# What explains the "dance movie" craze?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-the-dance-movie-craze/161442>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 14, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-the-dance-movie-craze/161442 "2003-03-14T21:43:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-the-dance-movie-craze/161442/1 "2003-03-14T21:43:07Z")

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My thread on _Dirty Dancing_ made me think. Specifically, about the following movies:

_Footloose_  
_Flashdance_  
_Grease_  
_Saturday Night Fever_

These movies all had hit soundtracks or theme songs, lots of dancing, a star who was/became a sex symbol. Do they represent their own genre? Which among them is worth remembering 20 years from now? Are there any recent movies in the same vein? (_Chicago_ doesn’t count; it’s an adapted Broadway musical)

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-the-dance-movie-craze/161442/2 "2003-03-14T21:49:10Z")

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The genre is…wait for it…_musical_.

“Grease,” BTW, was a stage musical before it was a movie.

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**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-the-dance-movie-craze/161442/3 "2003-03-14T21:50:57Z")

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It was a phenomenon called “box office success.” You will see it’s effects when a sci-fi movie does well, or a serious drama, or a role-reversal comedy.

One does well, and a whole crop of them are sure to follow. Why be original when the other guy already was?

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**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-the-dance-movie-craze/161442/4 "2003-03-14T21:52:15Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Otto \*  
> \*\*The genre is…wait for it…_musical_.  
> \*\*

Nah. Not a single person in all the movies except “Grease” sings.

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-explains-the-dance-movie-craze/161442/5 "2003-03-14T21:52:32Z")

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What about the high school movie craze? Or the gen-x working a crappy job movie craze? A few popular movies doesn’t make a genre or a craze, they’re just sort of about a similar theme. IMHO they’re a subgenre at best, and since they’re already fondly remembered 20 years later, I can’t imagine the people who love them now forsaking them 20 more years from now. Most of them (save Dirty Dancing) should be forgotten, but… 😃

Anyway

> [@](#):
>
> Are there any recent movies in the same vein?

**Save the Last Dance** probably fits your criteria. Lots of dancing, a young starlet that is becoming a sex symbol…