Best Ballroom Dance Movies

[ballroomboilergirl]

I just got done watching Dirty Dancing (my all-time favorite movie) for the ten millionth time, so I thought it would be fun to start a thread of everyone's favorite ballroom dance movies...so post away! Tell us what your favorite scene is, too :D Here's my list...

1. Dirty Dancing - I absolutely love the entire movie, but my favorite scene is at the end when Johnny and Baby perform at Kellerman's show :D "Nobody puts Baby in the corner..."

2. Strictly Ballroom - the scene where Fran's dad and grandma teach her and Scott how to Paso Doble

3. Dance with Me - the scene at the salsa club where Raphael shows Ruby how to dance "his way"

[Adwiz]

Dance movies are notoriously bad movies. Most of them leave me inspired by the dance scenes but wondering how such a great subject could have been so badly interpreted. My wife and I decided to take all the best dance scenes and put them together in our own edited compilation movie. I'll let you know how that turns out when we're done. I know it will be more watchable than most of the movies we're using!

However, there are a few that actually are worthy as motion pictures.

My favorites:

Shall We Dance, a Japanese movie with English subtitles that is about to be re-released as a new production with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere. J. Lo actually used my dance studio for training and we happened to be there getting a private lesson one day when she was working on her own training. I don't know how the American version will turn out but the Japanese movie is a delightful classic and can be watched repeatedly for its story value alone. Hard to pick a favorite scene because the whole story is so charming.

Strictly Ballroom, superb story and beautifully put together by Baz Luhrman. Unlike most dance movies, this one actually has lots of dancing. Favorite scenes: a toss up between the Paso Doble lesson (I love the ending with the train moving in the background), and the impromptu Rhumba scene behind the curtain with "Perhaps, Perhaps" playing. Incredible piece of storytelling, brilliantly directed and edited.

Center Stage, about a girl finding her groove as a ballet dancer by loosening up with some street dancing (that scene is powerful). Well made and quite watchable.

Staying Alive, the sequel to that awful "Saturday Night Fever" is less dreary and has plenty of dancing. A bit cheesy but chalk that up to the decade it was produced.

Dirty Dancing, which has much less dancing than I would like, especially given the title, but at least it does a good job of representing the appeal of dance. Pretty watchable story.

Most of the others have left me disappointed, though there are many with some great dance sequences in them.

[Soccermom67]

What are your favorite ballroom dancing movies/ movies featuring ballroom dancing? Everyone knows about Mad Hot Ballroom, but I just saw Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School and totally loved it. Great ballroom dancing scene, great story, great acting, great movie all around.

[HCMikeC]

I enjoy Strictly Ballroom and the orginal Japanese version of "Shall We Dance." I enjoyed Richard gere in the remake, but I just can't stomach J Lo.

[africana]

"Take the Lead" looks promising I think I'll see it

[Dancebug]

"Take the Lead" looks promising I think I'll see it
We have free preview tickets for tonight. I will let you know how it is.

[africana]

awesome :) tho i think just watching antonio will be enough :p

[ccc]

awesome :) tho i think just watching antonio will be enough :p

Speaking of Antonio, he said on TV(I think it was Extra)
that if Dancing with the Stars asked him to be a
contestant he would turn it down.

[HCMikeC]

Speaking of Antonio, he said on TV(I think it was Extra)
that if Dancing with the Stars asked him to be a
contestant he would turn it down.
He has had too much dance experience already probably...but so did Giselle

[Katarzyna]

He's too big of a celebrity and has too much reputation to risk it on reality tv

[mamboqueen]

My hardwood floors couldn't take all the drool....

[JohnLL]

I love the movie Strictly Ballroom and I also enjoyed Dance With Me starring Cheyenne and Vanessa Williams. Shall We Dance with Richard Gere was pretty good but I'm not a big fan of J. Lo in the movie.
Can't wait for Take the Lead! My studio is going on opening night so should be fun times! :-)

[HCMikeC]

He's too big of a celebrity and has too much reputation to risk it on reality tv

I think that's half the fun of DWTS. I don't want to se jennifer anniston out there, but i'd tune in to see, say, Soleil Moonfrye (Punky Brewster).

[Mr. Dance]

Guess Im one of the few that actually like J Lo in, Shall we Dance ;) But overall that's a movie I could watch over and over. The soundtrack has some great music to dance too in practice too.

[dancesportgirl21]

Strictly Ballroom is my #1 fave- its the movie that made me want to ballroom dance :D

[DennisBeach]

Strictly Ballroom and Japanese version of Shall We Dance were my favorites. English Shall We Dance was pretty good, but I liked the Japanese version better.

