Get ready to waltz through cinematic history! Join us as we count down the most captivating ballroom dance scenes in film. From classic Hollywood musicals to modern romantic dramas, these unforgettable moments will have you tapping your toes and swooning in your seat.
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00:00You'll keep dancing wherever we go next
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best
00:09movie scenes featuring ballroom and Latin dancing. Some spoilers are included.
00:14The best things happen while you dance
00:20Number 10. The Waltz
00:22Shall we dance? Richard Gere stars in this unassuming dance movie about a middle-aged
00:27man who falls in love with ballroom dancing.
00:37Well done!
00:42Happily married but feeling restless, John Clark joins a dance class on a whim. He keeps
00:47his new hobby to himself while training enthusiastically for a big city dance competition.
00:52However, his wife and daughter find out and attend a performance in secret.
01:06Awesome! That is awesome!
01:10Shall we dance? has some really moving moments. The scene where John dances with his wife is
01:16especially lovely. But the waltz scene is wonderful, too. Like his family and his teacher,
01:21the audience can watch with pride as John shows off all he's learned,
01:25demonstrating that it's never too late to discover a new passion.
01:41Number 9. Waltzing with Vronsky
01:44Anna Karenina is a famous Russian novel which follows a married aristocrat's affair
01:50with a young cavalry officer.
01:53Dance with me.
01:56I'm not used to being spoken to like that by a man I met once at a railway station.
02:00I dare say, but if I'm not to dance with you, then I'm getting out of this operetta and going home.
02:07Then forget your cig.
02:08In the 2012 adaptation starring Keira Knightley, director Joe Wright uses an old abandoned theater
02:15as a framing device to tell the story. The bold setting gives the movie a stylized,
02:20theatrical feel, and this extends to the dance sequences.
02:23The waltz scene is a visual and emotional roller coaster.
02:36Alicia Vikander's Kitty has her heartbroken, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Vronsky allows his
02:42feelings to give him away. Meanwhile, Anna is torn between her loyalty to Kitty,
02:47her sense of propriety, and her growing desire for Vronsky.
02:50The drama plays out on the dance floor, and we are living for it.
03:03Number 8. Shall We Dance?
03:06The King and I
03:06The best dance moments are all about chemistry,
03:09and Anna Leon Owens and the King of Siam have it in spades.
03:17The Shall We Dance scene takes place just after an important banquet with European visitors.
03:32With Anna's help, the King has successfully impressed her friends and countrymen,
03:49and averted an international incident. If anything was ever going to happen between them,
03:54this would be the moment. And there's definitely something in the air.
03:58He asks her to teach him to polka. She obliges, but she's not quite ready to find herself in his
04:03arms. It's a great scene, a great dress, and a masterclass in sexual tension.
04:18Number 7. El Tango de Roxanne
04:21Moulin Rouge! Jukebox musicals get a lot of criticism, but it's always fun to see how
04:26they play around with popular songs to fit the mood and context of their story.
04:41Moulin Rouge! takes the British rock song Roxanne and transforms it into an atmospheric
04:46Argentine tango. This sensual style originated on the streets of Buenos Aires in the 19th century.
04:56It's often said to tell the story of a courtesan and a prospective client,
05:05making it a perfect fit for the doomed romance between Christian and Satine.
05:10With low-lighting Latin violins, a growly-voiced Argentinian,
05:14and Ewan McGregor singing his feelings, the mood is well and truly set.
05:27Number 6. Tale as Old as Time. Beauty and the Beast
05:32Beauty and the Beast may be an animated kids' movie, but that ballroom scene is really special.
05:47The friendship between Belle and the Beast has been steadily growing throughout the film,
05:51and it soon becomes clear that there's something there that wasn't there before.
05:55As the two friends dance along together in the empty ballroom,
05:58Angela Lansbury's Mrs. Potts provides the musical commentary.
06:11Despite the grand setting and Belle's gorgeous dress, it's a quiet,
06:14intimate moment between two people who are just beginning to fall in love.
06:18The scene has been replicated in the remake and referenced in Enchanted,
06:23and both are beautiful moments, but nothing beats the original.
