Below
is a list of dance movies—some good and some not so good. If you’d like
to add a review or any comments to the existing reviews, please email
me at SwingJamie@yahoo.com
Billy Elliot (2000) Style: Ballet Great all-around film—good
story, good acting. This isn’t so much a dance film as it is a story
about a young boy’s passion for dance. Eleven-year-old Billy is sent by
his father to after-school boxing lessons, but Billy secretly uses the
money to pay for ballet. As you can imagine, this is his working-class
father’s worst nightmare. If you’re specifically looking for a film
with a lot of great ballet, this may not feed your appetite, but as a
film, it’s loads of fun. (Jamie)
Camp (2003) Dance Style: Theater Arts, Jazz and about 60 seconds of Tap If
you go to websites like Rotten Tomatoes, you will see reviews from
people who passionately love this film and others who panned it. I
think you’ll like it if you ever did school or community theater, felt
like a misfit or were a teenage drag queen. Picture High School Musical
if Zack were a nympho maniac and had doubts about his sexual
orientation. Basically this is a film about a summer camp for high
school theater addicts who think Stephen Sondheim is the second coming
of Christ. Strangely, the teenage kids are played by decent actors,
while the adult acting is embarrassingly poor. Fortunately for us, the
adults aren’t on screen much. The movie actually shines during the
musical numbers. There is no couple’s dancing in this film. (Reviewed
by Jamie)
The Commitments (1991) No Dancing, but great West Coast Swing music. Generally I only review dance movies, but here's a deserving exception. In the early 90s, the Commitments Soundtrack was a staple among West Coast Swing dancers. Take Me to the River, In the Midnight Hour, Chain of Fools and the finest cover ever of the Wilson Picket standard, Mustang Sally, were the album's most popular tracks, but lovers of Soul will find much more to enjoy on this album. The soundtrack sold so well, that a follow-up album, Commitments 2, was issued the next year, with several more great songs, but not as hot as the first. I recommend the original with 14 songs, or you can purchase your favorites separately online. If you decide to buy both albums, a combined 2-Album set was re-issued in 2007 and is available (30 songs) on iTunes for $14.99. It should be noted that in the early 90s, West Coast Swing was generally a faster dance and the best songs on this album are around 120 beats per minute. (Nowadays the sweet spot in West Coast Swing is around 96 to 110 beats per minute.) Nonetheless, the Commitments version of Mustang Sally, featuring Andrew Strong (who was only sixteen at the time), remains the quintessential West Coast Swing song of the past 20 years. As for the Movie itself, it's one of my all-time favorites. Set against the Urban decay of the Dublin slums, one young man pulls together a mismatched bunch of musicians and singers to create an incredible sound. It's lighthearted, well-paced and will make you want to get up and dance. (Review by Jamie.)
Dance Flick (2009) Hip Hop (kind of) I sat down to watch this knowing it was going to spoof the dance movie genre, but hoping it would have at least some cool moves. My mistake. I admit I laughed at some of the Jr. High level gags, but don't expect to see any quality dancing here. Rotten Tomatoes gives this an overall rating of 18 out of a 100. Enough said. (Reviewed by Jamie)
Dance with Me (1998) Style: Ballroom, Latin (Some great "street-style" salsa) I
just saw this movie for the third time and there was even more dancing
than I’d remembered. In particular, during the second half of the movie
the entire cast goes to a big Latin/Ballroom competition in Las Vegas.
After the competition there is also another club scene with more salsa.
The only thing that seems a bit odd is how little the top contenders
seem to practice in this film. “Hey let’s meet in Vegas next week and
compete for the International title.” Well, heck, it’s a movie. Anyway,
this is basically a “street style” vs “ballroom style” movie, and while
general audiences may not appreciate the intensity of that conflict,
many dancers do. And while the story line may not be Oscar material, I
like this film, especially the nightclub/salsa scene where Vanessa
Williams gets passed from leader to leader. And even straight men have
got to give Chayanne a thumbs up for those pecs. (Reviewed by Jamie)
Dirty Dancing (1987) Dance Styles: Jazz & Ballroom Don’t
you feel great every time you see the finale of this film? “No one puts
Baby in the corner.” It gets me up and dancing on the coffee table
every time. Enough said. (Jamie)
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004) Style: Latin It may lack the
big emotional lift that the original gave us, but this is still a fun
film with loads of dancing. Definitely check it out. (Jamie)
El Cantante (2007) Style: Salsa Through
the 70s and 80s, Hector Lavoe was the King of Salsa. This film is well
acted and full of great music, but the story is sad and populated with
highly dysfunctional people. Actually that’s an understatement. These
people were messed up from the word go. Near the end of the film,
Hector (played by Marc Anthony) says to his wife (played by Jennifer
Lopez), “We haven’t been straight more than three hours in twenty
years.” If you watch to be entertained, then you’ll be disappointed.
