As a former dancer, there are few things that bring me more joy than dance movies. You needn't have grown up at the barre to love and appreciate films in which dance takes — for lack of a more on-the-nose expression — centre stage. The need to dance is innate in every human being, and it cannot be denied (proof: Footloose). Movement and the self-expression it unleashes can be a great uniter, as seen in movies like Dirty Dancing, where it bridges socioeconomic and cultural divides.
It's always a perfect time to jazz-hand our way through the greatest dance movies out there. In order to determine which films would be eligible, though, we turned to a professional. We enlisted Justin Peck, whose road to choreographing a new piece for the New York City Ballet is the subject of the documentary Ballet 422, to help us nail down a few criteria.
"I think that if the dance has purpose behind each step, and it’s not just a novelty of having dance on film for the sake of having dance on film. That can translate into really good dance film work. It's about developing the characters through their movement," Peck told us when Ballet 422 came out in February 2015. "There's a much more visceral quality to seeing dance on camera as a means of storytelling. I think that people can relate to kind of the instinctual bodily response to music. People have been dancing for centuries; it's something that everyone can relate to and get something out of an experience."
Keeping these qualifications in mind (dance has to be a driving force in moving the story forward, versus movies with random choreographed numbers like Slumdog Millionaire), allow us to present the 30 best dance movies of all time — and where to watch them from the comfort of your own home. We know you want to perfect the lift from Dirty Dancing in private.
And a 5, 6, 7, 8...
42nd Street(1933)
Raise your hand if you also learned the opening number in tap class growing up and still do it on occasion alone in your room. I mean, me neither. The time steps start on the eight, though, in case you're interested.
Top Hat(1935)
It doesn't get better than Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing cheek to cheek to the smooth sounds of Irving Berlin.
The Red Shoes(1948)
Before Natalie Portman was slowly driven mad by her pursuit of ballet perfection in Black Swan, there was Vicky Page, torn between two love interests and her need to dance in The Red Shoes.
Singin' in the Rain(1952)
BRB, soft-shoeing in precipitation with my prop umbrella.
West Side Story (1961)
"My favourite dance film is West Side Story. I think that's because the whole concept and idea behind it started from choreographer Jerome Robbins' vision of what the film was going to be and built outward from there. The movement in it has a real sense of purpose and storytelling. It's one of the most brilliant films that's ever been made and definitely one of the most brilliant dance films," Justin Peck says about this classic.
Saturday Night Fever(1977)
Tony Manero (John Travolta) is a paint store clerk by day and disco-dancing legend by night. He's lookin' for some hot stuff, baby, this evening.
The Turning Point(1977)
A decades-old rivalry between two ballerinas resurfaces when one offers to train the other's daughter, who has a shot at greatness. And yes, that is Mikhail Baryshnikov as the daughter's paramour and the company's resident Russian bad boy.
Grease(1978)
Born to hand jive, baby.
All That Jazz(1979)
" All That Jazz focuses on Bob Fosse. It's really interesting background on that choreographer. He was super focused on his craft and also he had a real knack for how to shoot dance on film and edit it properly. He was really involved in all of that process. It was a nice biopic- ish...I know it's not technically him, but it's based on his experience of his life," Peck says.
Fame (1980)
Sing the body electric and live forever with the talented teens at New York City's High School for the Performing Arts.
Flashdance (1983)
Before Channing Tatum's Magic Mike was a sexy welder who also stripped to pay the bills, there was Jennifer Beals jamming to "What a Feeling" as she worked toward her dream of joining the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance.
Footloose(1984)
A rebellious teen who's got the beat arrives in a tiny town where a preacher has outlawed dancing. Oh, HELL no.
Breakin'(1984)
We're talking PEAK '80s breakdance crew rivalries and fashion statements here. Plus, the sequel spawned the always hilarious joke of putting "Electric Boogaloo" into sequel titles.
A Chorus Line(1985)
The film adaptation of Marvin Hamlisch's iconic musical about the harsh world of cattle calls and the life of a professional dancer.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun(1985)
Sarah Jessica Parker just wants to have fun, and for her character that means one thing: falling in love through DANCE.
Dirty Dancing(1987)
The tale of Baby learning to stand up for herself and falling in love for the first time with a sexy Catskills dance instructor from the other side of the tracks is a modern classic. Nobody puts her in a corner.
Hairspray (1988, 2007)
Good morning, Baltimore! Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake in the 1988 version; Nikki Blonsky in the 2007) just wants to dance on The Corny Collins Show, where the nicest kids in town showcase the latest moves. There are various hurdles in her way, though. Tracy doesn’t have the show’s stereotypical, snoozefest look, so she becomes a crusader for the all teens whom the show discriminates against.
Tap(1989)
The plot doesn't really matter when you're watching tap dancing legend Gregory Hines hoof it.
Strictly Ballroom(1992)
Sometimes we overhear people claiming that Silver Linings Playbook is a dance movie because the two main characters spend most of the film training for an amateur ballroom dancing competition. We usually nod our heads, while thinking, "You wanna see a REAL ballroom dance movie? Watch Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom."
The Full Monty(1997)
Unemployed steel workers form an all-male nude revue to pay the bills. Not every stripper has to be a ridiculously tanned and toned specimen, Magic Mike.
Center Stage(2000)
The film that put Zoe Saldana on the map as a sassy ballerina put an extremely glossy coating on a world rife with competition over roles, eating disorders, sleeping with star choreographers, and miraculous mid-song costume changes. Still, everyone has canned heat in their heels tonight (baby) by the end.
Billy Elliot(2000)
A boy in an English mining town discovers a talent for ballet and has to convince his set-in-his-ways widowed father to let him pursue his passion. Sometimes we put on the final scene just for a good cry. DANCE, BILLY.
Save the Last Dance(2001)
One of those beautiful examples of dance bringing two people from very different worlds together. Ballet and hip-hop aren't so different after all. And hey, Kerry Washington!
You Got Served(2004)
In the process of searching for the You Got Served trailer, I uncovered this amazing mashup, and I would now like to state that the 30th best dance movie of all time is actually Fiddler on the Roof Got Served.
Mad Hot Ballroom(2005)
This touching documentary follows 11-year-olds from New York City public schools as they prepare for a dance competition sponsored by the American Ballroom Theatre.
Step Up(2006)
The movie that unleashed Channing Tatum (and his moves) into the world. To whom do we address our thank-you note? The Magic Mike XXL trailer, perhaps?
Stomp the Yard(2007)
A surprisingly heartwarming lesson in teamwork and camaraderie mixed with amazing stepping.
Mao's Last Dancer(2010)
Based on the extraordinary true story of Li Cunxin, a peasant from rural China who became a world-renowned ballet dancer after defecting from his home country.
Black Swan(2010)
Not since Dostoyevsky have we been so afraid of a mysterious double. This movie is not for the faint of heart, though, what with the skin pulling and all that shudder.
First Position (2011)
This documentary about aspiring young ballet dancers training for the annual Youth American Grand Prix will inspire you a lot more than you might think. Get out your turning board and foot stretcher and hit play.
Magic Mike(2012)
It just didn’t feel right publishing this piece without including a ride on Channing Tatum’s pony.
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