Top Movie Dances/Musical Numbers

Make Your Move - it's like Romeo and Juliet... only, instead of everybody dying, everybody becomes best buddies again and all ends in happy dancing. I don't care if this movie wasn't objectively good - objectively good movies can go take a walk around the block. I want to watch people fall in love and dance well. (Also there's a dance scene that segues into a pre-sex scene... I mean, a couple literally dancing each other's clothes off... which is simultaneously ridiculous and kinda hot and awkward all at the same time) And the male protagonist, whilst being (we are informed) a bit of a delinquent and a cocky show-off, is just so... aware of his partner and the people around him that you have to forgive the cockiness, etc. THIS MOVIE IS SO SINCERE, I LOVE IT.

Kiss Me Kate: 'From This Moment On'. From the athletic enthusiasm of Tommy Rall and Ann Miller to the crazy beatnik stylings of Bob Fosse and Carol Haney, this sequence is a thorough delight. Just look at dem tights. For other awesome stuff from this movie, see Ann Miller's solo: 'Too Darn Hot', which lives up to its name - if Carol Haney's your favourite part of this delicious excerpt, go watch The Pajama Game.

Bride and Prejudice: BEST MOVIE EVAR. I was massively upset that the second half of the movie was all drama no dance. MUSICALS SHOULD BE MUSICAL THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH. YOU CAN HAVE DRAMATIC DANCE NUMBERS, HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? The humour and goofy fun of this musical number are, like, my favourite thing, guys.
 While we're in the neighbourhood, I find it incredibly difficult to find the bollywood scenes I'm looking for on youtube, mostly because they're in languages I don't speak, but you should definitely be treating yourself to some real proper bollywood because it is AWESOME stuff. Munna Bhai is super super fun, besides being the only one I own on DVD. (New Year's resolution: watch more bollywood)

  Silver Linings Playbook: the way the narrative builds to this climactic dance scene and the tension and EVERYTHING'S JUST PERFECT, OK. One of those scenes that doesn't really make too much sense out of context but is all the better for it. If you haven't seen the film, don't watch this, (if you haven't seen the film, what are you doing with your life?!) but if you have, feel free to click and relive the scene.

The King & I: MOST ICONIC SCENE. Deborah Kerr's hoop skirt apparently inflicted some big bad bruises on her legs during the filming of this, which makes a lot of sense, watching the scene over. "Come, we'll do it again": POLKA-ING INTENSIFIES.

If you want to see some startlingly adorable talent and skill, watch E. J. Peaker and Danny Lockin break it down in Hello Dolly, particularly in the 'Dancing' number. (Or the famous dancing waiters of the title number. Neither of these are on Youtube, alas, probably for copyright reasons. Go get your mitts on a DVD copy of Hello Dolly.) It's also probably my favourite part of the movie because of Michael Crawford's intense long-legged awkwardness while being taught to waltz by Barbara Streisand. In the words of director Gene Kelly, 'an attractive idiot' indeed.

Speaking of the late great Gene Kelly - if you haven't experienced the pure joy of Singin' in the Rain's title number, don't continue to deny yourself the pleasure! Or how about roller skate tap dancing? Anything's possible when you're Gene Kelly