The Best Dance Scene of Each Year (2000-2023)
It's time look back at dance throughout the decades. Welcome to MsMojo, and today, we’ll be looking at the greatest dance moments each year from 2000 until 2023.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 "Lenardo will be so mad if we make him late. And I want to dance."
00:07 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we'll be looking at the greatest dance moments each
00:11 year from 2000 until 2023.
00:14 "Not salsa, not flamenco, my brother."
00:16 "Do you know? Not to."
00:22 2000, Cooper's Ballet, Center Stage
00:25 "Just dance like you feel it."
00:27 "Easy as that, huh?"
00:29 With so many wonderful dances to choose from for the first year of the new millennium,
00:33 we were always pretty sure it would be this one. While we love little Billy Elliot's
00:37 Angry Dance, we just couldn't get over the way Cooper's Ballet from Center Stage makes
00:42 us feel.
00:43 "If I was the one, baby. If I was the one."
00:54 "If I was the one."
00:57 The ballet starts much like many others, with girls in white tutus dancing daintily. But
01:02 when a motorcycle revs in out of nowhere, things get a little more spicy.
01:13 From Michael Jackson to the steamy bedroom portion to the emotional pas de trois to the
01:17 red-hot finale, this ballet has it all. It's sexy, creative, and plays by its own rules
01:23 -- just the way we like it.
01:29 2001, El Tango de Roxane, Moulin Rouge.
01:40 "First, there is desire. Then, passion."
01:50 Moulin Rouge is full of perfect pop songs, romance, glitter, and over-the-top opulence.
01:55 It's also home to the best dance sequence of 2001.
02:00 "Roxane! You don't have to put on that red light."
02:07 El Tango de Roxane might be the darkest moment in the film, as Satine prepares to sleep with
02:12 the Duke even though she doesn't want to, leaving poor Christian in despair. However,
02:17 it's also the sexiest part of the film, featuring a delicious tango that eventually takes over
02:22 the whole cast. Those dance moves paired with Ewan McGregor's dulcet tones? How could we
02:26 not be in love?
02:35 2002, Cell Block Tango, Chicago.
02:46 "Sex. Squish. Uh-uh. Cicero. Lip shits."
02:53 If this dance doesn't make you want to murder your husband, we must not be listening to
02:56 the same song. Chicago is one of the greatest movie musicals ever made, and a big reason
03:01 for that is its stellar choreography. Nowhere is that more apparent than during the number
03:06 Cell Block Tango.
03:14 The song allows each female prisoner to tell the story of why, exactly, they murdered their
03:19 husbands, before joining in with the rest of the group for a rousing choreographed masterpiece.
03:24 After watching this jailhouse gem, we have to say, we probably would have done the same.
03:30 "I betcha you would have done the same."
03:33 "You pop that gum one more time."
03:36 "Single my ass ten times."
03:37 "Number 17, the spread eagle."
03:38 "Artistic differences."
03:39 2003, I Believe, Honey.
03:42 "Dancing isn't what they do, it's who they are. And you coming here tonight says you
03:49 want to get to know 'em."
03:50 Some of the best dance movies combine genres, blending ballet, hip-hop, jazz, and whatever
03:55 else into one big, beautiful pot. Honey is one of those movies. Honey stars Jessica Alba
04:01 in the title role as a dance teacher who longs to be a hip-hop choreographer. Caught between
04:05 different worlds of dance, Honey eventually comes to realize that the kids at the community
04:10 center are more important than fortune or fame.
04:25 Those very kids perform one of the best dances in the film, set to the song "I Believe."
04:29 Every dancer has such joy in each movement that it's hard not to love.
04:41 2004, Thriller. 13 going on 30.
04:50 "Maybe if somebody played something other than this, something with a melody."
04:54 "Honey, play whatever you want to. All I know is for those people who don't start dancing
04:58 really, really soon, here's to early retirement."
05:02 Listen, if we had to pick one actress to lead us in a flash mob version of Thriller, we
05:07 would definitely pick Jennifer Garner. Mark Ruffalo, not so much, but he's very cute for
05:12 trying. 13 Going on 30 is the iconic romantic comedy from 2004 that follows 13-year-old
05:18 Jenna Rink when she suddenly wakes up one day and discovers she's 30 after a wish gone
05:22 wrong.
05:23 "Please listen to me. I'm 13."
05:24 "Jenna, if you're gonna start lying about your age, I'd go with 27."
