Favorite dance scenes

by Susan M

Before Christopher Walken danced on the ceiling, there was Fred Astaire:

(The dancing starts about a minute in, feel free to skip that far).

Ray Bolger was a genius:

Cyd Charisse was mesmerizing:

I know I’m leaving out a billion scenes from Singing in the Rain, but who can choose just one?

And let’s see you tap dance in heels:

Post some faves for me to check out, modern or oldies.

44 Comments

  1. Crispin Glover in Friday the 13th Part 4, obviously:

    Comment by Brian V — July 25, 2008 @ 7:30 am

  2. Haha. I had no idea he was in that movie. Awesome.

    Comment by Susan M — July 25, 2008 @ 9:06 am

  3. Part IV is the Citizen Kane of Friday the 13th movies.

    Comment by Brian G — July 25, 2008 @ 9:33 am

  4. OK, it’s not actual great dancing and unfortunately it’s not up at YouTube yet. But I loved the dance sequence in the middle of Get Smart where Steve Carell dances with that fat Russian woman.

    The one that was most influential to me was the dancing in Never Say Never Again although it’s been so long since I saw it I can’t remember if it was actually any good. It wasn’t meant to be choreographed dancing though.

    Comment by Clark — July 25, 2008 @ 9:51 am

  5. How about some Steve Martin? (grin)

    Comment by Clark — July 25, 2008 @ 9:54 am

  6. For me nothing tops Andy Samberg punch dancing his rage out in Hot Rod.

    Comment by Geoff J — July 25, 2008 @ 10:01 am

  7. Ray Bolger has the uncanny ability to make his bones disappear. Amazing.

    I know it’s not original, but I always loved the scene with Deborah Kerr and Yul Brenner in The King and I when she has on that enormous golden ballgown. It just takes the breath away.

    Comment by tracy m — July 25, 2008 @ 10:15 am

  8. Hey I found that Tango from Never Say Never. It wasn’t as great as I recalled. (And of course John Cameron lifted it for True Lies) But it had a big impact on me as a kid.

    Then there was the foreign film Tango Bar with the ever great Raul Julia.

    Which made me think of Adams Family.

    Comment by Clark — July 25, 2008 @ 10:20 am

  9. When I was in college most of my friends and my girlfriend were also ballroom dancers (several on teams) and everyone loved Strictly Ballroom.

    Comment by Clark — July 25, 2008 @ 10:22 am


  10. Comment by tracy m — July 25, 2008 @ 10:23 am

  11. Oh, one other. Yeah it’s once again not actual great dancing but what a memorable dance sequence. The ever great Audrey Hepburn (which Gap stole for their last memorable commercial)

    Comment by Clark — July 25, 2008 @ 10:34 am

  12. Those are great Clark.

    I think only people who are logged in authors on the blog can embed youtube into their comments. Everyone else should just post a link.

    Comment by Susan M — July 25, 2008 @ 10:48 am

  13. Here’s one of my favorite modern routines. This is from the 80s. I don’t really know, but I assume this troupe/choreographer had a big impact on modern dance.

    Unfortunately, that video cuts off the very end, where the room they’re dancing in fills with water and they swim away like fish. And you realize they were meant to be fish out of water.

    I love that the woman carries the man around, and the barrel rolls they do—so much to apreciate in this routine.

    Comment by Susan M — July 25, 2008 @ 10:51 am

  14. Everyone, do what Susan suggested and post your link and then we can edit it and embed it for you.

    Comment by Clark — July 25, 2008 @ 10:53 am

  15. Sigh. Strictly Ballroom. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched that (actually saw it in the theater in college. I too was friends w/ all the ballroom dancers!) Or quoted it whenever they do the Paso Doble on SYTYCD….

    Just. Love.

    Comment by gabby — July 25, 2008 @ 11:16 am

  16. Strictly Ballroom is great, but I loved Shall We Dance–the original, not the Jennifer Lopez one.

    I was part of the ballroom dance crowd in college and there was a video we would always rent and watch about the history of dance and it had some really great stuff in it. I can’t remember what it was called; something like Gotta Dance or something like that (Gabby, any chance you remember that?) and I think we rented it enough to wear out the copy.

    Comment by shazbraz — July 25, 2008 @ 2:09 pm

  17. I particularly like the Make Em Laugh scene from Singin in the rain.

    Comment by John C. — July 25, 2008 @ 2:18 pm

  18. Me too. Just about every dance number in that movie is a favorite.

    Comment by Susan M — July 25, 2008 @ 2:37 pm

  19. Oh, man. I do remember that. I, too, was thinking it was just called Gotta Dance, but I can’t find it on any searches.

    Oh, wait. I found a review of one called Gotta Dance, Gotta Sing that might be it and one called That’s Dancing which is part of the That’s Entertainment collection that also sounds familiar.

    Comment by gabby — July 25, 2008 @ 2:39 pm

  20. Yeah, yeah! That’s Dancing–that was the one. Great stuff.

    Oh, and Singin’ in the rain is just completely the best.

