by BethMy younger daughter is going to see Step Up 3 tonight and can’t wait to see if this third movie lives up to the first one of the franchise. We both loved the original Step Up – her because of Channing Tatum and me because of the dancing *g* (Okay, Channing’s cute, too!) I’ve been a fan of musicals and dancing movies (movies with dancing IN them, not movies that can dance *g*) ever since I was little and saw Grease. I sang along with the album daily and even had a Grease book I read so many times, the binding came apart!
Some of my favorite movies with dancing in them include:
Footloose. Oh, how I loved Kevin Bacon as Ren, a city boy forced to live in a small, country town where one of the rules was No Dancing. And how about that soundtrack? Hearing any of those songs takes me back in time!
Dirty Dancing. This one came out during my teen years and all of my friends and I LOVED it! How awesome was Patrick Swayze as the boy from the other side of the tracks? *sigh* Nobody puts Baby in a corner! And the dancing? Soooo sexy!
Flashdance. I’m not sure which I loved more—the movie, the soundtrack or the off-the-shoulder-sweatshirt trend *g* It was a bit risque but the dancing was fun and fabulous!
Singing in the Rain. A wonderful classic with Gene Kelly that had it all: superb dancing, great songs, romance and humor! Still an all-time fave *g*
Do you like dancing movies? Which ones are your favorites? And a very important question: Are you a good dancer?
59 comments:
Aloha!
The Golden Rooster had so much fun today in Hawaii that he decided to extend for the weekend. He'll help me at the Hickam Library book sale, passing out bookmarks.
I loved Grease, Footloose, and Dirty Dancing ... but I cannot dance!
Kim, congratulations on hosting the Rooster for the day :-) I hope he behaves at the book sale!
Beth :-) I hate dancing. Hate hate hate. I'm a horrid dancer, hence all that hate. But I do love music, and love watching movies with both music and dancing (and the first time I see a dancing movie, I'm gonna call you!)
Grease is definitely at the top of my favorites list, I've seen it so many times even my kids got hooked.
Flashdance - oh yeah, I'm with you on the off-the-shoulder sweatshirts. I rocked that look!
And then there's the most evil dance movie of all time... Saturday Night Fever. Actually, I adore the BeeGees, but that movie still can induce nightmares. Really really!
Oh Beth!!!
Such a yummy topic. I loved all the movies you've listed!
Here's some other great ones...
1. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. Sigh, I've been in love with redheaded men ever since! And on top of all that testosterone flying around in leaps and bouds...Howard Keel singing!
2. Top Hat, with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire...oh heck anything with them! They were so fascinating to watch!
3. Summer Stock with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. If you've not seen this, it has the fabulous classic with Judy singing and dancing to the sexy, "Get Happy, dressed in a tux coat, hat, stockings and shoes!
4. Newsies. This was from Disney back when my kids were schoolage. They watched it over, and over, and over...you get the picture. It features a young Christian Bale.
okay, I'll stop now. Those are some good ones that make me suddenly want to go look for old movies on TV!
Have another good day with GR Kim
I cannot dance but I don't hate it... I like the same movies as Tawny but my all time favourite musical movie at the moment is Mama Mia.... I think if you are feeling down just watch that movie and you feel really good after.
Great post, Beth. I LOVE musicals and 'dancing' movies - all the ones you've mentioned ... and the others have mentioned. Modern or classic - if they have a great soundtrack, I love them.
I'll add to the list:
White Christmas
Kiss Me Kate (love "Brush Up Your Shakespeare")
An American in Paris
Anchors Aweigh
I also used to love the program Step It Up and Dance.
I can dance and I love to dance - I've always wanted to learn tap and the Thriller dance *g*. That has to have one of the most clever dance sequences in it.
Great blog, Beth!! I love all the movies you have mentioned and of course Saturday Night Fever that Tawny mentioned.
Do I like to dance? Heck yeah!! I love to groove to the music. Only problem is I am NOT a good dancer. I didn't get that gene from my grandparents who were known all around the county for their dance skills. But over the years I have learned to just get out on the dance floor and shake what my momma gave me. If I'm having a wonderful time and not hurting anyone, who cares what others think! :-)
I loved the tango scene in Scent of a Woman!
I loved Dirty Dancing and Grease.
I'm a terrible dancer. I love to watch the young dancers on So You Think You Can Dance.
