Favorite Movies About Dancing
Just more random thoughts. Here is a list of my favorite movies about dancing.

NOTE: This is not a list of favorite movies WITH dancing, but rather a list of movies ABOUT dancing. Interesting point there. And so many of my favorite movies will not be on this list (e.g. West Side Story). I'll save those for another favorites list.

With that in mind, this list may be a bit on the shallow side simply because I have not seen a lot of movies about dancing in their entirety. A lot of the movies I've seen would fall more into the movies with dancing versus movies about dancing. For movies about dancing, I have seen lots of clips, but not a lot of movies about dancing in their entirety (for example, I still have not seen "Dirty Dancing" nor "Dance With Me").

Anyhow, here you go:

10."Singin' In The Rain" (1952)

Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds
A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.

Okay I lied. I am including one movie on this list that is a movie with dancing but not about dancing. Reason is that this "Singing In The Rain" is one of my favorite top three movies of all time, and I have to put it in here somewhere (which is why it's at number 10). THe dancing in this movie is just awe-inspiring (check out the "Moses Supposes" number in our gallery). And the plot itself is really funny! The music is fantastic and this rates in my top three favorite movies of all time. Definitely a must-buy and watch many times over type of movie!

9."White Knights" (1985)

Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Isabelle Rossellini
An expatriate Russian dancer is on a plane forced to land on Soviet territory

I had a difficult time debating between this movie and "Footloose" which is more of a staple of the 80's dancing movies. After all, who can forget the image of Kevin Bacon teaching Chris Penn how to dance? Eventually it came down to the fact that I really didn't like "Footloose" and realized I ONLY liked the scene of Chris Penn learning to dance. Whereas "White Knights" really captivates you both politically and artistically (similar to "Swing Kids"). There was actually not that much dancing in it (a shame since you have two of the finest dancing talents in it). Most of the dancing was in the first part of the movie. The second half focused more on the action/drama in the plot. Coincidentally, I really liked the first half of the movie but thought its likability tailed off after that (save for the ending scene in which Gregory Hines acting was spectacular!!). Good to see at least once. And wonderful to see the versatility of both dancers in this movie!

8."Beat Street" (1984)

Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, Jon Chardiet, Leon Grant
An aspiring DJ, from the South Bronx, and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and culture.

Another staple of the 80's dancing movie, the plot itself was not that intriguing. The characters were really not that memorable. However, from a documentary point of view, this was an interesting movie to watch. The dancing was raw, and the portrayal of an old 'New York' is eye-opening. This was especially good as a contrast to the happier "Breakin". Definitely a good one to watch. And the Santa Rap is my favorite!

7."Breakin'" (1984)

Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo Quinones, Michael Chambers
Girl is a waitress by day, a breakdancer by night

The plot itself was warm and fuzzy. The dancing itself was pretty good (though not as good as the dancing in "Beat Street"). However, this was a landmark film bringing break dancing to the big screen. The characters were lovable (moreso than the darker "Beat Street") and Michael Chambers as "Turbo" showed both great dancing and acting skills. This is my favorite of the 80's dancing movies. Not to mention I also had a huge crush on Kelly.

6.Swing Kids (1993)

Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, Frank Whaley
The story of a close-knit group of young kids in Nazi Germany who listen to banned swing music from the US

Similar to my exposure to "Swingers", I heard of this movie after getting into the swing scene and definitely wanted to watch it to learn some moves. I pleasantly found that I really liked this movie. The energy of the dance scenes and the music were great. Robert Sean Leonard's energy in the music store scene where he describes great swing musicians was captivating. Moreso, I really enjoyed the documentary aspect of it, to witness the culture of German youth during this era. A lot of good drama throughout the movie, especially Arvid's last scene. I could have done without the last little bit of over-the-topness at the end. Other than that, a very captivating movie.

5."Tap" (1989)

Gregory Hines, Suzzanne Douglass, Sammy Davis Jr., Savion Glover (and lots more)
Just released from prison, Max Washington must decide which of his previous professions to return to: burglar or tap dancer.

The movie itself was not that good. I think the plot had some great potential, but it never followed through. Also, the combination of rock music and tap at the end was a bit ..well, weird. However, the tap scenes were great! And from a documentary point of view, I like the fact that it addresses the lives of tap dancers after the popularity of tap dancing decreased (if you think about it there really is not a lot of call for tap dancers these days..so what happened to all those tap dancers?). Seeing the old-timers hoofing it around again in the "Tap Challenge" scene itself was worth seeing this movie. (This scene is in our Video Gallery). When you watch the "Tap Challenge" scene, note the gentleman in the red shirt that does the long jumping splits ... that is the late Harold Nicholas (age 68 at the time of movie release) doing splits that make ME wince just thinking about it! Another bonus is seeing Sammy Davis Jr. throwing down on the floor (though showing his age a bit) and seeing a solo tap performance by a young (16) Savion Glover who is best known for his 1996 Tony Award winning choreography for "Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk". That much talent in a movie with great dancing scenes should be too much to pass up. Definite must see. Must-buy if you're a fan of tap and interested in the evolution of tap.