We will have to get the one you mentioned and see what that is like.

[Fretful_Porpentine]

I loved Mad Hot Ballroom. That's what got me started.

[Katarzyna]

I loved Mad Hot Ballroom. That's what got me started.That is a really good movie

[sambanada]

What are some of the movies that have ballroom dancing? I know the obvious ones: Dance With Me, Shall We Dance.....others????

[airneri]

Mad Hot Ballroom, Strictly Ballroom, Take The Lead.

[BasicsFirst]

How about the ORIGINAL "Shall We Dance"? It's a Japanese movie with English subtitles. Way better than the American remake.

[dancerman]

What are some of the movies that have ballroom dancing? I know the obvious ones: Dance With Me, Shall We Dance.....others????

"Dirty Dancing, Havanna Nights"

"Tango Lesson"

[dancerman]

What are some of the movies that have ballroom dancing? I know the obvious ones: Dance With Me, Shall We Dance.....others????

"Footloose"

Swing Kids"

Not ballroom but kind of cool movies, anyways...

[operabob]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076639/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100222/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096221/

OB

[Summer_Gray]

On an international flight recently.... I saw there is a movie called "Hero" with some dancing competition in it... I couldn't understand a thing though- because it's in Japanese with no subtitles. It looked funny as hell though.... someone was carried off the floor by paramedics during the tango. And the spectators were eating popcorn in the stands. I'd love if someone could tell me what all that was about.

[BillH]

What are some of the movies that have ballroom dancing? I know the obvious ones: Dance With Me, Shall We Dance.....others????
Mad about Mambo with Keri Russell

[operabob]

Hey, Dancin' Bill!

See you at practice.

OB

[piimapoika]

Marylin Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School.

Other threads on this subject:

http://www.dance-forums.com/showthread.php?t=90
http://www.dance-forums.com/showthread.php?t=25112
http://www.dance-forums.com/showthread.php?t=23453

[QPO]

Just got Centre State, Save the Last Dance, Havana Nights.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

Just watched Out to Sea. I no longer have any desire to become a dance host. ;) Love the scene where Walter Matthau breaks out some moves like a demented groundhog on caffeine as Jack Lemmon is trying to teach him cha cha...on 2! :grin:

[Cheery]

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS with Leslie Caron and Gene Kelly. The dancing, sets and costumes are wonderful, up to this day. Most especially the long long scene where they are dancing all over Paris by night (obviously in a huge set) and there are throngs of people, extras, dancing all over the place.

[Cheery]

ALso look for films with Cyd Charisse in them, and of course, Fred and Ginger!

[Lioness]

A favourite of mine is Shall we Dance. I first saw the original Japanese version a few years before I got into dancing. I didn't really pay much attention -it was in japanese class, so a movie was a good chance to do other homework. Now I've seen the English version, and I really want to watch the original

[ballroomdancertoo]

I enjoy the international take of ballroom dancing because it is very honest. I dont recall the movie "Hero" so i googled it but it about a lawyer or something like that. Hope someone can confirm the title. there are some chinese movies out there. I know of three but their more about life than competition.

[Wyndstorm Huntress]

I long for the movie "Dance of the Dragon" to be made available here in the States. It's a ballroom/martial arts movie. It didn't do well in its native Singapore, nor did it do well internationally, so I suspect I'll never get a chance to see it. Ah well.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

This one's for j_alexandra. ;)

Roseland

It's made up of three short stories set in New York's Roseland Ballroom.

"The Waltz" - a widow finds a magic mirror, but she needs the right partner to cast the reflection she desires.

"The Hustle" - a very young Christopher Walken is torn between three women: a promising dance partner, the older woman who keeps him, and a young romantic prospect.

"The Peabody" - a woman seeks a partner to fulfill her dream of winning a contest involving the mortally perilous extreme sport of...Peabody. Seriously. :razz: She fearlessly wades in despite the rising body count.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

I long for the movie "Dance of the Dragon" to be made available here in the States. It's a ballroom/martial arts movie. It didn't do well in its native Singapore, nor did it do well internationally, so I suspect I'll never get a chance to see it. Ah well.
WH (or suburbaknght, since WH hasn't been posting much lately), did you ever get a chance to watch Dance of the Dragon?

[j_alexandra]

This one's for j_alexandra. ;)

Roseland

It's made up of three short stories set in New York's Roseland Ballroom.

"The Waltz" - a widow finds a magic mirror, but she needs the right partner to cast the reflection she desires.

