Top 10 Iconic Dance Routines From '80s Musicals
1980s musicals, Broadway dance, Cats musical, Phantom of the Opera, Dreamgirls choreography, La Cage aux Folles, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Grand Hotel, 42nd Street, Nine musical, Me and My Girl, The Jellicle Ball, Masquerade dance, tap dance, theatrical choreography, musical theatre, Broadway classics, stage dance, Michael Bennett, Michael Peters, Tommy Tune, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cole Porter, dance routines,Welcome to MsMojo, and today were counting down our picks for the dances that set Broadway alight between 1980 and 1989. For this list, only shows who premiered on a Broadway stage in the 80s and revivals that featured new or reworked choreography are eligible.
#10: The Lambeth Walk
Me and My Girl
A fish out of water comedy about Bill Snibson, a Cockney man who finds himself suddenly thrust into the position of Earl of Hareford. Originally produced in 1930s London, the show was heavily revamped for its first Broadway production in 1986. Bill, played by Robert Lindsay, brings his unpolished, working class ways into the world of the stuck-up nobility in this underrated number, introducing them to The Lambeth Walk. Soon he has the entire elaborately outfitted ensemble dancing with spoons and tripping the light fantastic in their finery. By the time Bills through, they look more like a group of talented pub patrons than a collection of British aristocrats.
#9: Go, Go, Go Joseph
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Andrew Lloyd Webbers splashy, modern yet retro retelling of the Biblical story packs a significant punch. This first act finale sees Joseph imprisoned and depressed. However, with the help of his fellow prisoners, he comes to believe in himself again. Go, Go Joseph is a huge dance number thats been reinterpreted several times over the years. Like the rest of the show, this high-energy number plays with the entire shows ancient setting and modern sound. But in its original form, it features dancers twirling and clapping rhythmically in eye-catching mash-ups of modern dress and choreography and Egyptian-inspired garments.
#8: We Are What We Are
La Cage aux Folles
Farcical and empowering in equal measure, La Cage is a show about family and showbiz set in a nightclub full of fabulous drag queens. The performers gather in their shimmering, spangled gowns, and they perform the shows big anthem as a group. At first, they twirl and parade in a line like pageant contestants, showing off their flowing gowns. Then, a rack descends, and takes their gowns into the rafters. They burst into an equally glittering but impeccable tap routine that would put the Ziegfeld Follies to shame. As far as openers go, its a stunner.
#7: Be Italian
Nine
This one might be more known to casual fans as Fergies big number in the underwhelming film adaptation. Be Italian belongs to Saraghina, a sex worker from the film director Guido Continis childhood. He remembers well her lessons in how to romance a woman. Her advice becomes a ritualistic dance for Guido and his young friends as they join her dance. But the most iconic moment is when she whips out her tambourine. Saraghina begins to pat the instrument against her body before inviting the boys to follow along, picking up speed as the song comes to a rollicking finish.
#6: Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls
The 2006 film adaptation starring Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson brought new fans to this musical. The title song is a highlight, a faithful recreation of the kinds of dances groups like the Supremes would do on stage. Dreamgirls is a routine full of hip and shoulder action. With arms and swivels that can only be described as grand and even pageant-like, it feels like the perfect embodiment of the cohesive 1960s girl group aesthetic. Its beautifully synchronized, graceful, and true to the period. Michael Peters and the shows director and co-choreographer, Michael Bennett, won the trophy for Best Choreography at the 1982 Tony Awards.
#5: Well Take a Glass Together
Grand Hotel
Most notable for the impossibly nimble moves of one of its original stars, this spirited number sees a luckless baron and a terminally ill bookkeeper toasting to the good life. They perform behind a bar, with dancers doing the Charleston behind them. But as the song picks up speed, the two leads join in the fun. Eventually, the actor playing Otto Kringelein gets a chance to shine at the front of the pack. Multi-talented actor Michael Jeter forever put his stamp on the routine, thankfully immortalized by that years Tony Awards broadcast. That night, stage legend Tommy Tune picked up two Tonys for Grand Hotels direction and choreography.
#4: Masquerade
The Phantom of the Opera
Sure, you can argue the logic of throwing a masked ball when theres a masked killer on the loose, but lets not bring reality into this. Act two of this opulent, blockbusting musical opens with an elaborate dance at the Paris Operas masquerade ball. Featuring its cast in beautiful outfits and descending the opera houses grand staircase, its a dance of graceful and eerie movement rather than bracing choreography. The sequence is one of the shows most indelible images. Striking poses, prancing in their elaborate costumes, and moving in perfect harmony, the company of Phantom is poetry in motion.
#3: Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Cole Porters highly entertaining musical hadnt seen a Broadway stage since its 1934 premiere some 53 years before. In 1987, it was rewritten and restaged for the modern theater audience. The shows title song is a tap-dancing, twirling barnburner of a performance piece that takes place on the deck of an ocean liner. Reno Sweeney leads her ensemble of sailors into a breathless routine. They stomp and twirl across that stage with such ferocity that if it were a real ship, itd probably capsize. Choreographer Michael Smuin won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for his work.
#2: Audition
42nd Street
You could pick almost any number out of this show and put it here. Its title song has been a crowd pleaser since the original film came out in the early 30s, and Lullaby of Broadway is an undeniable celebration of showbiz. Aptly-named, The Audition is the shows first song. We first see our characters among a veritable sea of other Broadway hopefuls strutting their stuff, hoping to get cast in the big production. This one is just dazzling to look at. Arms and legs swivel and fly impossibly fast but always in control. From the killer kicks to the desperate smiles on the performers faces, its downright hypnotic.
#1: The Jellicle Ball
Cats
Lets face it. Its not the story that keeps people coming back to Cats. Its the fleet feet and pawing acrobatics of its cast of dancing felines. The Jellicle Ball sequence requires such agility and flexibility that the physical therapy bills on this production had to have been half the budget. You could get a pulled muscle just watching them. Leaping across the stage with impeccable grace and twirling without getting caught in your own tail is no small feat. Even a hater has to admit its pretty captivating. And the fans know its just one of those moments youll never forget once you see it.
Did your favorite musical make the list? Tell us in the comments.
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