Sarah Kaufman's 31 Best Dance Scenes in Movies
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Dance critic Sarah Kaufman writes: “What do dance scenes add to a movie? Unspeakable bliss, for starters. Dancing starts when dialogue fails. When lovers need to move beyond conversation, when conflicts boil past negotiation, when joy can’t be expressed in any other way than by leaping into the air on a trumpeter’s high note.
With the rise of movie musicals in the early part of the 20th century, dancing moved easily from stage to screen, becoming bigger, more potent, ever more spectacular — and a lasting love affair with the moviegoing public was born. It’s still going on: Witness the mainstream success of “La La Land,” a film in the golden age mold.
I also had to set some rules for this list: I considered specific dance scenes, not the quality of entire movies. I didn’t include documentaries or foreign films; no “Pina,” no “Mad Hot Ballroom.” With matchless artists in movement, music and choreography, the 1940s and ’50s dominate my choices, but even those aren’t exhaustive. I settled on the era’s best and moved on. I handicapped Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, limiting them to just one dance (it’s my No. 1, the best of the best) from all the jewels in their 10 films together, because if I didn’t, they’d eat the list. Our vast cinematic history is studded with marvelous dancing, and one has to draw the line somewhere.”
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1 new
Swing Time
1936, in 13 top lists Check -
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Stormy Weather
1943, in 4 top lists Check -
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Singin' in the Rain
1952, in 37 top lists Check -
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An American in Paris
1951, in 18 top lists Check -
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Ship Ahoy
1942, in 0 top lists Check -
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Broadway Melody of 1940
1940, in 1 top list Check -
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Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
1954, in 8 top lists Check -
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Small Town Girl
1953, in 0 top lists Check -
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West Side Story
1961, in 22 top lists Check -
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Saturday Night Fever
1977, in 13 top lists Check -
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All That Jazz
1979, in 19 top lists Check -
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
1953, in 11 top lists Check -
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The Band Wagon
1953, in 14 top lists Check -
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Sweet Charity
1969, in 0 top lists Check -
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The Red Shoes
1948, in 27 top lists Check -
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Dirty Dancing
1987, in 10 top lists Check -
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Damn Yankees
1958, in 1 top list Check -
18 new
All of Me
1984, in 2 top lists Check -
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Stepmom
1998, in 1 top list Check -
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La La Land
2016, in 18 top lists Check -
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White Nights
1985, in 0 top lists Check -
22 new
You Got Served
2004, in 0 top lists Check -
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Silver Linings Playbook
2012, in 7 top lists Check -
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Center Stage
2000, in 0 top lists Check -
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Bye Bye Birdie
1963, in 0 top lists Check -
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White Chicks
2004, in 0 top lists Check -
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House Party
1990, in 2 top lists Check -
28 new
Pulp Fiction
1994, in 38 top lists Check -
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The Cotton Club
1984, in 1 top list Check -
30 new
A Chorus Line
1985, in 0 top lists Check -
31 new
Pennies from Heaven
1981, in 1 top list Check
Last updated on Apr 7, 2019; source