05:30 While attending an office party, Jenna decides she's had enough of the boring adults and
05:34 decides to switch it up. She ends up leading an impromptu Thriller dance, showing off her
05:38 moves like it's still 1987.
05:43 2005, La Vie Boheme. Rent.
05:51 "Hey Rosie, let's put these labels together. Slide down this way. Come on. No. No, no,
05:56 no, no. No."
05:58 Sometimes you just have to get up and move. Rent isn't necessarily the danciest musical
06:02 of all time, but there's just something about the unbridled chaos of La Vie Boheme that
06:07 we can't get enough of.
06:08 "L.A.K.E. Evolution. Justice screaming for solutions. Forcing changes. Risking days.
06:13 You're making noise. You're making dreams."
06:15 The scene takes place at a bar where the gang gathers to celebrate a few of their friend's
06:19 most recent accomplishments. When they're confronted by an ex-comrade, they decide to
06:23 let all hell break loose. La Vie Boheme is a celebration of life in all its various forms,
06:28 and that celebration is more than evident in the way everyone grinds and shakes to the
06:33 beat.
06:34 "Anyone out of the mainstream? Is anyone in the mainstream? Anyone alive with a six-tride
06:43 head on the wall?"
06:45 2006, The Showcase, Step Up.
06:47 "Do you remember the steps?"
06:49 "Couldn't forget 'em even if I wanted to."
06:52 Partner dances really had a moment in 2006. For this entry, we could have gone with the
06:57 sultry tango sequence from Take the Lead, but we thought it would be more fun to combine
07:01 our favorite genres of dance into one.
07:12 Step Up is one of our favorite movies of 2006, and the movie that put Channing Tatum on the
07:16 map. The film follows a romance between Tyler and Nora, who have put aside their differences
07:21 and work up a dance routine that combines both street dancing and ballet. The final
07:26 product is propulsive and technically immaculate, and the chemistry between Tatum and Jenna
07:30 Dewan is out of this world.
07:48 2007, The Final Battle, Stomp the Yard.
07:51 "Let's give 'em a remix! Hit me one more time, youth!"
07:56 When it comes to big, blowout dance sequences, 2007 was full of 'em. Central Park was overrun
08:02 by dancers, and that's how you know from Enchanted. But even with its noted absence of adorable
08:07 animals, the Final Battle sequence from Stomp the Yard still takes our breath away. The
08:28 film ends with a huge stepping competition, where we have to watch our heroes the Thetas
08:32 take on the Gammas in a sudden death round. The physical skill on display is out of this
08:37 world, everything synchronized to a T and full of energy.
08:41 "I don't know about you, but I've never seen stepping like this before. This is crazy."
08:46 2008, J-Ho, Slumdog Millionaire.
08:48 "I knew you'd be watching."
08:49 "I thought we'd meet again only in death."
08:54 Slumdog Millionaire is a movie that takes on a lot of heavy themes, following the character
08:58 of Jamal as he works through his tough family history and tries to find the love of his
09:02 life, Latika. But even through all the darkness, Slumdog Millionaire manages to end on a note
09:07 of hope. Then, the movie kicks it up a notch with a dance over its end credits. The scene
09:20 is a nod to the traditions of Bollywood films, while the song's title can be translated to
09:24 "Let There Be Victory." It's a beautiful, triumphant note to end the film on.
09:31 2009, Tom's Celebration, 500 Days of Summer.
09:48 Everyone loves a good dream ballet, or in this case, a dream morning after. 500 Days
09:53 of Summer is an interesting little movie, filled with filmmaking tricks that set it
09:56 apart from a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. One of the best examples of that comes just
10:01 after the moment the main characters, Tom and Summer, have sex for the first time. We
10:12 don't actually see the two hook up, but we do see Tom burst out the door the next morning
10:16 with a huge smile on his face. As he struts down the street to "You Make My Dreams,"
10:21 the entire world joins in.
10:23 2010, finale, Black Swan.
10:41 It's hard enough to dance ballet as it is. Now try doing it with a bleeding stav wound.
10:46 Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan is a mesmerizing feat of horror, with a wonderful Natalie Portman
10:51 performance at the center. The film culminates in Portman's character's obsession causing
10:55 her to hallucinate and hurt herself before heading back on the stage to dance the world-famous
11:00 ballet.
11:16 As she spins around the stage, her delusions reach new heights as she appears to actually
11:20 transform into the Black Swan herself. It's a dazzling feat of filmmaking.
11:31 2011, tap dancing to the top, The Artist.