Think of this movie more as a documentary about an important figure
during the birth of Salsa. There’s even one scene where his manager
purportedly invents the name because salsa was a blending of musical
styles. There isn’t a lot of dancing and what little there is
constantly broken up by the rapid camera changes described by one
reviewer as “hyperkinetic style more likely to induce vertigo.” The
whole film is shot like that and it gets exhausting at times. One
little side note: As a trombone player, I was interested to see how
influential that instrument was in salsa. (Reviewed by Jamie)
Flashdance (1983) Dance style: Jazz Silly
but energetic, this feature-length music video by Adrian Lyne with a
Giorgio Moroder score stars Jennifer Beals as a welder who spends her
nights wowing blue-collar customers with her fancy erotic dances. Glitz
with no mind and lots of fancy visuals, edited with a pounding beat.
With Michael Nouri, Lilia Skala, and Sunny Johnson. 2nd highest
grossing dance movie. (Review by Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago Reader)
Footloose (1984) Dance style: Jazz Just
caught this movie again for the first time in twenty years. Kevin Bacon
moves from the city to a small Bible thumping town in the Midwest where
dancing is banned. Of course, he falls for the minister’s daughter, who
has a bit of a wild side. Fun and energetic. Fourth highest grossing
dance movie. (Jamie)
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985) Style: Jazz, Gymnastics Totally
lighthearted fluff, but I enjoyed it. Two teenage girls played by young
Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker dream of performing on “Dance TV.”
This movie is full of great 80s hair, fashion and attitude. It plays
like a spoof, but since it was made it 1985, one has to wonder. The
dance focus is on aerials and gymnastic moves. Approach this film with
low expectations and you’re sure to have a laugh. (Reviewed by Jamie)
Holiday Inn (1942) Style: Ballroom, tap This
1942 story, a holiday charmer, was apparently the inspiration for the
name of the hotel chain. I discovered it this year, but am told by
friends that this is the holiday movie they watch every season. Holiday
Inn, set in a picture perfect New England inn (complete with a LOT of
snow!), features Fred Astair and Bing Crosby dancing and singing their
way into the hearts of two lovely ladies. The story harkens back to
gentler times and for that is a respite from more graphic moves of
today. It also, however, has an Aunt Jemima character and a scene
involving a blackface routine that would never be filmed today. We are
treated to Bing Crosby introducing his songs White Christmas and Easter
Bonnet. Fred Astaire dazzles—particularly in his “Drunken Dance” and
the “Firecracker Dance.” (Reviewed by Sue Deaett)
Love 'n Dancing (2009) Style: West Coast Swing
A lot of people had their hopes up that this film would do for West Coast Swing what Swing Kids
did for Lindy, but sadly it will not. The story of a deaf professional
dancer could have been very engaging, but this story fails to grab the
audience on any level. As viewers of this genre, we already know the
main character will team up with a cute girl who's never danced swing
in her life and in a few weeks become contenders for the title at the
US Open. However, some films successfully sell this transformation,
while Love 'n Dancing does not. Nonetheless, if you're a
Westie, you'll have fun watching this film as a sort of "Where's
Waldo?" as you pick out your favorite West Coast celebs. (The film is
packed full of pros (some of whom you've probably taken workshops
from.) The real disappointment here is that every one of these dance
pros have more exciting routines on YouTube
than made it into
this movie. West Coast is an amazing dance, but there are very few
"Wow," moments in this film. Here's an idea: Why doesn't someone make a
movie about real dancers?
(Review by Jamie)
Movie Trailer: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/love-n-dancing/trailer
Mad About Mambo (2000) Style: Mambo??? Has anyone seen this film. Send me a review.
Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) Style: Latin & Ballroom A
bunch of us saw this film together at the Woodstock Theater. We should
have another outing like that—dinner and a movie. Anyway, this is an
inspirational documentary of a real-life program in New York that takes
ballroom dancing into inner-city fifth grade classes and culminates in
a city-wide dance contest. I especially love the contrast between the
fifth grade girls who are already mapping out their futures while the
fifth grade boys are happily immersed in video games. (Jamie)
Marigold (2008) Style: Jazz If you only plan to see one Bollywood Pic this year, make it Marigold. In truth this is not a true Bollywood film, but rather a BBC Films production. A spoiled "B" film actress from Hollywood travels to India to make a low budget film, only to learn that the financing has fallen through. Lacking the funds to return home, she gets a part in a local film. True to Bollywood style films, the story is light and fluffy, but the music, dancing, sets and costumes are magnificent. As long as you don't take it too seriously, this is a fun film. (Jamie)
Salsa (1988) Style: Salsa I
saw this film 20 years ago and recall being disappointed, but I can’t
recall the specifics. If you want to review this film, please send it
along and I’ll post it. My guess, however, is that you’ll have a tough
time finding this at the local video shop, though Netflix may have it.
(Jamie)
Saturday Night Fever: Dance style: Disco/Hustle In my memory,
this was a big box office glitzy film, but on seeing it again recently,
I realized it’s not. It’s got a simple, almost low budget feel at
times. There’s a lot of “dance posing” and some of the best moves are
in the routines done by the couples competing against Travolta. All the
same, you can’t help slicking back you’re your hair and strutting
around your living room as John saunters down the street in the opening
scene. This film deserves our gratitude for bringing a lot of people
back to couples dancing. This is the all time highest grossing dance
movie to date. (Jamie)
Save the Last Dance (2001) Dance style: Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop I
was surprised to learn this is the third highest grossing dance movie
to date. Some reviewers love it while many called it a glorified
after-school special. I happen to like this film and have seen it three
time. White middle-class high school ballerina from Vermont loses her
mother and ends up living with her estranged father on the south side
of Chicago. Her new black boyfriend introduces her to the hip-hop scene
and the rest is predictable but satisfying. (Jamie)
Shag: The Movie (1989) Style: Shag Apparently
the producers of this movie thought they might ride the popularity of
Dirty Dancing (which came out two years earlier) by naming this movie
“Shag.” I still recall my excitement about 18 years ago as I popped the
VHS into my machine and anxiously waited for some dancing. Finally,
about two thirds of the way into the film I was rewarded by about 30
seconds of mediocre shag. Even if you can still find this film on the
shelf, don’t bother. By the way, shag is closely related to West Coast,
although it has more memorized footwork patterns that are danced in
mirror between the partners. (Jamie)
Singin' in the Rain (1952 Style: Jazz, Some partner dancing Although Debbie Reynolds does some dancing in this film, the standout numbers are done by Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor. Rosie Spahn (a dancer in the Middlebury area) writes, "the best musical numbers are
Moses Supposes (Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor - not your usual
partnered dance) and Make 'Em Laugh (Donald O'Connor). Gene Kelly got
all of the accolades in this movie but Donald O'Connor held his own and
then some." I agree with Rosie that Donald O'Connor's "Make 'Em Laugh" is simply amazing. The plot of the movie involves a Hollywood production company making the transition from silent films to "talkies." After the first few scenes a very nice chemistry develops between Reynolds and Kelly. (Jamie & Rosie Spahn)
Shall We Dance? (Hollywood version: 2004) Style: Ballroom If
you’re into couples dancing, then this is a must see. The Hollywood
version stars Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon and is a
sheer delight. You should also check out the original Japanese version.
I’ve seen both twice. This is the story of a disillusioned businessman
who puts a little zest in his life when he discovers ballroom dancing.
(Jamie)
Staying Alive (2003) Dance Style: Disco/Hustle Save
yourself some agony and stay clear of this sequel to “Saturday Night
Fever.” I’ll generally cut any movie some slack as long as it includes
some dancing, but this one really isn’t worth your time. Amazing that
it’s still the 6th all time grossing dance movie. (Jamie)
Step Up (2006) Dance Styles: Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop Reviewer
Ross Anthony says it well: “While quite formulaic and, at times,
plainly hokey, the film is a pleasure to watch. The street dancer and
the uptown ballerina mix it up on the dance floor.
