This week was my daughter's dress rehearsal for her dance recital. This is her fifth year dancing and the part she loves the most. All year, she will drag her feet to dance classes and I tell her that maybe she should no longer do it the following year, but when it comes down to crunch time with the costumes, make up, hair, dress rehearsals, and actually being on stage...well, she just lights up and loves every minute of it. And then she begs us to please enroll her once again.
So, in honor of her passion for the limelight that comes with mediocre choreography and cheaply made, over priced costumes I have decided to list my five favorite dance scenes in movies. This was a hard one. I am such a lover of Musicals and there are so many fantastic dance scenes out there from the opening number of West Side Story to all the dance numbers in Chicago (Cell Block Tango? Richard Gere tap dancing? CLASSIC!) to the final scene in A Chorus Line.
And of course you have some classic movies that are centered around dancing like Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshinikov in White Nights, Kevin Bacon in Footloose, Maniac dancing in Flashdance, and Baby being pulled from her corner in Dirty Dancing.
So, after much thinking...and rewatching the dance scenes from You Tube...I have been able to choose my Five Favorite Dance Scenes in Movies. So, get your dancing shoes on and start tapping those toes. And a five, six, SEVEN, EIGHT......
Number 5-
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE's final scene "Jai Ho"-
This little movie became an international hit a couple of years back. A tough story of kids growing up in poverty and crime in a world that is so unfamiliar to most of the American world. But when the movie is over, we are bought to a scene in a train station where a rock and roll song with a mid eastern beat is played out and the main characters lead everyone into a happy, warming dance and the audience is left wanting to dance along with them.
Number 4-
ENCHANTED's Central Park scene "That's How You Know"-
Amy Adams' Disney Princess crosses over into the real world of New York in this adorable movie. In true Disney Princess style, she breaks out into song in the middle of Central Park. Much to stuffy Patrick Dempsey's surprise, everyone joins in and dances around her. By the end of the song, she has shown the world that Central Park, NYC is truly a magical place as she is surrounded by dancing construction workers, brides, grooms, old folks, and dancers and musicians of different cultures. Best moment is when Patrick Dempsey gives in and grudgingly does "Jazz Hands."
Number 3-
BOOGIE NIGHTS' Disco Line Dancing scene "Machine Gun"-
Mark Wahlberg disco dancing the night away and leading some sort of 70's Hustle Line Dance that I seem to remember my mother doing back in the day. At the end John C. Reilly joins in and the two characters just think they are the BOMB with their porn star careers, groovy dance moves, and polyester outfits. It's the 70's represented at its best.
Number 2-
ELLA ENCHATED's Final scene "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"-
Another fairy tale movie that has some modern twists. You know the girl gets the prince and they will live happily ever after, but they don't just ride off into the sunset. After the wedding, the cast breaks out into a classic rock song dances off into the sunset. Totally unexpected and just darn right cute.
Number 1-
RENT's "Tango Maureen" scene-
This is the only musical on my Five Faves and it's my favorite. When Mark meets his ex-girlfriend's new girlfriend, Joanne, there is tension and the sparks don't exactly fly. But when they begin to compare their experiences with Maureen (Mark's ex and Joanne's girlfriend) they Tango it out. Nothing beats watching the Jewish kid and the black lesbian tango as they try to decide who should lead and talk about where they learned to Tango in the first place. Anthony Rapp is awkward but does it so well.
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