Dance Movies: Brief History and Notable Performances

A dance movie is a motion picture in which dance is central to the storyline or execution. Dance movies have been a fixture of Hollywood and international moviemaking since the dawn of the film industry, and they remain popular with modern audiences around the world. Dance movies may also be musical films, though many of the best dance movies, like Saturday Night Fever and Dirty Dancing, do not feature musical numbers.

Dance movies also differ from dance films; while both feature dance sequences, a dance film is a record of existing dance works or choreography and rarely features a plotline, acting, or dialogue.

The history of dance movies coincides with the history of the motion picture itself, beginning at the dawn of the twentieth century:

• Origins: Inventor Thomas A. Edison made one of the first dance movies in 1894 when he filmed real-life dancer Ruth St. Denis performing her “Skirt Dance” in a scenic location. Dance scenes appear in numerous silent films, ranging from D.W. Griffith’s epic Intolerance in 1916, to Sergei Eisenstein’s October: Ten Days that Shook the World, which dramatized the 1917 Russian revolution.
• First features: The dawn of “talking pictures” also ushered in feature-length dance revue films, which elevated the dance sequence from an interlude to a key component of the storyline. Filmmaker Busby Berkeley took the concept to new visual heights by wedding elaborate choreography with complex and dazzling cinematography.
• First stars: Dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers became one of the first popular dance teams with their “Carioca” routines in 1933’s Flying Down to Rio. They teamed up for nine more features, including Top Hat and Swing Time, before parting in 1938. Astaire remained a top star in dance movies and musicals until the late 1960s.
• Heyday: Gene Kelly challenged Astaire’s dominance as the king of dance movies in the 1940s and 1950s. Kelly offered an athletic and dynamic alternative to Astaire’s graceful cool; he also directed and choreographed some of the most popular dance movies of the postwar period, including Singin’ in the Rain and the ambitious An American in Paris.
• Decline: Dance movies remained popular in the 1950s and early 1960s thanks to filmed versions of Broadway productions like West Side Story. But the decline of the movie musical in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s also slowed the production of dance movies. There were notable exceptions, like choreographer Bob Fosse’s electrifying take on Cabaret in 1972.
• Revival: Actor John Travolta helped revive interest in dance movies with two blockbuster films in the 1970s: Saturday Night Fever, a drama about the New York City disco scene, and the 1978 film adaptation of the popular nostalgia musical Grease. Dance on film also received a new and vibrant showcase in the 1980s through music videos, many of which drew on Hollywood musicals and Broadway for choreography.
• ‘80s hits: Three of the biggest films of the 1980s were dance movies without musical numbers: Flashdance (1983) starred Jennifer Beals as a young dancer hoping to become a ballerina, while Footloose (1984) featured Kevin Bacon as a city teen who spreads the gospel of dance to a repressed small town. Dirty Dancing (1987) folded a love story, a family drama, and class issues into a crowd-pleasing story about a dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) who falls for a sheltered teen (Jennifer Grey) at a Catskills resort in the 1950s.
• Street: Hip-hop informed many of the modern dance movies of the 1990s and 2000s. Many focused on the fusion of performing arts high school–style dance and street dance: 2001’s Save the Last Dance teamed ballet dancer Julia Stiles with street dancer Sean Patrick Thomas, while Jessica Alba forgoes ballet to choreograph hip-hop dance in 2003’s Honey. Others anchored their dance sequences around dance battles, like You Got Served, Stomp the Yard, and Step Up, while Center Stage and Work It focused on the challenges aspiring dancers faced at a dance academy or on the dance competition circuit.
• Hybrid: Not all great dance movies followed the trends in the 2000s and beyond. Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan examined the psychological downfall of a professional dancer, Nina (played by Oscar winner Natalie Portman), who believes that a double (Mila Kunis) is replacing her. Billy Elliot followed a young Irish boy (played by Jamie Bell) who discovers a love for ballet, while the 2004 American remake of the 1996 Japanese film Shall We Dance? followed an unhappy businessman (Richard Gere) who found freedom through ballroom classes with dance teacher Jennifer Lopez.

There are many notable dance movie performers, including:

1. 1. Fred Astaire: Arguably one of the most acclaimed dancers in films, Fred Astaire’s collaborations with Ginger Rogers remain among the high points of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He choreographed all of their films, as well as his solo efforts in the 1950s; Astaire’s style, which drew on tap dance, classical, and other forms, won praise from dancers ranging from ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov to pop star Michael Jackson.
2. 2. Gene Kelly: Dancer and filmmaker Gene Kelly starred in some of the most critically praised dance movies of the 1940s and 1950s. A powerful physical presence with abundant charm and skill in many forms of dance (including ballet and tap dance), Kelly was also an innovative filmmaker, untethering the camera to move with the choreography. He also experimented with editing and incorporating different styles of film, including animation, into his work.
3. 3. Channing Tatum: Actor Channing Tatum earned his big break in the 2006 street dance film Step Up, alongside actress Jenna Dewan. His experience as a one-time male exotic dancer informed Steven Soderbergh’s 2012 film, Magic Mike. He’s since left screen dancing for acting roles in splashy action films, like G.I. Joe, and indie dramas, like Foxcatcher, while also displaying comic chops in 21 Jump Street and Smallfoot.

Some of the most memorable dance movies in the history of motion pictures include:

1. 1. The Red Shoes (1948): Based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, this 1948 dance movie by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger blended exceptional ballet dance sequences with elements of dark fantasy and surrealism for its story of a dancer (Moira Shearer) who must choose between a prestigious ballet company and her romance with a composer. Visually sumptuous and frequently moving, The Red Shoes won two Oscars (out of five nominations) and a Golden Globe.
2. 2. Singin’ in the Rain (1952): Though widely regarded now as a classic, Singin’ in the Rain was only a modest success upon its release in 1952. However, its sunny score and terrific performances by Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Golden Globe winner Donald O’Connor have since earned it worldwide admiration. Kelly’s performance of the title track is one of the indelible dance movie moments in screen history.
3. 3. Strictly Ballroom (1992): Director Baz Luhrmann drew on his own experience as a ballroom dance student for this brassy comedy that spoofs the excesses of dance competition while also celebrating originality and determination. He followed the box office success of Ballroom with a trio of ambitious and visually stunning features, including Romeo + Juliet (1996), the musical Moulin Rouge (2001), and the epic drama Australia (2008).
4. 4. Chicago (2002): Rob Marshall’s 2002 adaptation of Bob Fosse’s 1975 Broadway production was the first musical to win a Best Picture Oscar in nearly four decades. The film—a darkly comic exploration of fame and crime—earned Catherine Zeta-Jones a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and provided many filmgoers with their first glimpse of the musical talents of costars Renee Zellweger, John C. Reilly, and Richard Gere.

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