The 25 Best Movie Dance Scenes

“Dance, dance, otherwise we are doomed!” – said legendary German choreographer Pina Baush. Dance in cinema serves a variety of functions – from a pleasant interlude to an essential element of the musical formula; it is a means of non-verbal communication between the characters in the film, as well as between the creator and the viewer. Here are the best dance scenes from films and their stars…!

The Best dance scenes of all time

1.”Singin’ in the Rain” (dir. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952)

Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) from the musical “Singin’ in the Rain” is not afraid of bad weather. He sings and dances joyfully with an umbrella in his hand, celebrating every raindrop falling from the sky… How can you not love old cinema?

2. “Cheek to Cheek” – “Top Hat” (dir. Mark Sandrich, 1935)

“Heaven…, I’m in heaven…” sings the master of the silver screen, Fred Astaire, swaying in the arms of the elegant, blonde Ginger Rogers. In the black-and-white musical “Top Hat”, the legendary dancing duo dazzles audiences with their interpretations of Irving Berlin’s songs, the most memorable of which is their performance of “Cheek to Cheek.”

3. “Mein Herr” – “Cabaret” (dir. Bob Fosse, 1972)

“Cabaret” is an Oscar-winning musical with a bitter undertone, set in the Weimar Republic. On the streets of pre-war Berlin, the Nazis begin to terrorize Jews, while carefree fun continues in the cabarets. One of the artists entertaining citizens indifferent to the increasingly disturbing situation in the country is Sally Bowles, played brilliantly by Liza Minnelli. At the beginning of the film, the star performs a burlesque dance with a chair, singing the song “Mein Herr.”

4. “Prologue” – “West Side Story” (dir. Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins, 1961)

Dance is movement! Just like the fights between two rival gangs on the streets of New York in the 1950s… So, is it possible to create “hooligan choreography”? Yes! This is proven in the impressive prologue of the 10-time Oscar-winning film adaptation of the Broadway musical “West Side Story”, with music by Leonard Bernstein.

5. “Bread Roll Dance” – “The Gold Rush” (dir. Charlie Chaplin, 1925)

All you need is a pair of cutlery and two rolls to entertain a group of people sitting at the table, as proven in Charlie Chaplin’s silent movie “The Gold Rush”, in which he gives a charming performance to the girls staying at his cabin in snow-covered Alaska.

6. “Put the Blame on Mame” – “Gilda” (dir. Charles Vidor, 1946)

“Gilda” is a legendary film noir from the Hays Code era, in which the red-haired Rita Hayworth plays the title role of a femme fatale. The scene in which the actress performs “Put the Blame on Mame” in front of a nightclub audience and seductively removes a long black glove has gone down in cinema history.

7. “Zorba the Greek” – “Zorba the Greek” (dir. Michalis Kakojanis, 1964)

“Teach me to dance!” says the downtrodden Englishman (Alan Bates) to his friend Alexis Zorba (Anthony Quinn) in the last scene of the film, set in Crete. The friendly Greek shows the man the steps to the folk dance sirtaki, teaching him a lesson in how to enjoy life…

8. “You Never Can Tell” – “Pulp Fiction” (dir. Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

In Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-winning postmodern film “Pulp Fiction“, the characters played by Uma Thurman and John Travolta take part in a twist contest organized by a retro club. The pair perform a funny dance to Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” in front of the audience. There can only be one winner!

9. “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” – “Dirty Dancing” (dir. Emile Ardolino, 1987)

“Dirty Dancing” is the story of a summer romance between 16-year-old Frances (Jennifer Grey) and a handsome dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) who meet at a luxury resort in the Catskill Mountains in New York State. The young lovers prepare for the hotel’s mambo show. Their free-spirited dance to the Oscar-winning song “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes sweeps the guests away at the end of their stay…

10. “Beauty and the Beast’s dance” – “Beauty and the Beast” (dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise, 1991)

You don’t have to be beautiful to dance (and love). All you need is to “see with your heart”… In the two-time Oscar-winning Disney animated film “Beauty and the Beast”, the title characters dance a romantic American waltz in the castle ballroom and become increasingly convinced of their feelings for each other…

11. “The Skeleton Dance” (dir. Walt Disney, 1929)

At midnight, terrible things happen in a certain cemetery… An owl hoots, the wind whistles, a wolf howls at the moon, spiders, bats and cats come out of hiding to begin their nighttime frolics, and human bones slide out of the crypts with a crackling sound… When all the remains have gathered together, a hilarious dance of skeletons begins and lasts until dawn.

This 5-minute black-and-white animation from the “Silly Symphonies” series (1929–39) was created by the famous Disney cartoonist Ub Iwerks and is perfect for Halloween.

12. Dancing on the Ceiling – Royal Wedding (dir. Stanley Donen, 1951)

Fred Astaire’s dancing feats in musicals have always been admired and respected. But how was the scene of him tap dancing on the ceiling in “Royal Wedding” filmed? Speculation continues to this day…

13. “Jai Ho” – Slumdog Millionaire (dir. Danny Boyle, 2008)

Winner of eight Academy Awards, Slumdog Millionaire is a fictional story about a boy from the Indian slums (Dev Patel) who, thanks to his erudition and life experience, wins a fortune on a popular game show. The ingenious finale of the film is a dance by an enthusiastic crowd to A. R. Rahman’s song “Jai Ho,” filmed at a train station in Mumbai, which is the British director’s tribute to Bollywood.