West Side story had several great dancing numbers.
Julia Stiles was in a movie where she wanted to dance and her dad wouldn't let her. Save the Last Dance
I like some dancing movies like Grease, Singing in the Rain and Footloose but I'm not a huge fan of them.
I like dancing but I'm not a good dancer. Although, my husband and I took a swing class dance on the cruise and that was fun (my husband the drummer really can't dance!).
I love watching other people dance, especially when they're good dancers, like in movies. Or belly dancers in restaurants.
I cannot dance worth beans. I danced for the first time in years at the Harlequin party at RWA National in Orlando, because 1) it was sort of dark in the room, and 2) a zillion other women were dancing, many as badly as me (and if someone saw me and I was the worst, DON'T SAY SO. I want to keep my illusion so I can dance again some day).
Love musicals (can't pick a favorite though would prob be an oldy from the heydays of MGM musicals) I think Fred & Ginger made me fall in love with the Waltz. One of the reasons I've always enjoyed "So You Think You Can Dance" is that it puts good dancing on TV where it can be enjoyed.
My family loves to dance. When I scheduled knee surgery few weeks before my neices wedding her first question was if I'd be able to dance at her wedding. My answer: that's why I scheduled it for then, so I would be. Doctor said I'd need 3 weeks to heal before doing anything too strenuous (like dancing crazy) and so I scheduled it just over 3 wks before the wedding -- otherwise I wouldn't have been able to dance and that wouldn't have been any good. The whole family was thrilled when I was able to get down and let loose to some "old time rock & roll" :)
Great post, Beth!
Aloha again for you, Kim! WTG!
I love dance movies, including all the ones you mentioned. FLASHDANCE is one of my favorites!
And I adore all of Gene Kelly's movies. He made the whole dance scene look so masculine!
Aloha Kim! The rooster pecked at you to sign on the blog and claim him for the day - didn't he!
Beth - I love to dance, and yes - I've had strangers come up and tell me that I'm good at it. We're not talking ballroom dancing, here - the kind of thing where you have to practise and memorize steps (though that's fun). I'm talking let the music fill you and you just can't sit still kind-of dancing. I often tell people that I fell in love with my dh because he wasn't afraid to be the first one out on the dancefloor.
And I love dancing movies and TV shows (Glee). You've named the biggies. I had to think hard to come up with another. It's not really a dance movie, per se, but I love Michael - the angel movie with John Travolta as the angel. I love the bar scene where they dance to "Chain, chain, chain - chain of fools."
Hey - just want to do a shout out - congratulations on that new RITA statue. I bet you did some dancing with that after the ceremony (grin).
Good morning!
Kim, congrats on nabbing the GR again for the day. I've heard he's a wonderful dancer so maybe if you put some music on, the two of you could cut a rug after the book sale :-)
Now, see, I'm of the opinion that everyone CAN dance. Some just move better than others *g*
Ok, my first gut punch of the morning when Beth said she saw Grease when she was little....
I saw it when I was a young ADULT!
Wahhhh...I'm so old.
As to dancing movies, I second the sexy dirty dancing of Patrick and the other movies mentioned.
One, often overlooked is Yankee Doodle Dandy with Jimmy Cagney. Jimmy may have been known for his gangster movies, but Lord he was light on his feet!
And yes I can dance...in my head.
I love dancing movies, like Dirty Dancing and Singing in the Rain. I haven't seen Flashdance, but I have the soundtrack.
Dirty Dancing - Time of my Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0yOm2wA51o
Singing In The Rain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ
LOL, Tawny! I've seen you dance a few times and you are not horrid! Besides, dancing is supposed to be fun *g*
Grease was just the best, wasn't it? Oh, how I love that movie! The other night my husband and I caught the beginning of Grease 2. Cheesy and so not as good as the original but it had Michelle Pfeiffer so I can't hate it :-)
Can you believe I've only caught parts of Saturday Night Fever? It just seemed so...depressing...I never could watch the whole thing. But I did like The Bee Gees ;-)
Suz, I love Seven Brides for Seven Brothers! Actually, I adore so many of those classic movie musicals and during my teen years I became hooked on Fred and Ginger. What a great pair!
I haven't seen either Summer Stock or Newsies but I've added them to my Must See list *g*
Hey, Kim, make the GR do The Chicken dance; keep him on his toes.
