There’s no way that you can post a series of classic dance sequences without including at least one scene from Saturday Night Fever. Even though this scene is nearly 40 years old, it still perfectly captures the excitement and the promise and the pure exhilaration of spending a night out dancing.
That said, I still don’t understand how anyone could mistake John Travolta for Al Pacino.
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from one of the first movies that I ever reviewed at this site, the psychedelic classic Ghetto Freaks!
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from Spike Lee’s frustrating yet brilliant 1998 film, Summer of Sam. In this scene, a perpetually unfaithful husband (John Leguizamo) dances with his wife (Mira Sorvino). In this scene, Lee establishes the dynamic of Leguizamo and Sorvino’s troubled marriage. Leguizamo may be the man but Sorvino is definitely the star.
Last year’s Step Up Revolution is, in many ways, the epitome of guilty pleasure. On the one hand, it’s totally and complete ludicrous. And, then on the other hand — well, there is no other hand, to be honest. It’s a silly little film but the dancing is really good and how can you not love something that over-the-top? With it’s quick-cut editing, relentless beat, and hilarious attempts at being socially relevant, Step Up Revolution is the type of film that, in the future, our children will watch and laugh at even as we savor the nostalgia.
Case in point: the film’s opening dance sequence.
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from the 1981 cult classic, Strange Behavior. This scene proves that every horror films needs a totally random dance sequence.
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.
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from the 1957 musical Silk Stockings.
This is a special scene for me because it features one of my favorite dancers, the legendary Cyd Charisse. Many years ago, before I discovered that I wanted to be a writer, I dreamed of growing up and being a beautiful and talented dancer like Cyd Charisse.
In Silk Stockings, Cyd Charisse plays a humorless Russian who, when she comes to Paris discovers that life doesn’t have to be drab and boring. She discovers the joy of freedom and what better to express freedom than through dance?
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from 2000’s Center Stage.
Center Stage is one of those films that can be fairly criticized for a lot of reasons but — oh my God, y’all — I used to love this movie so much! Actually, I still do because every time I watch it, I feel like I’m 15 years old again and I’m just so in love with dancing and performing that I can’t even begin to put it into words. I think everyone has a film that they irrationally love because it reminds them of a certain time, place, or state-of-mind. For me, Center Stage is that film.
The scene below is a long one and the video is not the best quality but I still love it because it captures the excitement of both dancing and of being on stage. Add to that, I’d love to be in that show… (I look good in both black and red.)
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from the 2009 musical Nine.
To be honest, Nine is a terrible film that almost plays like it was specifically designed to parody flashy but superficial musicals. However, Nine is meant to be taken seriously and that’s is its greatest failure. Cinema Italiano is one of Nine’s better-known songs, despite the fact that, in many ways, it epitomizes a lot of what’s wrong with the film as a whole. For one thing, it’s obvious, from the lyrics, that the song’s writer knows very little about Italian cinema. (If anything, it sounds like the song was meant to describe the French new wave.)
And yet, I have to admit that I love the scene where Kate Hudson performs Cinema Italiano. I think it’s because, even though Hudson is not a great singer, she so throws herself into her performance that she wins the viewers over. This is the epitome of a guilty pleasure, a scene that I shouldn’t love and yet I do.
When I decided that I was going to post a series of dance scenes that I love, I knew I’d have to include at least one scene from Cabaret.
But which scene?
Bob Fosse’s 1972 film is a treasure trove for those of us who love dance.
In the end, I went with Money because it’s true.
Money does make the world go around.
Through the Shattered Lens 