14. Tango “Por Una Cabeza” – “Scent of a Woman” (dir. Martin Brest, 1992)

Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade from “Scent of a Woman” (Al Pacino in an Oscar-winning role) can be rude, unpredictable, and explosive. On top of that, he lost his sight during the Vietnam War. However, no one can lead a tango like him and make his partner feel so special. Take note, gentlemen!

15. Stairs Dance – “Joker” (dir. Todd Phillips, 2019)

Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix (who won an Oscar for this performance), is a murderous clown, and his dancing never bodes well… Before reaping his bloodiest harvest, the protagonist performs a mesmerizing dance on the Gotham City stairs, accompanied by Gary Glitter’s song “Rock and Roll Part 2” and the original soundtrack composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir.

16. “Swan Lake” – “Black Swan” (dir. Darren Aronofsky, 2010)

“Black Swan” is a spectacular psychological drama about a young ballerina (an Oscar-winning performance by Natalie Portman) who is preparing for a double role in “Swan Lake.” The dancer’s obsessive pursuit of perfection leads her to psychosis, which, however, allows her to perfectly portray the white and black swans on the day of the premiere.

17. “You Should Be Dancing” – “Saturday Night Fever” (dir. John Badham, 1977)

Tony Manero from “Saturday Night Fever”, played by John Travolta, is the “king of the dance floor.” At discos, all eyes are on him – for example, during his solo dance surrounded by flashing multicolored lights to the Bee Gees’ song “You Should Be Dancing.”

18. Striptease – “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” (dir. Vittorio De Sica, 1963)

Striptease is also a dance! In the Oscar-winning Italian romantic comedy “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, Sophia Loren, playing a prostitute, plays Henry Wright’s “Abat-Jour” in the background and gives an erotic show to her client, played by Marcello Mastroianni. However, it was not easy for the sex symbol to play this scene, so she used the services of a special instructor on set.

19. Nora’s Final Dance – “Step Up” (dir. Anne Fletcher, 2006)

The first film in the “Step Up” dance series. An art school student (Jenna Dewan) meets a street dancer with a hooligan past (Channing Tatum) who is doing community service at the school. Impressed by his skills, she invites him to participate in her graduation performance. The combination of two different dance styles – ballet and hip-hop – with Yung Joca’s song “Bout it” creates a captivating effect…

20. Final Rain Dance – “Step Up 2: The Streets” (dir. Jon M. Chu, 2008)

In the second film in the Step Up series, a rebellious girl from a poor neighborhood in Baltimore (Briana Evigam) and a diligent art college student (Robert Hoffman) join forces to win an illegal dance competition called “The Streets.” During the competition, together with a group of friends, they give an insane hip-hop performance in the pouring rain to Timbaland’s “Bounce.”

21. “Love My Way” – “Call Me by Your Name” (dir. Luca Guadagnino, 2017)

“Call Me by Your Name” is an Oscar-winning film (Best Adapted Screenplay, based on André Aciman’s 2007 novel) about a teenage boy (Timothée Chalamet) who falls in love with a handsome doctoral student (Armie Hammer) vacationing at his family home in Italy. The main character realizes his feelings for the man while watching him enviously at an evening dance under the open sky, surrounded by adoring women, to the song “Love My Way” by The Psychedelic Furs.

22. Argentine tango – “Take the Lead” (dir. Liz Friedlander, 2006)

How do you encourage students at a public school for troubled youth to finally get down to work and learn to dance? The best way is by setting a good example! This is proven in the movie “Take the Lead” by the handsome Antonio Banderas and the sexy Katya Virshilas, who put on a real show, performing a sensual tango to the song “Asi Se Baila El Tango” by Veronica Vardier in front of the students.

23. Laser Dance – “Ocean’s Twelve” (dir. Steven Soderbergh, 2004)

To get into the museum vault and steal the closely guarded Fabergé egg that once belonged to the last empress of Russia, Alexandra Romanova, you have to navigate a laser maze, among other things. A professional thief nicknamed Night Fox from the crime comedy “Ocean’s Twelve” (Vincent Cassel) overcomes this obstacle… by dancing!

24. “I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango)” – “Frantic” (dir. Roman Polanski, 1988)

In Roman Polanski’s thriller “Frantic”, American heart surgeon Richard Walker (Harrison Ford) conducts a private investigation in Paris with the help of the beautiful Michelle (Emmanuelle Seigner) into the mysterious disappearance of his wife (Betty Buckley). During their investigation, they visit the A Touch Of Class club, where the French woman performs cat-like dance moves with the doctor to Grace Jones’ song “I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango).” They do not escape the suspicious glances of those watching them…

25. “A Lovely Night” – “La La Land” (dir. Damien Chazelle, 2016)

“La La Land” is a contemporary musical that won six Oscars and was created out of love for old Hollywood films of this genre. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling perform charming vocal and dance parts in it. The most representative scene in “La La Land” is their dance to the song “A Lovely Night,” filmed on a hill in Griffith Park in Los Angeles.