10 Great Dance Movies

We went to see Step Up 2 the Streets this weekend.  I was dissappointed with this movie on several levels but the thing that bothered me most (besides the thin plot, bad acting, poor casting choices, and odd transitions) was the dancing itself.  It was obvious that the dance scenes were digitally manipulated...slow-mo, freeze shots a la the Matrix, zip cuts, etc.  Some of the dance moves suspended the laws of physics, which is expected from B-grade martial arts flicks, but out of place in a dance movie.

So...where can we see some a good movie with real humans actually doing real dancing? Here are my top picks and I hope you can give me some more titles for,

Great Dance Movies

1. Singing in the Rain - My all time favorite musical featuring creative and athletic dancing by Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor.  And let's not forget the wonderful love story and some of the funniest musical numbers ever put on celluloid.

2. Footloose - A cheesy 80's sound track, Kevin Bacon and the fight for self-expression. I dare you not to start tapping your toe to the title song.

3. Strictly Ballroom - This Australian movie featuring an ugly duckling story and some terrific Latin ballroom dancing is an underground hit that didn't play that widely in the U.S. Gotta love the super-poufed dance studio wonks.

4. Staying Alive - This movie pretty much single handedly launched the disco craze into the mainstream. Did you know the Bee Gees had already written all the songs before they were asked to come up with a soundtrack? Stallone loved the music so much he made the movie fit the existing songs rather than the other way around.

5. Dirty Dancing - Basically a coming of age film...except with Patrick Swayze packed into really tight pants. Jennifer Grey was still adorably quirky-cute before she got her nose fixed.

6. Chicago - Some rather fine dancing by actors and actresses who don't usually dance. And the costumes are great!

7. Mad Hot Ballroom - This documentary about a bunch of kids competing in a dance competition is as real as it gets.  Good, great and bad dancing...angst...self-reproach...and hope. 

8. A Chorus Line - "One...Singlular sensation..." You know the rest.

9. Shall We Dance - Depressed family man takes up ballroom dancing as a way to forget his problems, becomes infatuated with a fellow student, enters competition, realizes its the dancing itself that he's in love with. The Japanese original is better than the American remake.

10. Take the Lead - Antonio Banderas teaches dance at an inner city school. The plot is familiar, Antonio is his usual suave self, and the dancing is surprisingly good.