Top 10 Greatest Solo Dance Scenes
#10: “Old Time Rock and Roll” “Risky Business” (1983)
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This scene is proof that you don’t need intricate choreography to create an iconic dance. When Joel Goodson’s parents leave him home alone, he goes wild with his newfound freedom. One of his more notable activities involves jamming out to Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll”, in a button-down shirt, briefs, and socks. It looks like a whole lot of fun, so we imagine that lots of teens couldn’t wait until the next time their parents were out of town too. Tom Cruise later shared his trick for perfectly sliding into the shot. So if you were thinking of giving it a go, take note.
#9: “If My Friends Could See Me Now” “Sweet Charity” (1969)
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Shirely MacLaine stars as unlucky-in-love taxi dancer Charity Hope Valentine. In this scene, she can’t believe her luck when movie star Vittorio Vitale invites her to dinner at his apartment. She’s so happy that she has to sing and dance about it. If you didn’t know that Shirley MacLaine was a triple threat, then you certainly do now. Her performance is whimsical, charming, and utterly endearing, as she perfectly executes Bob Fosse’s legendary choreography. Charity revels in her excitement, even incorporating her newly gifted hat and cane into the dance as well. Now all she needs is a spotlight to really bring this number home.
#8: The Warehouse Dance “Footloose” (1984)
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No one did angry dancing quite like Ren in the original 1984 movie. The frustrated teen heads to an empty warehouse where he athletically and acrobatically dances out his rage. Performed to Moving Pictures’ “Never”, he leaves no corner of the warehouse unexplored, even swinging Tarzan-style from a rope. While Bacon did most of his own dancing in the movie, they enlisted four stunt-doubles to help out with some of the more advanced choreography. Apparently, Bacon did not enjoy being benched while his body doubles took over. Nevertheless, in 2020 this dance won him the MTV Movie & TV Awards’ “GOAT: Dance Your Ass Off” award.
#7: “You Should Be Dancing” “Saturday Night Fever” (1977)
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In 1976, film producer Robert Stigwood decided to turn the hit Broadway musical “Grease” into a movie. Well, to avoid eclipsing the show’s success, production couldn’t commence until 1978. In the meantime, he turned his attention to a story set to some of the greatest disco hits. And thanks to a million-dollar, three-movie deal, he already had his star. John Travolta strutted onto the scene and cleared dance floors as disco dancing king, Tony Manero. He pulls out every disco move imaginable, not to mention some impressive tricks and splits too. The movie brought disco into the mainstream and this scene remains a timeless classic.
#6: “Make ‘Em Laugh” “Singin' in the Rain” (1952)
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There’s a lot to be said about Donald O’Connor’s slapstick number. It’s demanding, incredibly creative, and downright hilarious. Even though O’Connor is a seasoned Vaudeville dancer, we’re still left astounded at how effortless he makes it all look. O’Connor used his spare time on set to choreograph the number, saying, “Whatever worked, we kept”. His choreography is in a league of its own and his comic timing is simply phenomenal. It’s hardly surprising though, that he reportedly ended up needing several days of bed rest after shooting this scene. No matter how many times we watch it, O’Connor’s performance never ceases to amaze and amuse us.
#5: “Town Called Malice” “Billy Elliot” (2000)
The second angry dance on our list comes from Lee Hall’s gritty British dance flick. Billy’s ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson comes to blows with his family, leaving our young protagonist confused and angry. So, he decides to blow off some steam in the best way he knows how. Using his hometown of County Durham in Northern England as his stage, Billy dances his way across town. At this moment, he sets his love of ballet aside for angrier steps, including tap dancing. We see a whole other side to Billy and really feel his angst through every infuriated and impassioned step.
#4: “Too Darn Hot” “Kiss Me Kate” (1953)
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It’s not just this song that’s “Too Darn Hot”. Ann Miller sizzles in her performance as young actress Lois Lane in this number too. Of course, Miller was famed for her sensational tap-dancing skills and this routine has to be one of her best. This song is traditionally seen at the top of act two in the stage version, but clearly, they needed to create an opportunity for Miller to break out her best moves and give the film audience what they wanted. It was rumored that she could tap 500 times per minute. While that might not actually be true, she’s talented enough for us to believe it.
#3: The Ceiling Dance “Royal Wedding” (1951)
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In one of Fred Astaire’s most famous solos, he plays a man so in love that he defies gravity to dance on the walls and ceiling. In the movie, he plays Tom, one half of a brother-sister dancing duo, who travel to London for Princess Elizabeth’s wedding. While there, he falls in love with Anne Ashmond, played by Winston Churchill’s daughter, leading to the song, “You’re All the World to Me”. While we might believe that Astaire’s talent is enough to propel him onto the ceiling, sadly that wasn’t the case. Rather, they used a custom-made set and a camera that rolled on an axis to create the anti-gravity illusion.
#2: Alex’s Audition “Flashdance” (1983)
This movie was inspired by the real story of 18-year-old welder-by-day/dancer-by-night, Maureen Marder. While it has its fair share of notable dance moments, you can’t think of “Flashdance” without Alex’s audition scene springing to mind. After a rocky start, Alex sets herself apart from the competition with a dance routine to Irene Cara’s “Flashdance...What a Feeling”. She wows the panel, and audience, of course, with a more jazzy contemporary routine that even incorporates breakdancing. To no one’s surprise, she soon has the judges tapping their toes too. This scene helped cement the movie’s position in popular culture as well as cinema history. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” “Thousands Cheer” (1943) In Another of Gene Kelly’s Most Famous Numbers, His Dance Partner Is Cleaning Equipment The Snow Dance, “Memoirs of a Geisha” (2005) The Dance Represents the Emotional Tale of a Woman Who’s Been Wronged “Whatever Lola Wants,” “Damn Yankees” (1958) If Lola Wants Our Applause for This Number, She Gets That Too “You Wonderful You,” “Summer Stock” (1950) This Dance Is Considered as “One of the Breakthrough Numbers” of Kelly’s Career “Fight the Power,” “Do The Right Thing” (1989) We Can’t Think of a More Iconic Spike Lee Movie Intro
#1: “Singin' in the Rain” “Singin' in the Rain” (1952)
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Did you think we’d forgotten about what’s arguably the most famous dance scene in movie history? After a kiss from Kathy, Don is so euphoric that he swings around lamp posts, twirls his umbrella, and splashes around in the rain. It took them more than two days to film the title number, all the while Kelly was sick with a high fever. Also contrary to popular belief, it was just really good lighting - and not milk - that made the rain look so realistic. This dance began with a simple stage direction instructing Kelly to dance in a wet street. But it quickly became a timeless cinematic masterpiece.