06:41Number 5. The Wedding Dress Dance. Funny Face
06:44When Audrey Hepburn put on a ballet-length wedding dress to dance with Fred Astaire in Funny Face,
06:50she delighted audiences and set a new trend.
07:04In this scene, Hepburn's character, Joe, is dressed up for a photo shoot with Astaire's Dick
07:09Avery. In such a setting, the mood soon turns romantic, and they dance to a song called
07:14He Loves and She Loves by George and Ira Gershwin.
07:23Astaire was nearing the end of his film career when he shot Funny Face,
07:27and was three decades older than Hepburn. However, she wasn't about to pass up on the
07:32chance to dance with one of the greats and reportedly insisted on Astaire for her leading man.
07:44Number 4. Argentine Tango Lesson. Take the Lead
07:57The documentary movie Mad Hot Ballroom told the story of Pierre Doulain's dancing classrooms,
08:03a project that brought ballroom dancing to inner-city kids.
08:06Take the lead fictionalized Doulain's life with Antonio Banderas in the starring role.
08:18The movie has plenty of great dancing scenes, from the three-way tango to the final waltz.
08:23But the most memorable moment is when Pierre gets his
08:26dancing shoes on to demonstrate the Argentine tango to the class.
08:37The troubled teens have been resistant so far, but when their teacher brings
08:41in a star student to show off her stuff, they finally allow themselves to be impressed.
08:55Number 3. The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing.
08:58White Christmas. Old Hollywood gave us some of the most technically skilled ballroom dancing on film
09:03and birthed a whole new form of dance. The American Smooth incorporates elements of the
09:20Viennese waltz and the foxtrot, but is much less regimented. This scene from
09:25White Christmas is one of the loveliest examples of the dancing style.
09:41Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen are the movie's second leads, but the best dancers of the
09:46foursome. This dance marks the beginning of their character's romance and is one of the
09:51film's standout scenes. It's a classy yet creative routine that never gets boring.
10:06Number 2. The Paso Doble. Strictly Ballroom. This Baz Lurnham movie was part of the
10:12inspiration behind Strictly Come Dancing, and later Dancing with the Stars.
10:16It follows a young ballroom dancer who joins forces with a total beginner to take part in a
10:21big competition. Scott teaches Fran how to dance, but he also learns from his unlikely partner.
10:26Fran's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, but her family are of Spanish descent,
10:30and the Paso Doble is in her blood.
10:39Her father and grandmother teach Scott how to really feel the rhythm,
10:42which comes in handy during the finale, when their dance is sabotaged and the music cuts out.
10:48Instead of ruining their routine, their naysayers only add to the atmosphere.
11:04Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:09Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:12Don Alejandro. Dances with Elena. The Mask of Zorro.
11:16Zorro and the Governor's Daughter Put on a Show.
11:28Gomez Tangos with Morticia. Adam's Family Values.
11:32The couple take to the floor, dancing to their famous theme song.
11:38Jim Rescues Loretta. Easy Virtue.
11:48When her husband refuses to dance with her, she tangos with his dad instead.
12:00The Candle Waltz. Crimson Peak.
12:03Mia Wasikowska waltzes with Tom Hiddleston.
12:08Dancing at the Ball. Cinderella. This magical moment never gets old.
12:381. Dancing Cheek to Cheek. Top Hat.
12:45When it comes to ballroom dancing, Fred Astaire is the gold standard. And of course,
12:49Ginger Rogers did everything Fred did, except backwards and in high heels.
12:54Their partnership produced plenty of delicious movie moments,
13:09in films including Swing Time and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.
13:14However, this routine from Top Hat is probably their most famous scene together.
13:19Dancing to Irving Berlin's Cheek to Cheek,
13:21Fred and Ginger are the epitome of rhythm and grace.
13:33Rogers had to fight for her satin and ostrich feather gown, which,
13:36if you're wondering, was pale blue.
13:39The feathers may have shed everywhere, but the dress moved beautifully, just like the dancers.
13:56What's your favorite style of ballroom dance, and who dances it best? Let us know in the comments.
14:09Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo.
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