Now That's Entertainment!
Eclectic Edge Ensemble
I love movies.. I love dance.. Why not blog about them both IN ONE? If you enjoy dance and you find yourself unsure of which movies will satisfy what dance genre craving, this post is for you! Below you will find a list of dance movies. Some I have seen, others I haven’t, but all I believe to be good flicks that will entertain and satisfy even the strongest hankering for good dance entertainment. I hope you find it useful!
The Classics
All that Jazz
(1979) Drama/Fantasy/Musical
Starring Roy Scheider
Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid life of Joe Gideon, a womanizing, drug-using dancer.
A Chorus Line
(1985) Musical/Drama/Comedy
Starring a lot of people
Hopefuls try out before a demanding director for a part in a new musical.
Dirty Dancing
(1987) Drama/Romance
Starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze
Spending the summer in a holiday camp with her family, Frances ('Baby') falls in love with the camp's dancing teacher.
Fame
(1980) Drama/Musical
Starring a lot of people
A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.
Flashdance
(1983) Drama/Music/Romance
Starring Jennifer Beals
A Pittsburgh woman with two jobs as a welder and an exotic dancer wants to get into ballet school.
Footloose
(1984) Drama/Musical/Romance
Starring Kevin Bacon
A city boy comes to a small town where rock music and dancing have been banned.
Singin’ in the Rain
(1952) Comedy/Musical/Romance
Starring Gene Kelly
A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound. *This is a MUST-SEE.
White Christmas
(1954) Comedy/Musical /Romance
Starring Bing Crosby
A successful song-and-dance team become romantically involved with a sister act and team up to save the failing Vermont inn of their former commanding general.
Ballet
Billy Elliot
(2000) Comedy/Drama/Music
Starring Jamie Bell
A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.
Center Stage
(2000) Drama/Music
Starring Amanda Schull
A group of 12 teenagers from various backgrounds enroll at the American Ballet Academy in New York to make it as ballet dancers and each one deals with the problems and stress of training and getting ahead in the world of dance.
The Company
(2004) Drama/Music/Romance
Starring Neve Campbell
Ensemble drama centered around a group of ballet dancers, with a focus on one young dancer who is poised to become a principal performer.
Turning Point
(1977) Drama/Romance
Starring Shirley McLaine, Anne Bancroft, Mikhail Baryshnikov
When her daughter joins a ballet company, a former dancer is forced to confront her long-ago decision to give up the stage to have a family.
Latin
Dance With Me
(1998) Drama/Romance/Music
Starring Vanessa Williams, Chayanne
John runs a dance studio, and everyone prepares for the World Open Dance championship in Las Vegas.
Dirty Dancing Havana Nights
(1958) Drama/Romance/Music
Starring Diego Luna, Romola Garai
On the eve of Cuba's revolution, a young American woman discovers a passion for dance and for her sultry Cuban partner, Javier.
Take the Lead
(2006) Drama/Music
Starring Antonio Banderas
The real story of a dance teacher who believed in the talent of a group of problem kids.
Contemporary
Chicago
(2003) Comedy/Drama/Musical
Starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Murderesses Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago.
Hairspray
(2007) Comedy/Musical/Romance
Starring a lot of people
Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.
Mamma Mia
(2008) Comedy/Musical/Romance
Starring Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep
The story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father told using hit songs by the popular '70s group ABBA.
Save The Last Dance
(2001) Drama/Romance/Music
Starring Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas
A white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.
Step Up
(2006) Drama/Music/Romance
Starring Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan
Tyler Gage is a rebel from the wrong side of Baltimore¹s tracks and the only thing that stands between him and an unfulfilled life are his dreams of one day making it out of there.
I know there are tons of movies that are not included in this list, but this should help you get started or maybe add to your own list of dance movie faves. Feel free to post any of your favorite dance flicks I may have missed in the comments below. Otherwise, get out your popcorn and enjoy!
Desiree Dantona