11:46 Who doesn't love the old tap dancing sequences from classic Hollywood musicals? With virtuosos
11:51 like Gene Kelly, Sid Cherise, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers at the helm of those movies,
11:56 it's hard to recreate that magic. But in 2011, The Artist came pretty darn close.
12:14 One of the most magical moments in the silent film is the tap dance scene shared between
12:18 George Valentine and Peppy Miller. They might not have quite the prowess that those old
12:22 pros do, but they certainly have the spirit. It's just too much fun to watch them tip and
12:27 tap their way to the top.
12:36 2012, Competition, Silver Linings Playbook
12:55 Always remember, it's not about the competition but the friends we made along the way. That's
12:59 the spirit of this dance from 2012's Silver Linings Playbook. But we still love to watch
13:04 the final dance as well. For the entirety of the film, we've been watching Pat and Tiffany
13:18 fall in love as they prepare for a big dance competition that Tiffany desperately wants
13:22 to win. But when Tiffany sees Pat's ex-wife in the audience, she thinks the worst. Nevertheless,
13:28 the duo still do a pretty great job. Even if they're not the best dancers in the world,
13:33 they have enough tension between them to power a small city.
13:37 2013, Make an Entrance, The Great Gatsby
13:48 Sometimes dancing is all about control, but other times it's about letting go. This scene
13:52 from Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby is definitely the latter. The first time Nick enters into
14:06 one of Gatsby's parties at his mansion, it's complete chaos. You want to talk about dances?
14:12 About 20 separate choreographed dances are going on at this party, contributing to the
14:17 pure outlandishness of it all. Whether they're dancing with feathers, over the indoor pool,
14:22 or swinging from the ceiling, you can bet all these dances are ones to watch.
14:30 2014, Old School, Step Up All In
14:50 Since it began in 2006, the Step Up franchise has delivered us a plethora of amazing dance
14:55 sequences. In 2014, we got yet another one with Step Up All In. The scene starts simply
15:09 enough, with two characters just jamming out together in a seemingly abandoned spinning
15:13 theme park ride. Little do they know they have an audience, and he's got a few tricks
15:17 up his sleeve. The guy operating the ride decides to give it a spin, sending our two
15:22 dancers into a whirlwind of choreography. It's so much fun to watch them dance and twirl
15:36 their way through the ride to an old school jam.
15:47 2015, I Want It That Way, Magic Mike XXL
15:59 The best dance sequences are often full of intricate choreography and complicated moves,
16:04 but they don't have to be. Sometimes, all you need to do is make someone smile. Magic
16:18 Mike XXL is one of the better road trip movies to come out of the 2010s, and this Joe Manganiello
16:24 moment in a gas station is one of its best scenes. To make the depressed-seeming cashier
16:29 smile, Manganiello's character starts performing an impromptu strip tease to I Want It That
16:33 Way. The whole thing is delightful, and obviously makes the woman smile, but we've got to shout
16:38 out that moment with the water bottle. Go Joe!
16:48 2016, Another Day of Sun, La La Land
16:55 2016 was sneakily a pretty great year for musicals. We got to see Channing Tatum tapping
17:08 his butt off in the Coen Brothers' Hail, Caesar. And of course, we got the much-lauded La La
17:13 Land. La La Land takes a page out of the book of the Hollywood musicals of yesteryear, starring
17:17 Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as two kids trying to make it in Los Angeles, while the two stars
17:22 share some great dancing moments throughout. The best dance sequence comes right at the
17:27 film's beginning. While stuck in traffic on an LA highway, everyone starts to get out
17:38 of their cars and dance beautifully down the street. Who among us hasn't wanted to do that?
17:48 2017, From Now On, The Greatest Showman
17:59 2017 was a great year because it was the year we finally got Hugh Jackman back on our screens
18:18 in a musical capacity. Jackman appeared in The Greatest Showman and took us all by storm.
18:23 Don't worry, Wolverine fans, he also appeared in Logan, a man of many talents. The Greatest
18:28 Showman is a loose retelling of the life of P.T. Barnum, starring Jackman in the main
18:32 role. There are so many wonderful dances throughout the film, but The Greatest comes during From
18:37 Now On.
18:46 Jackman shows off his own moves while the rest of the extremely talented cast dance
18:50 around him in increasingly acrobatic ways. It's fit for a circus.