The dancing in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers is amazing! Old movies with Gene Kelly dancing are fun to watch, too. I like the scene in Oklahoma! where Will is singing and dancing about "Everything's Up-to-date in Kansas City". Even though there isn't a lot of dancing in Oklahoma!, I do like how the movements were orchestrated between Laurie and Curly.
I love all the old movies with the dancing like Singing in the Rain and anything Fred Astaire was in. Dirty Dancing was good but my favorite has got to be Grease. Just love me some John Travolta!
And there was a time (when I was young) that I was actually training to be a professional dancer (ballerina) but my ankles had other ideas. I used to love to dance, but I don't do it anymore (my balance issues from the M.S. kind of get in the way).
Margay
OOOOOH! Musicals and dancing: MY FAVS!!
My mom got me hooked on them when I was young. LOL I'm trying to do the same to my daughter. :)
My top five are:
*Oklahoma! (Love Gordon MacRae as Curly *sigh*)
*Unsinkable Molly Brown
*Dirty Dancing (Johnny!)
*Seven Brides
*South Pacific
What a fun post!! I'll be humming show tunes all day. :)
As for dancing: I love shakin' my bon-bon!! LOL Sometimes I don't even need a band to dance. ;)
Kim, congrats on the bird. I'm glad you have a productive use for his excess energy.
Beth, I can't dance. I'm terrible. A college friend, an excellent dancer, traded me lessons in exchange for my sewing the black stripe down the legs of his green trousers for his ROTC commissioning, and I actually could kinda sorta keep up, if I focused, but then I had nowhere to practice.
In high school marching band, we did a dance number in a halftime show. I bobbled the last move consistently. It was just a turn, nothing fancy. And it was written on the music. *sigh*
At the gym, I can grapevine, which is kinda sorta like dancing if you use a lot of imagination. I have to remember to pick up my feet, though, so the tread on my sneakers doesn't snag on the mat and trip me. (This actually happened once, the tripping; good thing the mats are rubber.) So I steered way clear of line dancing when it was big, though it did look like fun.
As for what you actually asked, dance movies generally play on my feelings of inadequacy in this department, though I do enjoy movies and plays with some dancing in them.
My favorite dancing sequence is from Yankee Doodle Dandy, wherein James Cagney (as George M. Cohan) dances across a stage and partway up a wall in the title number, defying gravity with momentum. I also like the bit from another film I can't recall where Fred Astaire dances on a ceiling. But I give bigger points to Cagney since he didn't have any special effects help.
And I like the forest waltz from Disney's Sleeping Beauty (a movie in which the heroine's dress is BLUE, not PINK--this is fresh on my mind after the Magic Kingdom. It's blue. Look at the freakin' thing when she heads up to the attic.)
I do like dancing movies, my favorite is Dirty Dancing! No I can not dance and never had been able to, but I love to watch!
One of my favorite movies that has dancing in it is: The Pajama Game, with Doris Day. The: Once a Year Day scene is a lot of fun, one of the dancers looses a shoe!, and I really like the part were they dance to Steam heat and wear a tux. It's fab and I have great memories watching it with my mom.
OMG, Look at those PINK sox on John T!!! What a HOOT! I guess I haven't seen Grease enough times because I don't remember that... I actually prefer to see musicals and dance shows LIVE.
My fave is Riverdance, of course! But I did see a stage production of Singing In The Rain that was fabulous. Yes, water POURED down on the stage!
My sister and I watched American Bandstand every Sat. when we were young teens and we practiced dancing ALL the time. We were actually pretty good at it, too bad we could never find male partners who were anywhere near our skill level. :-P
I haven't danced in YEARS! Can't call swaying on the dance floor with the DH actual dancing... Besides, my nose is right at his armpit level. EWW!
Thanx for the fun post, Beth. Hope your girls enjoy the movie.
AC
humming "You Make Me Feel Like Dancin"
I think if you are feeling down just watch that movie and you feel really good after.
