will embed the link for you

Thank you.. But on my phone, cannot.

 

But I hand copied the link and that seems to work.. Hope someone watches it!

 

Many great moments mentioned here.

Edited May 8, 2016 by SFoster21

[Luckylyn]

Top 10 Unexpected Dance Scenes in Non-Dance Movies

 

Top 10 Dance Scenes in Dance Movies

Edited May 14, 2016 by Luckylyn

[xaxat]

Some genius on Twitter is taking the dance scene from Ex Machina and setting it to different songs. They all work surprisingly well.

And many others.

ETA Hamiton! (Yes, that Hamilton)

Edited May 27, 2016 by xaxat

[romantic idiot]

On 29 February 2016 at 2:32 AM, Babalu said:

The wedding dance from The Second Best Marigold Hotel. I could watch Dev Patel dance forever.

 

Really? Is it because he's so dorky?

I know this is primarily a Hollywood movie forum, but did want to share a few of my faves

It's just a funny song in a tense situation.

Just for the eye candy, I'll admit it.