    Comment by shazbraz — July 25, 2008 @ 2:49 pm

  21. Comment by a random John — July 25, 2008 @ 2:50 pm

  22. That is way cool John.

    BTW since Susan started things off mentioning Christopher Walken here’s my favorite dance clips with him. Starting of course with Weapon of Choice - that video never gets old.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs

    (Can’t embed that one for some reason)

    How about this one from King of New York with Laurence Fishburne.

    Plus one that’s funny not because it’s good but because I bet you just can’t imagine him in the kid’s movie Puss in Boots!

    Comment by Clark — July 25, 2008 @ 3:15 pm

  23. One more that I’m sure you all know. I’m not sure who directed or choreographed this one. (I’d lay good odds Spike Jonze was the director though) “Here It Goes Again.”

    Comment by Clark — July 25, 2008 @ 3:19 pm

  24. I love the song Weapon of Choice

    Comment by shazbraz — July 25, 2008 @ 3:41 pm

  25. One of the band member’s sisters choreograph their videos, Clark. OK Go have another video they dance in, too, that was released previous to that one.

    If we’re going light-hearted, modern and funny:

    Definitely the best scene in that movie.

    Comment by Susan M — July 25, 2008 @ 4:05 pm

  26. What, nothing from footloose?

    Comment by Jacob J — July 27, 2008 @ 1:46 pm

  27. Okay, serioiusly, how can you not have posted

    and

    [Edit: embedded videos for Rusty]

    Comment by Rusty — July 27, 2008 @ 9:58 pm

  28. Good question.

    Comment by Susan M — July 28, 2008 @ 8:44 am

  29. I hesitated to post this since it’s not a dance “scene”, but since others posted music videos, here’s one of my favorites:

    (P.S. Anyone know why suddenly I can’t get YouTube to work?)

    Comment by BrianJ — July 28, 2008 @ 9:49 am

  30. Brian, just post a link to the YouTube page and I’ll embed the video for you like I did Rusty.

    Comment by Clark — July 28, 2008 @ 10:12 am

  31. Rusty,

    The Can’t Buy Me Love dance scene is the one I thought of when I read the post! My teenage daughter can hardly believe that McDreamy was once McDorky. :-)

    Comment by rondell — July 28, 2008 @ 12:13 pm

  32. (D’oh!, I thought I did include the link. I must have included the embed code instead.

    (And thanks!)

    Comment by BrianJ — July 28, 2008 @ 3:31 pm

  33. Excellent choices all - particularly Make ‘em Laugh and anything with Cyd Charisse - but one of my all-time SNL moments was Steve Martin and Gilda Radner dancing to (I think) Dancing In The Dark.

    Comment by larryco_ — July 29, 2008 @ 11:04 am

  34. and…the Rhapsody In Blues number from “Capture The Magic”, a 2006 Concert of the national champion BYU Ballroom Dance Team that is often shown on BYU television stations. And, yes, my daughter’s in the number.

    Comment by larryco_ — July 29, 2008 @ 11:10 am

  35. Congrats. We saw the Ballroom dance show this spring at the Marriott Center and was very impressed with it. It’s impressive how long BYU has remained dominant in team ballroom dancing. (I’ve no idea how they or graduates do in individual competition)

    Comment by Clark — July 29, 2008 @ 11:29 am

  36. Can’t believe no one’s posted this yet.

    http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=1422

    Comment by Susan M — July 29, 2008 @ 11:53 am

  37. Susan M—you just beat me to it! Has to be the funniest thing Farley ever did. When Nealon says (something like), “Your body just isn’t quite as fit,” and Farley responds with an innocent “Uh-huh”—perfect!

    Comment by BrianJ — July 29, 2008 @ 4:47 pm

  38. Swayze’s pretty brilliant in it as well.

    Comment by Susan M — July 29, 2008 @ 5:09 pm

  39. Of course; I did not mean to slight Swayze. For the scene to work as well as it did—and not just be a “crazy fat guy being crazy”—all the actors had to buy into the plausibility of Farley becoming a Chippendale. Swayze totally looks worried that he might not get the job.

    Comment by BrianJ — July 29, 2008 @ 6:41 pm

  40. That’s one of the best skits ever done on SNL.

    Comment by clark — July 29, 2008 @ 9:22 pm

  41. Susan, one of my favorite skits from SNL. Never get tired of seeing it.

    Comment by Abby — July 29, 2008 @ 10:19 pm

  42. Ahhh, man! I just watched the clip and they cut it short. For shame! (Church Lady does not approve.)

    Comment by BrianJ — July 29, 2008 @ 10:31 pm

  43. This is a scene I could watch over and over and over again. So many big names and stars. It’s amazing to see them all together.

    Comment by Solensdrottning — August 1, 2008 @ 3:02 pm

  44. Here’s the link:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjXl5tkmvIo

    Embed please!

    :)

    Comment by Solensdrottning — August 1, 2008 @ 3:03 pm