With the release of Step Up 3D this week we’ve been thinking about our favourite dance scenes in the movies. Whether it’s a particular dance that stands out in a comedy film, like Tom Cruises ridiculous scene in Tropic Thunder, or the classic pieces in dance films and musicals like Grease or Dirty Dancing, a great dance can really make or break a film and render it a classic forever. Here are our top 5 of all time, but lets us know your favourites in the comments below:
Billy Elliot (2000)
Jamie Bell perfectly captures Billy’s frustration and anger in this iconic dance. After he misses his audition for the Royal Ballet school, his family mocks him for his love of ballet so he breaks out into a fast paced tap dance in his back yard and toilet, and ends up dancing over walls and down the street to escape his family.
After Pedros attempt to run for class president fails spectacularly Napolean (Jon Heder) decides that the way to save his campaign is to suddenly get on stage and dance to Jamiroquai’s Canned Heat. Napolean performs a hilariously odd and geeky dance which gets a standing ovation and saves the day!
Singing in the Rain (1952)
The musical genre has always provided us with great dance sequences but Gene Kelly’s Singing in the Rain tap dance is one of the most memorable of all time. As he sloshes through the puddles twirling his umbrella it’s the ultimate feel good dance, and it got a recent resurgence after Mint Royale remixed the song and used the original Gene Kelly video in a Volkswagen advertisement.
Bande à Part (1964)
This scene in Godard’s French Nouvelle Vague classic has been imitated time and again in films since, including the dance between Uma Thurman and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. Odile (Anna Karina) is in a Parisian café with Franz and Arthur, and when the jukebox comes on they do an impromptu dance sequence that fits in perfectly with the randomness of the film and the Nouvelle Vague in general.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
In the films final scene Patrick Swayze utters the unforgettable line ‘Nobody puts Baby in a corner’ and brings Jennifer Gray out onto the dance floor for ‘The Time of My Life’. This climatic scene brings blissful happiness to the audience as Baby is finally able to come out of her shell and dance brilliantly.
