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Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films

Gaye Birch


Dance scenes may not be on our tickable list of watchable films, but they're in a lot of good and geeky movies regardless. Here are twelve unforgettable twinkle toes scenes...

Published on Jun 8, 2010

While you wouldn't catch us round the set for Dancing On Anything - celebrity or wanna be versions - Mad Hatter's exuberant little celebratory dance, the Futterwacken, signifying all was right in Wonderland once more, has reminded us that dance has its place in movies, sometimes in even the geekiest of films.

So, who's been feeling the music down through their toes since John Travolta strut his stuff in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Kevin Bacon covered a lot of territory to a beat in 1984's Footloose? What dance scenes have had us, if not willing to get up and boogie, at least remembering those who have?

Here's our twelve most memorable dance scenes from the 90s onward, in films not primarily known for their choreography...


12. Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Twelfth place is reserved for a very memorable dance scene, one we've been trying hard to forget ever since, but can't.

An uncharacteristically greasy Peter Parker, succumbing to the black suit, shimmies and sashays down the street in a cringe-worthy and painful few minutes in Spider-Man 3, culminating in an awkward impromptu bump and grind in front of a clothes shop. It's only topped in cold shivers for the uncomfortable jazz club dance that follows.

It was all kinds of unforgettable wrong.


11. The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

Parnassus didn't manage to capture the imagination of Terry Gilliam fans like his previous films, and perhaps too much emphasis was put on Heath Ledger's unfinished role, with missing scenes filled in by Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law.

We suspect this may be one to grow on through the years, but we did immediately appreciate the dance with the Devil, Tom Waits' Mr Nick and Valentina (Lily Cole), reflected amid a whirlwind of cascading glass shards.


10. True Lies (1994)

The sight of big Arnie light on his feet was a bit of a revelation and his tango with Tia Carrere showed a suave side to the secret agent in an easily relatable way.

It's hard to forget his time on the dance floor as files were being downloaded by colleagues and armed guards surrounded the light fantastic-tripping pair, especially when the dance is repeated with his newly agency-enlisted wife at the end.

There's also that solo dance number, but that's between Mr and Mrs Tasker.


9. Clerks II (2006)

Kevin Smith's follow-up to his 1994 original had what was not only an unexpected wall-less dance number, but a sequence that, although joyful, was a completely incongruous few minutes to the film that surrounds it.

Though fans of the original were divided on the film and the crude factor was ramped higher than an A-Team stunt car launch, there's no getting away from the fact that, once witnessed, that dance number, kicked off by Rosario Dawson's bouncy steps to The Jackson Five's ABC, is not soon forgotten.


8. Get Smart (2008)

The Get Smart TV series was an afterschool and Nick At Night staple in the States for many and the film kept much of the tongue-in-cheek charm of the spy spoof show, while still managing to update a forty-something-year-old sitcom.

It won't make many top film lists, but Steve Carell is always watchable and his dance with a woman of size was handled with humour, while never seeming mean, the way certain fatsuit addict actors would most likely treat the scene.

Carrell and his dance partner, Lindsay Hollister, should be proud.


7. Shrek (2001)

We may have trouble remembering back to that first Shrek film that spun widely-spread fairy tales wildly on their heads.

Memories may have become foggy through the films that followed, but the closing scene song and dance number (attempted on the second film, but not a patch on the first), was, at the time, an unexpected treat and a perfect way to finish off that trip to Far Far Away, though it doesn't half seem long, long ago now.


6. The Addams Family (1991)

Duo Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd (and their stunt doubles, who had only the most tenuous resemblances to the stars) performed a death-defying, knife-throwing song and dance in front of their party guests.

The Mamooshka was an energetic, acrobatic, dizzying twist on adding a dance routine into a film, but with a humorous threat and menace that made it a perfect fit scene in the big screen story of this peculiar TV family.


5. Beauty And The Beast (1991)

The ballroom sequence with Belle and Beast waltzing to the theme song sung by Angela Lansbury was a landmark scene for Disney.

The sweeping camera and changing perspectives, accomplished through CGI, were visually impressive in a way we hadn't experienced in a Disney movie before then and make it a very memorable sequence for animation and dance fans alike.