So true, Barb! Mama Mia is such a great, fun movie. It's hard to sit still during it because of the music :-) And I love the setting *g*
Anna, wouldn't it be fun to take Tap class? I took it as a child but ended up taking a few years of Jazz instead so I only know the basics. But I also took baton class and can still twirl a bit *g*
I haven't seen Anchors Aweigh or An American in Paris is years. Will have to remedy that. And White Christmas is a great one! Love the dance sequences in that with Vera Ellen :-)
But over the years I have learned to just get out on the dance floor and shake what my momma gave me. If I'm having a wonderful time and not hurting anyone, who cares what others think! :-)
LOL, Buffie! Good for you! I'm the same way. I just go out and have a good time. I doubt my moves are all that smooth but as long as I don't hip check anyone or step on any toes, who am I hurting? *g*
My mother told me my grandparents used to go out dancing every weekend and my in-laws used to do the same. My in-laws danced at our wedding, swing dance style like they did growing up. It was so much fun to watch!
West Side story had several great dancing numbers.
Oh, another good one! Thanks for mentioning it, Laurie. I do love the dancing in West Side Story. I haven't seen Save The Last Dance but I've heard it's good. I'll add it to my list :-)
And I like the forest waltz from Disney's Sleeping Beauty (a movie in which the heroine's dress is BLUE, not PINK--this is fresh on my mind after the Magic Kingdom. It's blue. Look at the freakin' thing when she heads up to the attic.)
Now to be fair, Nancy...there was a scene in Sleeping Beauty where Merriweather (the blue fairy) and the pink fairy (who knows her name when you have somebody cool like Merriweather) were arguing about the color of her dress and kept switching back and forth. So in reality (fairy reality?) there was a point where it was pink.
LOL, Buffie. The one time I did try dancing was two years ago at Moonlight and Magnolias. I'd had a glass of wine and they played Dancing Queen and I shook what my Momma gave me...and other UNFORTUNATE things...
Thanks, I'll just tap my foot..
Joan wrote: Now to be fair, Nancy...there was a scene in Sleeping Beauty where Merriweather (the blue fairy) and the pink fairy (who knows her name when you have somebody cool like Merriweather) were arguing about the color of her dress and kept switching back and forth. So in reality (fairy reality?) there was a point where it was pink.
Yes. A very, very, very BRIEF point in comparison to the blue time. Being fair and all. :-)
Doesn't the movie Fame have some neat dance sequences in it? Or am I thinking of something else.
Of course, there's also The Turning Point (Anne Bancroft, Shirley Maclaine, and the marvelous Mikhail Baryshnikov) for a different kind of dancing.
I loved Dirty Dancing especially, I wore out 2 vhs tapes and I am on my third DVD now.....LOL I like all the others too, makes me want to dance unfortunately that is not a talent I possess.
My mother told me my grandparents used to go out dancing every weekend
Beth, I was told the same thing about my grandparents! The little town they lived in had dances every Friday and Saturday night and people would clear the floor when my grandparents arrived. My grandfather was a pretty darn good tap dancer too. Sure wish I got those genes!!
The one time I did try dancing was two years ago at Moonlight and Magnolias. I'd had a glass of wine and they played Dancing Queen and I shook what my Momma gave me...and other UNFORTUNATE things...
So all it takes is a glass of wine? Hmmmmmmm. ;-)
Beth, you mentioned most of my favorites. I still want to get up and dance every time I hear Footloose! Of course, my kids are mortified. *g*
Christie, I would love to take a swing dance class with my husband but he's over a foot taller than I am so I'm not sure it'd work out *g*
So is it the dancing you're not crazy about in movies or how characters burst into song? :-)
Barbara, wasn't the Harlequin party fun? It's always a highlight of conference for me and yes, most everybody who attends ends up on the dance floor. I think that's what makes it so fun *g*
I used to go listen to bands and dance quite often before we had kids but they put a crimp in my dancing time :-)
gamemistress, I still adore the classic movies! Fred and Ginger were such an unbeatable pair *g*
So glad you were able to dance at your niece's wedding! We also had a niece get married recently and I forced my youngest to dance with me since my husband (who does enjoy to dance) was too busy visiting with his relatives :-)
Jo, I sort of feel like Gene Kelly was an 'everyman' sort of dancer. Blue collar in looks and attitude and therefore a lot of people could relate to him *g*
But I also love Fred Astaire's elegance and they were both so creative with their dances!
Hey - just want to do a shout out - congratulations on that new RITA statue. I bet you did some dancing with that after the ceremony (grin).
