# Where are the dancers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-dancers/238233 "2004-04-04T21:07:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-dancers/238233/1 "2004-04-04T21:07:46Z")
I’m watching an older movie last night called ‘That’s Entertainment. Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were the hosts, and a lot of their dancing was showcased. Now, these two guys were simply amazing with their dancing…in one skit, Gene Kelly danced up a wall until he was horizontal, and then did a back flip and continued his routine. Frank Sinatra was shown, and if you thought he was only a great singer, you should see his old dance moves! I am wondering if their is anybody out there today, that can command an audience like these guys from the forties could. I’ve come up with Gregory Hines, Savion Glover and Michael Flattly (Sp.?) the Lord of the Dance guy. Anybody else come to mind? ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-dancers/238233/2 "2004-04-06T06:29:41Z")
I don’t follow the world of stage, and, sadly, I’m not really that familiar with the work of Astaire and Kelly, or Sinatra’s dancing skills, so I don’t really have any opinions as to who today could be compared to them. However, I do know that Gregory Hines is longer with us. He died of cancer last year. I’ve never heard of Savion Glover. And as for Michael Flatley, I can’t really see his style of dance translating well to the big screen. That said, I do wish they’d make more live-action musicals, with or without dancing. Or, rather, return to making them. But here’s an interesting big of information from [CHUD.com](http://www.chud.com/news/mar04/mar18woo.php3)… > [@](#): > > John Woo wants to make an all dancing, all killing gangster movie, and he wants Hugh Jackman to star. Hugh Jackman is best known for his role as Wolverine in the two X-Men films, but is currently performing on Broadway in _The Boy From Oz_. John Woo is the director best known for filling his films with thousands and _thousands_ of bullets! _Broadway_? And _bullets_? Maybe we have something here. 😉 If such a film does come to fruition, I’ll be in line for a ticket… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-dancers/238233/3 "2004-04-06T12:00:43Z")
I’m pretty sure the dancer you saw doing a backflip was Donald O’Connor, not Gene Kelly – it’s a famous number from _Singin’ in the Rain_. Savion Glover is the best tap-dancer in the history of the art, IMHO. You can currently see him in a V-8 commercial – he’s the dreadlocked maniac who dances through the science classroom before turning into a smug white guy who likes V-8. He’s only been in a couple of movies, including _Tap_ (starring Gregory Hines and a slew of amazing oldtimers) and Spike Lee’s _Bamboozled_, which is … interesting. Hugh Jackman not only is on Broadway now, he played Curly in a revival of _Oklahoma!_ a few years ago. That’s out on tape and DVD if you’re curious to see what a singing, dancing Hugh Jackman looks like. (The answer is – he’s pretty damn good, IMHO.) There’s actually been something of a revival of the movie musical in the last few years, with _Moulin Rouge_ and _Chicago_, among many others. They’re going to release a remake of _Shall We Dance_, originally a Japenese flick about an uptight office drone who learns to tango. The remake stars Richard Gere and JLo. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to see it, but who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-dancers/238233/4 "2004-04-06T12:09:04Z")
I have often pondered this difference between movies from decades ago vs. now. Even Jimmy Cagney danced. One of the few big name male stars of recent years who has danced in several movies is…John Travolota. They even find excuses for him to dance in things like _Look Who’s Talking_, _Pulp Fiction_, and _Michael._ ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-dancers/238233/5 "2004-04-06T12:24:54Z")
Don’t forget Walken busting a move in that Fatboy Slim video! Christopher Walken: Is there anything he CAN’T do? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-dancers/238233/6 "2004-04-06T13:10:51Z")
> [@GMRyujin](#): > > Christopher Walken: Is there anything he CAN’T do? He has a whole number in _Pennies from Heaven_, a rather odd movie of many years ago starring the ultrayumilicious Bernadette Peters and – believe it or not – a dancing Steve Martin. ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-are-the-dancers/238233/7 "2004-04-07T06:58:34Z")
And then there’s Jason Alexander of _Seinfeld_ fame. He’s done TV versions of _Bye Bye Birdie_ (1995) and _Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella_ (1997). And if you ask me, he’s pretty impressive…