4. Whatever Happened To Harold Smith? (1999)

Opening with a tribute to Travolta's Tony Manero, this quirky little film deserves a much larger audience for its inventive concept, no matter how daft that idea may sound on paper.

Combining punk rock, disco, telekinetic powers and tortoises, this small British film must have been a huge joy for its cast, including Tom Courtenay, Stephen Fry, David Thewlis, and Lulu (yes, we said Lulu), in what is surely favourite, unique roles for each.

The final scene is one of those movie magic moments set to music for this fan and would be spoiled by saying more.


3. Tropic Thunder (2008)

One of the biggest talking points on the release of the film, Tom Cruise stole a bit of the cast's thunder with his hysterical performance as mogul Les Grossman, pleasantly surprising fans and detractors in equal measure.

His unique funky moves also made the credits worth sticking around for.

The character may have legs as well as hips with a performance at the MTV Movie Awards and now murmurs of a Les Grossman feature film.


2. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

In spite of everything - Uncle Rico, brother Kip, and high school cliques - Napoleon rose to near heroic status, all in the name of friendship, when he took to the assembly hall stage to shake his groove thing and boogie in his moon boots.

It's a strangely hypnotic, brave demonstration of skills from a character you could easily pity. Not after that performance, though. Napoleon will do just fine.


1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Reviving more than just a career, but also the estimation that the man can dance, John Travola and Uma Thurman's scene in the twist contest wasn't just a music-fuelled diversion, as Mia's determination to win and her flirt-in-motion nature established her character quicker than loads of less entertaining yacky exposition could have accomplished.

This dance scene was nearly instantly recognisable. Certain moves became iconic and have often been mimicked in films and TV shows that followed, including an animated children's film, but that's a list for another day...

Honorable Mention:

Fantastic Mr Fox, a joyful film from start to end, finished perfectly with a fondly remembered, fun little supermarket shuffle to Let Her Dance by Bobby Fuller.

Which films and scenes have we forgotten and do they deserve to be remembered or blasted from our grey cells for all time?

Alice In Wonderland is on Disney DVD and Blu-ray from Friday 4th June.

 

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Users Comments

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By cynicalmonkey 1 June 9, 2010 09:05:35 AM

the grand central station scene from fisher king ranks for me as one of the most memorable scenes let alone dance numbers. Also i think singing in the rain is massively overlooked especially as i didn't even remember there being a dance scene in shrek.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By DonWilco 1 June 9, 2010 09:12:17 AM

Spiderman - Gay. I second Fisher King, that was beautiful. There can be only one though and thats the great Napoleon Dynamite.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By clementine 1 June 9, 2010 09:40:00 AM

i'm gonna be hung drawn and quartered for this but Dirty dancing will always spring to mind hordes of teenagers grinding up against each other in a dirty basement making weddings for decades after pastiche nightmares ugh ugh urgh its a good job Patrick swayze was so nice looking or that film wouldn be bearable and trust me as a woman you have to endure it at every girly night in from the age of 13 up... i was told if i mentioned lord of the rings one more time i wouldn be allowed to participate any longer.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By clementine 1 June 9, 2010 09:41:09 AM

you missed police academy in the blue oyster.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By BeckyM84 1 June 9, 2010 10:19:35 AM

What??? No mention of the "Golden Years" banquet dance scene from A Knight's Tale????

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By stuxmusic 1 June 9, 2010 11:25:08 AM

(500) Days Of Summer was a brilliant one.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By Kamikaze_Karl 1 June 9, 2010 11:48:19 AM

Nice one stuxmusic, just what I was thinking too ;)

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By GoldbergV 1 June 9, 2010 11:56:12 AM

surely the department store scene from 'Big' deserves a mention?

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By MLeader 1 June 9, 2010 12:17:26 PM

Great list, Gaye! I'll have to join in and push for The Fisher King. But also I'll add in the great cafe dance sequence from Jean-luc Godard's Bande a part, which is full of youthful spunk and narrative experimentation: 'Shall we dance?' 'Why not?' -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6pOXjQLh7Y

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By zabulus 1 June 9, 2010 01:00:31 PM

gud list, the spiderman dance scene was definately memorable haha, gud shouts too for fisher king but cant believe jim carrey and cameron diaz from the mask arent on this

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By Utini42 1 June 9, 2010 01:03:45 PM

Don Wilco? Homophobe?

