There’s no way that I could ever write about the dance scenes that I love without including at least one scene from 1961’s best picture winner, West Side Story.
Sadly, people tend to underappreciate West Side Story. They focus on the fact that the singing voices of Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer are overdubbed by Marni Nixon and Jimmy Bryant, respectively. They laugh at the sight of “tough” street kids dancing around and singing that when you’re a jet, you’re the best.
Well, they’re wrong.
West Side Story is still one of the best musicals ever made and every time I see it, it’s a magical experience for me.
I think my favorite number from the film remains America. Watching this scene, you can tell why both Rita Moreno and George Chakiris won Academy Awards for their performances. They both bring a lot of fire and passion to their roles and nowhere is that more apparent then in America.
Through the Shattered Lens 
I managed to catch a screening of “West Side Story” at the Astor Theatre a few years ago. Honestly, one really needs to experience this film on the largest screen available. You know, everybody talks endlessly about the opening scene for Robert Wise’s most popular film, “The Sound of Music”. However, when I first saw those opening aerial shots from “West Side Story”, I was absolutely astonished.
Of course, it’s worth mentioning that one of the most popular music videos of all-time, Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”, was influenced directly by “West Side Story”.
And of course, as a child, years before I knew her name, I regularly heard Rita Moreno’s voice yelling at me through the television set.
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