Top 10 Iconic Dance Routines From '90s Musicals

#10: Our Favorite Son

The Will Rogers Follies

Filled with ironic humor and patriotic pastiche numbers, this biomusical opened on Broadway in 1991. The Will Rogers Follies and its standout dance piece are full of star-spangled red, white, and blue showmanship. Featuring Tony-winning choreography by one of Broadways biggest legends, Tommy Tune, its not just the footwork thats fancy in Our Favorite Son. Most of its best moments are played in a sitting position, with star Keith Carradine joining the female ensemble for some joyous knee-tapping. The synchronicity required here is deceptively complicated, and it just adds to the overall zaniness of the whole thing.

#9: On Broadway

Smokey Joes Cafe

This musical revue is stuffed with songs by the legendary rock and roll writing duo Leiber and Stoller. With songs originally recorded by legends like Elvis Presley, Ben E. King, and the music groups of the 50s and 60s, Smokey Joes Cafe is a true nostalgia trip. The shows take on On Broadway is a delight for a whole host of reasons. Four performers are given plenty of opportunities for energetic and slick dance breaks to the Drifters classic. Joey McKneelys Tony-nominated choreography is slick and showy. Its a surefire crowd-pleaser in or out of the context of the show.

#8: The American Dream

Miss Saigon

Based on Puccinis Madame Butterfly, this musical made its Broadway debut in 1991 and became a smash at the box office. But in addition to its melodrama and impressive helicopter set piece, it also boasts a classic dance number. The American Dream is the shady Engineers garish and tacky fantasy about what awaits his new life when he leaves Vietnam for America. His dancing is just as gaudy as the rest of the number. With moves as vulgar as they are smooth, its a showstopper that leaves you dazzled and also makes you want to take a nice, long shower.

#7: Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk

Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk

Tap dancer and Broadway veteran Savion Glover crafted the choreography for this multi-Tony Award winning sensation that premiered in 1995. Telling the collective history of African Americans across generations, the show blends rap, hip-hop, and tap in a percussive explosion of dance and song. The title track is staged with performers playing street drummers beating on paint buckets and dancers coming in to do tap solos before eventually becoming a cohesive group. All of the principal dancers are dressed very differently, representing different age groups and identities, but they fall into a unified rhythm for the songs extraordinary climax.

#6: Where You Are

Kiss of the Spider Woman

The ethereal title character appears before two political prisoners every now and then to inject a dose of fanciful fabulousness into their daydreams. In her iconic pantsuit and hat, Aurora dazzles them with this jailhouse dance sequence. Where You Are is a Latin music-infused song that sees her flanked by prisoners, singing about the necessity of looking past the walls of ones prison. At one point, she even lies on the backs of dancers who move her across the stage like a moving vehicle. The role and dance was originated by Chita Rivera on Broadway and choreographed by Vincent Paterson and Rob Marshall.

#5: Be Our Guest

Beauty and the Beast

Disneys 1991 classic animated film is unforgettable, but seeing it live onstage is magical in a different way. The first of the studios big-budget Broadway adaptations, this 1994 production had the daunting task of bringing the movies vibrant and surrealistic musical numbers into the real world. Performed by the shows animated furniture characters, Be Our Guest is a literal feast of theatricality choreographed by Matt West with Dan Mojica. Ending with a classic Radio City-esque kickline, the whole number is a rousing feat of choreography, design, and good, old-fashioned musical comedy spectacle. Where else will you see dancing candelabras, flatware, and teapots?

#4: Slap That Bass

Crazy for You

A reworking of the Gershwins 1930 hit Girl Crazy, this musical premiered in 1992, and was a throwback to the kind of Broadway show that had been out of fashion for years. The creators succeeded admirably in making the old seem new again. The production was choreographed by Susan Stroman, who became a major force in the musical theatre. Her work on Slap That Bass engages the ensemble of Crazy for You in a celebratory dance full of ingenious ideas and incredible physical comedy. The routines particular stroke, or should we say slap, of genius is when the dancers actually become basses, with their partners strumming them like instruments.

#3: La Vie Boheme

Rent

When these exuberant bohemian artists get together, no table is safe. La Vie Boheme is a mission statement. For our merry band of squatters just trying to make art and live authentically, its also their chance to shock any innocent onlookers with just how filthy and outside the mainstream they are. This choreography has everything. Theres gyrating hips, fist-pumping, and even some simulated acts of a carnal nature. Featuring Tony-nominated choreography by Marlies Yearby, the Broadway production ran for 12 years. The ensembles table-top antics became one of the defining moments of the whole show.

#2: Circle of Life

The Lion King

Its one of the most iconic openings to any musical ever. Somehow, the stage version is even more thrilling to watch than the animated sequence that inspired it. As much a triumph of puppetry, costuming, and imagination as it is dance, Circle of Life opens The Lion King with a showcase of precise and awe-inspiring movement. Its ensembles costumes and dancing are meant to evoke various animals of Tanzania, and its a truly mesmerizing piece of stagecraft. Garth Fagans choreography of this song and the rest of the shows numbers earned the show one of its six Tony Awards.

#1: Cell Block Tango

Chicago

While the original show is famous for its Bob Fosse choreography, its 1996 revival was re-choreographed by his partner and frequent collaborator, Ann Reinking, in his style. The changes made to Cell Block Tango are some of the most notable. In the original Broadway production, it was a more militaristic number played behind frames made to look like prison bars. In the revival, the Six Merry Murderesses of the Cook County Jail perform in chairs. It makes the number bolder, darker, and more erotic. Their slinky, seductive chair-ography is reminiscent of Fosses work for Mein Herr from Cabaret. The 2002 movie features a blending of the two Broadway stagings.

Have you seen any of these numbers live? Tell us in the comments.