18:58 2018, Super Trooper, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
19:15 Sometimes that old saying is true, girls do just want to have fun, and sometimes boys
19:20 do too. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is the sequel to 2008's Mamma Mia! and is a delightful
19:26 romp of a good time. After the plot of the movie ends, however, things kick into overdrive.
19:39 Every single cast member, including the likes of Cher, Meryl Streep, and Pierce Brosnan,
19:44 come back on screen for one more all-out party. As the cast dances and sings to ABBA's Super
19:49 Trooper, it's hard not to move right along with them. It may not be the most complicated
19:54 choreo in the world, but boy do they all sell it.
20:03 2019, Criminal, Hustlers
20:18 If Jennifer Lopez is involved, you best believe there's going to be some great dancing. Hustlers,
20:24 which tells the true story of New York City exotic dancers who began stealing money from
20:28 their rich clients, focuses on a different type of dancing. But that doesn't make it
20:32 any less impressive. The moment Lopez's character Ramona is introduced, she stops the show.
20:53 Dancing on the pole to Fiona Apple's Criminal, the sex appeal on display is matched only
20:57 by the total strength it takes to pull off those moves. Lopez does it with ease, but
21:02 never for a moment lets us forget how tough it is.
21:07 2020, Jake and Quinn, Work It
21:26 Not many dance-heavy films came out in the year 2020. Well, not many movies in general
21:31 came out in 2020. But the dance ones were far and few between. Luckily, we got a classic
21:36 high school dance comedy in the vein of Work It.
21:45 Starring Sabrina Carpenter, Work It follows Quinn, a senior who lies about being on her
21:49 school's dance team to stand out to colleges. There are many great dance scenes in the film,
21:54 but the best has to be this moment between Quinn and Jake, played by Jordan Fisher. The
21:59 duet between them, set to the song "Wow," is smooth and sexy. The way these two dancers
22:04 work in tandem is something to behold.
22:12 2021, Dance at the Gym, West Side Story
22:23 Since West Side Story first debuted on the Broadway stage in 1957, the Dance at the Gym
22:28 has been one of the most famous dance sequences in the whole of the arts. Jerome Robbins'
22:32 original choreography is in a class of its own. But with the 2021 remake, Justin Peck
22:38 was able to take that original choreo and make it his own. It's a huge choreographed
23:00 sequence with a ton of moving parts. There are lots of extras, not to mention the fact
23:04 that an actual camera has to follow the movement as well. While Peck's choreography is amazing,
23:10 Steven Spielberg's prowess as a director is really on display here.
23:18 2022, Natu Natu, RRR
23:37 If one movie took us all by storm in 2022, it was India's RRR. The action film became
23:43 a huge worldwide hit, and even got a little love at the Oscars that year for its original
23:47 song Natu Natu. While we loved the song itself, the real gem is the dance that goes along
23:52 with the song. While attending a party, our main characters Bheem and Ram are insulted
23:57 by a white man. They decide to get back at him the best way they know how - dance. What
24:10 happens next is a high-energy, incredibly intricate dance sequence as Bheem and Ram
24:14 show everyone what they're made of. Eventually, everyone joins in and we're left with one
24:19 massive dance party.
24:31 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
24:36 about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all
24:41 of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
24:47 2023, I'm Just Ken, Barbie
24:50 2023 was the year of Barbenheimer, but when it comes to dancing, Barbie was the film that
25:05 really made its mark. There are so many odes to old Hollywood musicals throughout Barbie,
25:09 but our favorite is Ryan Gosling and the rest of the Kens dancing to "I'm Just Ken."
25:14 "I'm just Ken, anywhere else I'd be a ten. Is it my destiny to live and die a life of
25:24 non-fragility?"
25:25 Yes, the lyrics are funny, and yes, it's delightful to watch an all-out Ken war, but the real
25:33 dance component of the sequence comes into play like a true Blue Dream sequence. On a
25:37 set that looks like it was plucked straight out of Singing in the Rain, the Kens dance
25:41 and shimmy their way to liberation. Or something like that.
25:45 "Put that manly hand in my hose. So hey, world, check me out, yeah, I'm just Ken."
25:54 If we missed your favorite dance sequence from 2000 to 2023, let us know in the comments
25:59 below.
26:00 "I'm not used to being spoken to like that by a man I met once at a railway station."
26:03 "I dare say, but if I'm not to dance with you, then I'm getting out of this operetta
26:07 and going home."
26:08 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo. And be sure
26:13 to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
26:17 "I'm not used to being spoken to like that by a man I met once at a railway station."
26:24 (upbeat music)
26:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]