Step Up 2 "The Streets" (2008) Dance Styles: Hip Hop, Poppin', Lockin', Salsa, Small amount of ballet Again
formulaic, but still a fun time. The usual story of a teen girl finding
herself through dance. Some really great hip hop scenes and one party
scene with a few moments of decent salsa.
Stomp the Yard (2007) Style: Stomping If
you’ve never seen this unique style of dance associated with black
college fraternities, then you need to check it out. I like the story
line as well. There’s some violence near the start of the film that may
bother some folks, but if you can get past that, I think you’ll like
this film. (Jamie)
Strictly Ballroom (1993) Style: Ballroom The
Aussies have given us one of the all time great dance movies. This is a
lighthearted look at the very serious business of ballroom dance
competition—the costumes, the rigid rules, the backroom backstabbing.
Of course there’s a good love story as well. (Jamie)
Swing Kids (1993) Style: Lindy Hop Between
this film and the Gap ad featuring Lindy Hop, a whole generation of
young people discovered Swing Dancing. The film is well done, though a
bit dark for a dance film since it’s set against a backdrop of the rise
of the Third Reich. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this film, so I
can’t recall what portion of the film included dance. If your memory is
better than mine, please send a review. (Jamie)
Take the Lead (2006) Style: Ballroom, Latin, Small amount of Hip Hop One of the more recent movies to successfully promote couples dancing as cool and sexy. Antonio Banderas is a dance instructor who brings Ballroom and Latin dancing into an inner-city high school. (Jamie)
The Tango Lesson (1997) Style: Argentine Tango RICK GROEN of Globe and Mail probably says it best: “This is essentially a dance film wrapped in a flimsy excuse for a narrative; fortunately, the performance scenes are a sheer delight.” At the risk of being strung up by my tango friends, I have to add that if you aren’t addicted to tango then you may sleep through most of this film as I did. Either you’ll love it or you’ll hate it. (Jamie)
Tap (1989) (New Review) Style: Tap While Max Washington (Gregory Hines) was in solitary confinement in Sing Sing, he turned to his childhood roots of tap dancing to maintain his sanity. Now that Max is out of prison, he’s torn between his love of dance and returning to a life of crime. Guess which one he chooses? The one with the pretty girl, of course. As with many dance movies, the story is only a vehicle that connects us from one dance scene to another. In one great scene, Max is “challenged” by a group of old-time hoofers and each dancer, including Sammy Davis Jr., does a 20-second routine. Another scene is on the streets of New York when about 30 – 40 musicians and dancers take over a construction sight and weave the props and sounds into a really fun routine. This movie is PG-13, so I didn’t let my kids see the whole thing, but since they’ve both been tapping since they were about four, I showed them a few of the dance numbers including one where a boy around 12-years-old (played by a young Savion Glover) does a wonderful piece in the dance studio to demonstrate to another boy that dancing isn’t just for girls. Then, of course, there’s the finale that takes place in a nightclub. Special microphones have been rigged to Gregory Hines’ feet and he even does a decent job on vocals. This movie came out in 1989 and may be hard to find. Our local Hollywood Video didn’t have it, but a friend rented it from Netflix and loaned it to me. (Thanks Sue.) (Review by Jamie)
A Time for Dancing (2000) Style: Jazz I rarely say it, but even if you’re a dance movie addict, I think you can miss this one. The exception might be if you’re sixteen, female and totally immersed in jazz dance. This film feels like an after-school special with a few swear words thrown in for added spice. This is the story of a teenage girl preparing to audition for Julliard when she discovers she has cancer. The story revolves around her relationship with her best friend who also dances. There are a few moments of impressive dancing—usually group jazz scenes, but a dance movie needs a lot more “wow” moments than this one gives us. And the fact that she’s dying and giving up on the chemo and no longer strong enough to dance in the end-of-year show, but somehow is strong enough to travel alone to New York, go through with the audition and get accepted to Julliard makes no sense at all. You have to wonder sometimes how story lines like this get Hollywood funding. (Review by Jamie)
White Nights (1985) Style: Jazz, Tap, Ballet One of my all time favorite dance movies with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines. Great chemistry between these two. Definitely check it out. (Jamie)
Ballroom - Swing Dancing - Latin Dancing - Line Dancing - Country Dancing