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By ragnarok5 1 June 9, 2010 01:37:31 PM

Spiderman 3??? Really??? I think everyone is trying to forgot Spiderman 3 making no part of that movie memorable. Now "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985) when he is on the bar dancing to "tequila", that is memorable. That or I am just old.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By speedroc 1 June 9, 2010 02:14:07 PM

I would rank them 1,3,2,8,10. You can keep the rest.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By dlauthor 1 June 9, 2010 02:38:35 PM

What about the first Clerks? I'm talking about the scene where Silent Bob busts out his moves, which got the biggest laughs in the theater when I saw it. And yes to Fisher King and (500) Days. And add Christopher Walken's tap number in Pennies From Heaven, lonnnnng before the Weapon of Choice video reminded us that he could do that sort of thing.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By tangentgrey 1 June 9, 2010 02:38:59 PM

i believe the number one dance was allready iconic before pulp fiction, being the dance batman performed first in his 60's show.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By DonWilco 1 June 9, 2010 02:44:45 PM

Utini42. I said it in the style of 'Shaun of the Dead' if that helps. I challenge you to come up with one word to describe that dance sequence! :)

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By matimage 1 June 9, 2010 03:27:23 PM

No Kid n Play in House Party?, tut tut

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By shidekigonomo 1 June 9, 2010 04:58:39 PM

First thing that came to my mind was the silly dance number from Top Secret!

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By alan14 1 June 9, 2010 07:29:52 PM

I have just one thing to say "We're Knights of the Round Table, Our shows are formidable, But many times, we're given rhymes That are quite unsingable"

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By ragnarok5 1 June 9, 2010 11:04:39 PM

What about "The Time Warp" from "Rocky Horror Picture Show"?

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By kaymc 1 June 9, 2010 11:33:26 PM

What an odd list. Seriously, never heard of a little film called Singing in the Rain? Or, you know, any film made before 1991?

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By gakirin 1 June 10, 2010 04:27:02 AM

I assume this is solely for films that one would go into expecting no dancing whatsoever. Singing in the rain was a musical, so no on the list (makes sense). However, the 500 days of summer dance ought to at least get a nice 13 slot. In the middle of a dramady BAM! Excellent musical number that just THINKING about makes me want to go dance in the sunshine.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By gingergit 1 June 10, 2010 08:33:13 AM

I have never smiled so much in my life than when witnessing the dance in the supermarket at the end of Fantastic Mr Fox. I went back twice just for that.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By Carbontoe 1 June 10, 2010 09:26:06 AM

No love for the "Goat Dance" from Dragnet?

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By matthewsouthcott 1 June 10, 2010 10:58:41 AM

What about the Time Warp from Rocky Horror, not many more memorable than that.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By janiac83 1 June 10, 2010 11:38:07 AM

Nice list, shame there's no love for Christopher Walken on it, he dances in nearly all of his films! I'd also include the lying down dancing scene from "Gregory's Girl", always makes me smile.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By Jessie 1 June 10, 2010 03:27:00 PM

C'mon Hugh Grant dancing down the stairs at Number 10 in Love actually is better than spiderman!

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By FunkyRedrum 1 June 10, 2010 03:44:45 PM

Missing these two - The opening credits of the first Austin Powers film and Romy and Michelle's HS Reunion with Alan Cumming.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By NickGillies 1 June 11, 2010 08:56:29 AM

'Putting on the Ritz' in Young Frankenstein, and the 'Twist and Shout' sequence in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Re: Top 12 most memorable dance scenes in films
Posted By magiclantern 1 June 14, 2010 04:42:57 PM

May I also suggest Woody Allen and Goldie Hawn floating around the banks of the Siene in "Everyone Says I Love You"? That, along with "Shake a Tail Feather" from "The Blues Brothers" would be a favourite of mine. But if musicals don't count, how about the hilarious"Aquarius" sequence at the end of "The 40 Year Old Virgin"?
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