The Top 4 on the list made it here because not only are these movies about dance/choreography but are also movies that I watch over and over again (often just having it on in the background while working on my computer) because of the memorable banter, colorful characters, and fun plotlines. Here we go!

4."Bring It On" (2000)

A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to compete at this year's championships.

A bit of a surprise here at #4 for some, since this movie isn't about dancing per se. I think it belongs here because of the elements of performance and choreography. Not to mention the scenes with the dance choreographer were hellafunny! I was hard pressed to choose which movie I would place higher: "Tap" or "Bring It On" and because I watch "Bring It On" more often, it gets the higher placement. At first, I never really had any desire to see this movie and wouldn't have if it weren't for our friend Jenny Kim who was a cheerleader and said we should watch it. I'm glad we did because this has become one of my favorite movies. The choreography is fun to watch. The plot is interesting. The characters are lovable. Some of the scenes are quite memorable. And add to that the view inside the world of cheerleading (which Jenny says was actually NOT exaggerated) and this is a great movie! Definite must-see. I would say must-have.

3."Swingers" (1996)

Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughan, Ron Livingston, Patrick Van Horn, Alex Desert, Heather Graham
Wannabe actors become regulars in the stylish neo-lounge scene; Trent teaches his friend Mike the unwritten rules of the scene.

This is a borderline movie as it isn't about dancing per se but more about lounge life in Los Angeles which includes dancing. But for its association with the swing dance scene, I decided to include it in the "Movies about dancing" category. When I first saw the movie, I was extremely disappointed. It didn't seem to have much of a plot. Worse, it did not have much dancing. And that was that. Months later, I watched it again, this time from a different point of view, and loved it! Memorable lines, a lot of great references to Hollywood, colorful characters, and a progression for the main character as he deals with relationship problems: add it all together and you have a neat movie! Not to mention all the memorable lines and scenes (who did NOT squirm when Mikey called that girl like 7 times in a row?). And now with the Derby not as it was before, it's definitely fun to watch and reminisce and think about the days when I was swing dancing at the Derby. Definitely must-see. For me, a guilty pleasure!

2."Strictly Ballroom" (1992)

Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter, Pat Thomson, Gia Carides
Brave new steps put Scott's career in jeopardy. With a new partner and determination, can he still succeed?

Very humorous Australian film. On a grand scale you have a movie about innovation versus tradition, encouraging change versus resisting change, and individuality versus norms and conformity. This is nothing new in movies (e.g. "Pleasantville"). What draws us in is the setting of ballroom dance which this movie is placed in. Add to that fantastic characters, different cultures, humor, romance, and drama (and really neat sounding accents) and this is a definite must-buy movie and one to watch over and over again. My favorite quote? "What if everyone starts making up their own dance steps?" "Then we'll be out of business." This movie never has a dull moment!

1."Shall We Dansu" (1996) a.k.a. "Shall We Dance"

Koji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka, Eriko Watanabe, Yo Tokui
A successful but unhappy Japanese accountant finds the missing passion in his life when he begins to secretly take ballroom dance lessons

This is my favorite film about dance by far... edging out "Strictly Ballroom" by a good margin. Not to be confused with the original 1939 "Shall We Dance" starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but that movie does serve as important reference in the 1996 "Shall We Dansu". To the casual watcher it's interesting to see the difference in culture (Japanese vs. American). The male hero is more lovable due to the fact that he's caught in a life where there really isn't much more out there for him which is something many people can identify. And who could forget the colorful supporting cast? Especially all the male dancers. In fact, it is Mr. Aoki's latin "styling" which got me into doing more latin dance. Those of you who remember Mr. Aoki, you know what I mean .

And finally, the memorable "moral" of the story is a valuable one for dancers: It's the joy of dancing freely that makes the dancing fun. And the way that this moral is blended in so that it is learned by both the absolute beginning dancer as well as the very seasoned advanced teacher/competitor makes this a memorable movie. This is definitely a must-buy movie.

On a side note, I've heard that it's being Americanized for a 2004 release "Shall We Dance" starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, and Susan Sarandon. Honestly, I do not think it will be even close to the original in quality and humor. If anything it may taint the original Japanese version. But I will give it the benefit of the doubt and go see it.

On another side note, I have not watched any movies yet with Fred Astaire and/or Ginger Rogers. Clips yes, but entire movies no. I did just come into posession of the original 1939 "Shall We Dance" and after I watch it, I suspect this list may need to be modified ... ..

Until then ... any movies you can recommend I watch please send them!