LOL! Thanks, Donna! No dancing for us yet but she does keep watch over me while I write. Although sometimes she makes me nervous and I have to turn her around so she can't see me ;-)
I would love to see you dance! We need a dance floor in the lair so we can all show our best moves *g*
Joan, we watched Yankee Doodle Dandy a few years back and you're right, James Cagney was light on his feet *g* Fun movie!
It's fun to think back to when my love of musicals and dancing movies started. For my own kids, it was definitely the High School Musical movies. Fun movies and clever dancing makes them easy to watch :-)
Minna, from what I remember, Flashdance was a good movie. It had a bit of everything including a romance with a very sexy hero ;-)
I recommend it!
Deb, I haven't seen Oklahoma in years! Another to add to my list *g* I so agree with you about the dancing in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Amazing!!
Margay, how cool that you trained to be a dancer! I can't imagine the kind of dedication needed to be a professional dancer of any variety.
I love shakin' my bon-bon!! LOL Sometimes I don't even need a band to dance. ;)
LOL, Sarah! That's the spirit *g*
I just realized I've never seen South Pacific - only heard the soundtrack and watched snippets of scenes. Another one for the list.
How's it going trying to hook your daughter? I'm doing the same with my youngest as the older one isn't as agreeable with my movie choices ;-)
Nancy, I'm big on dance scenes where it's all the dancers and not special effects. Although, since you mentioned Sleeping Beauty I will say that last night we watched Disney's The Princess and the Frog and I loved the dancing scenes :-)
Hey, Virginia! Dirty Dancing is such a fave! Great choice *g*
Hi, Kirsten. I've never seen The Pajama Game! Sounds as if I'm missing out. Have added it to the growing list :-) Thanks!
Did some "Dirty Dancing" with my hubby back in the day (about the time the movie came out)---whew! It was hot!! LOL
Aloha Kim! The GR just couldn't resist an extension of his vacation in paradise. Lucky bird!
Great topic, Beth. Have you been practicing with your new dance partner - Rita???
It has been AGES since I danced, in public at least. I am more of a kitchen dancer now - I dance in the kitchen with the fridge. My dogs go nuts when Mom dances.
I had to take a number of dance classes in the opera program. I do a mean waltz. Waltzing and singing at the top of your lungs is not as easy as it looks.
I LOVE Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Those dance numbers are spectacular.
And how about Get Me to the Church on Time from My Fair Lady? Great dance number.
Of course Grease and Saturday Night Fever have great dance numbers as well.
I have to admit that my all time favorite dance movies are anything with Fred and Ginger and anything with Gene Kelly. They just cannot be beat for skill, elegance, and sheer joy of dancing.
Joan, another Yankee Doodle Dandy fan! I didn't realize. Cagney was just amazing in that movie.
There's nothing like a live musical, is there, AC? The energy is just contagious *g*
I didn't watch American Bandstand but I did watch Solid Gold. Oh, how I dreamt of being a Solid Gold dancer - their outfits were the best ;-)
Doesn't the movie Fame have some neat dance sequences in it?
Nancy, I recently re-watched Fame with my older daughter and it does have a few decent dancing sequences but not as fabulous as I remembered (if that makes sense) *g*
Dianna, Dirty Dancing is on the list of movies I want to watch with my daughters. I really think they'll like it - hopefully enough to wear out a DVD ;-)
Buffie, the dancing genes passed by me as well but I still have fun out on a dance floor. Luckily, my husband likes to dance as well and while we may not win any dancing competitions, we sure have a good time *g*
Beth, you mentioned most of my favorites. I still want to get up and dance every time I hear Footloose!
LOL, Gannon! Well, isn't it our jobs to embarrass our kids?
Great topic, Beth. Have you been practicing with your new dance partner - Rita???
LOL, Louisa! Rita's a bit...heavy on her feet. Actually, she's just plain heavy - as I can attest after holding her at the airport for two hours ;-)
I don't imagine doing any dance while singing is easy. I'm sure I'd be out of breath and too busy counting steps to remember my lyrics *g*
My dad was a great dancer. At wedding receptions, my mother's friends, relatives, even the bride would line up to dance with him. Gene Kelly was the man. His moves in An American in Paris are mesmerizing along with the Gershwin soundtrack. Also the classic Nicolas Brothers were phenomenal. I don't dance, don't ask me.
Post a Comment