# Best dance numbers of the last 30 years. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736 "2008-08-03T20:31:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/1 "2008-08-03T20:31:10Z")
I watched _That’s Dancing!_ last night, and they finished by showing three then-current (1985) numbers – only two of which actually have, IMHO, stood the test of time: [ul] [li]_Saturday Night Fever_ (Tony’s solo in the disco – and you know what? John Travolta ain’t much of a dancer)[/li][li]_Fame_ (title song – when it’s just kids out on the street milling around, no actual choreography)[/li][li]“Beat It” (my pick for the one that holds up – too bad MJ turned out to be batshit crazy, he was an artist to be reckoned with back in the day)[/li][/ul] So I’m chatting with **amarinth** about this – she started it, by warning me against _Mamma Mia_, which I hadn’t planned to see anyway – and started wondering, what are the numbers from the last 30 years (_Saturday Night Fever_ having come out in 1977) that have kept their quality and will continue to do so? My first nominee: the “Roxanne” tango from _Moulin Rouge_. For tap, the takin’-it-to-the-streets number in _Tap_. **Amarinth** had a few ideas, but I’ll let her speak for herself. And what about you? What should be in _That’s Dancing! II_ as the best of the 1978-2008 era? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/2 "2008-08-03T20:39:19Z")
The Cell Block Tango from Chicago. I don’t know if it belongs, but I think that if you didn’t include the end scene from Dirty Dancing, people might wonder why it wasn’t there. Now, I’m wondering if all dancing didn’t move to music videos (which I no longer watch enough to know what’s there). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/3 "2008-08-03T22:40:13Z")
I would argue anything from _Moulin Rouge!_ be disqualified because none of the numbers in that films demonstrate the genuine artistry of dance as much as they show off the spastic hyperactivity of the editor. I’m sure those dancers were talented, and I’m confident there was a sultry tango filmed at some point, but all that was lost in the relentless cut-cut-cut-cut-cut-cut-cut-cut-cut-cut that typified 15 seconds of any musical number. Excluding Bollywood and short-form music videos (neither of which I’m particularly versed on, though I have some personal faves), I’d vote for: The opening “On Broadway” sequence of _All That Jazz_ (that’s how you edit a musical!) Christopher Walken’s “Let’s Misbehave” from _Pennies from Heaven_ “Run and Tell That” from _Hairspray_ “Just Dropped In (to see what Condition My Condition was In)” from _The Big Lebowski_ Plus, though I find both films a tad overrated, the climaxes of _Little Miss Sunshine_ and _The Full Monty_ are enormously appealling. The problem, of course, is that most of the cinematic musicals of the last three decades have either been turgid adaptations, completely dance-free (or professional dancer-free), or animated–narrowing the field significantly. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/4 "2008-08-03T23:55:31Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] The opening “On Broadway” sequence of _All That Jazz_ (that’s how you edit a musical!) [/QUOTE] :smack: One of my all-time favorite movies … how’d I forget that? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/5 "2008-08-04T00:03:21Z")
[A list](http://www.musicals101.com/fc70tono.htm) that might help – or not. I liked _Hair_ – but that’s a personal fondness, not a defense of it as a great movie. There were a couple of really good numbers, though. ---
**Author:** ![8675309](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ea5d25/32.png) [@8675309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/8675309)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/6 "2008-08-04T04:59:55Z")
[QUOTE=amarinth] The Cell Block Tango from Chicago. [/QUOTE] I loved that number. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/7 "2008-08-04T12:55:18Z")
Ray Charles in The Blues Brothers. James Brown in The Blues Brothers Aretha Franklin in The Blues Brothers ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/8 "2008-08-04T14:17:26Z")
The scene from _Cannery Row_ in which Nick Nolte and Deborah Winger each try to prove they’re the best jitterbugger, when neither of them is very good. A scene in _Dorian Blues_, when Dorian’s brother sets him up with a hooker to knock the gay out of him, and they end up doing an old-style dance number instead. I just watched that this weekend and burst out laughing at the simple joy of the scene. Was _They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?_ in the last 30 years? If not it still deserves an honorable mention for being practically a single extended dance sequence. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/9 "2008-08-04T14:59:20Z")
The number on the train in \*_Dancer in the Dark._ ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/10 "2008-08-04T16:18:59Z")
What about the scene in “Pulp Fiction”? ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/11 "2008-08-04T17:50:46Z")
Instead of _Beat It_, I think the zombie-dance from _Thriller_ has had the longest cultural familiarity. It is still both parodied and paid homage to, and is instantly recognizable. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/12 "2008-08-04T18:23:20Z")
How about the **Time Warp** from _Rocky Horror Picture Show_? 😃 I also enjoy the parade scene in _Ferris Beuller’s Day Off_ when they are all dancing in the street to “Twist and Shout”. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/13 "2008-08-04T19:56:08Z")
Are we talking just dance numbers from movies, or can routines from live shows be included? If so, the [Little Old Ladies](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNcpPdP4sqg) in **the Producers** was fun. And I thought [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI) bit was a very imaginative bit of choreography. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/14 "2008-08-04T20:04:15Z")
Does “Chicago” count? I know it originally played in '75. So I suppose technically it’s older than thirty years… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/15 "2008-08-04T20:06:38Z")
_Thriller_, _Beat It_, and _Smooth Criminal_ all should be considered. Michael had a hell of a gift back then. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/16 "2008-08-04T20:21:42Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] Are we talking just dance numbers from movies, or can routines from live shows be included? If so, the [Little Old Ladies](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNcpPdP4sqg) in **the Producers** was fun.. [/QUOTE] My late wife and I saw **The Producers** in Chicago before it opened on Broadway run, and when the Little Old Ladies started “tap dancing” with their walkers we both almost fell out of our chairs laughing. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/17 "2008-08-04T21:13:32Z")
I like the scene in Swingers where Mikey dances with the girl in the club: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/iC8L1c6fCrI/hqdefault.jpg "Swingers Dance scene") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC8L1c6fCrI) It’s a good dance number, with real dancing, not a bunch of flashy aerials or anything. They start off slow, and then click as partners. One thing that I really like is that at the beginning of the number Jon Favreau does a couple of turns, and then a few basic steps, and then gradually gets more involved as they get to know each other. You know, like how you dance with a real girl you don’t know from Eve. Also, good band. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/18 "2008-08-05T15:32:45Z")
Strickly Ballroom Final dance. Time Bandits Me and My Shadow (most of them were highly trained dancers and it was difficult to do it ‘wrong’) The Fisher King Grand Central Station Waltz Wall-E 0-G waltz Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast/Be Our Guest I have mixed feelings about this one Scent of a Woman Tango ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/19 "2008-08-06T05:59:21Z")
If music videos are fair game, there’s [Paper Bag](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kkg1IkGJ0Y) by Fiona Apple and [Weapon of Choice](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs) by Fatboy Slim. Both are pretty cool, but Paper Bag doesn’t have any Dune references… ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-dance-numbers-of-the-last-30-years/458736/20 "2008-08-06T15:05:36Z")
I guess I don’t really understand the OP, since there’s all this stuff about movies and shows. But musically, “What Is Love” by Haddaway is the catchiest dance track I’ve ever heard.