"The Hustle" - a very young Christopher Walken is torn between three women: a promising dance partner, the older woman who keeps him, and a young romantic prospect.

"The Peabody" - a woman seeks a partner to fulfill her dream of winning a contest involving the mortally perilous extreme sport of...Peabody. Seriously. :razz: She fearlessly wades in despite the rising body count.

LOLOLOL thanks for the heads-up; I'll try to find it. Sounds like a great movie, especially that part about the Peabody. :p:p

[j_alexandra]

WH (or suburbaknght, since WH hasn't been posting much lately), did you ever get a chance to watch Dance of the Dragon?

And if you did, can you post here where you found it? I'd like to see it, too.

[latingal]

Roseland

It's made up of three short stories set in New York's Roseland Ballroom.

"The Waltz" - a widow finds a magic mirror, but she needs the right partner to cast the reflection she desires.

"The Hustle" - a very young Christopher Walken is torn between three women: a promising dance partner, the older woman who keeps him, and a young romantic prospect.

"The Peabody" - a woman seeks a partner to fulfill her dream of winning a contest involving the mortally perilous extreme sport of...Peabody. Seriously. :razz: She fearlessly wades in despite the rising body count.

Really - Peabody?!?!? Dang, I gotta' go find this...LOL

[jofjonesboro]

A favourite of mine is Shall we Dance. I first saw the original Japanese version a few years before I got into dancing. I didn't really pay much attention -it was in japanese class, so a movie was a good chance to do other homework. Now I've seen the English version, and I really want to watch the original
The original Shall We Dance is the film that inspired me to take up ballroom.

jj

[drejenpha]

Really - Peabody?!?!? Dang, I gotta' go find this...LOL

If I remember right it doesn't show the actual dance, just a lead-up to it.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

If I remember right it doesn't show the actual dance, just a lead-up to it.
There were a good number of peabody dance scenes. :)

[Terpsichorean Clod]

King Ponce

I really enjoyed this short from England. A teenage boy is trying to fit into a clique. Can he keep his new "buddies" from finding out his secret passion...ballroom dancing?

It's just under 10 minutes and can be watched in entirety here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duA1IG7ZMho). Probably about PG-13 for language.

[jerseydancer]

King Ponce

I really enjoyed this short from England. A teenage boy is trying to fit into a clique. Can he keep his new "buddies" from finding out his secret passion...ballroom dancing?

It's just under 10 minutes and can be watched in entirety here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duA1IG7ZMho). Probably about PG-13 for language. it was cute, thank you for posting the link

[Terpsichorean Clod]

I just watched Come Dance at My Wedding. It's about a dance studio owner who is about to get married. She wants to sell the studio so she can go back to college. But then her father whom she'd thought long-dead turns up and his name is on the deed. There are a few nice ballroom sequences. If the movie had a MPAA rating, it would probably be G. Of course it's a Hallmark Channel movie. ;) As long as one sets one's expectations accordingly, it's a very enjoyable watch. The choreographer was Katya Virshilas who did the tango scene with Antonio Banderas in Take the Lead as well as the choreography for the American version of Shall We Dance.

Trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r7fNPD1X64)
Full movie (http://megavideo.com/?v=2EB5W7RV)
Behind the scenes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1S5f8kiH38)

[ballroomdancertoo]

Innocent Steps, story about a top competitor in a Korea Ballroom Dance competition who is down and out meets a partner who suppose to be a chinese star in latin dancing. Very touching movie.

[piimapoika]

I've finally managed to get "Roseland" from Lovefilm. Well worth waiting for. The young fellow in the middle story reminded me of myself in the early seventies ... I was a wow with the older ladies in the studio then. But none of them ever bought me presents or paid for my dance lessons, and certainly didn't offer to keep me.

[ajiboyet]

Ballroom movies have always left much to be desired if you're a dancer or you know about ballroom dancing properly. The Tango competition scene in Take The Lead was American Style Tango + Argentine Tango, for example.

I saw Shall We Dance (J. Lo's version) for the first time only some weeks ago (yeah, I know), and while it wasn't bad, the latin competition scene was unacceptable. Save for Tony Dovolani and Katya Virshilas (the couple who got eliminated for the wig fiasco), there was no real dancing in the scene. Stanley Tucci and his partner had really weird dancing, especially the arm styling, and none of the other couples had good dancing. But then I took a good look at the credits, and I noticed that they had Slavik Kryklyvyy, Gary McDonald, Jean-Philippe Milot, Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin and some other people who have made a reputable reputation (!) in latin today. These people, apparently were relegated to the party scenes. Why couldn't they be in the competition?

[Bailamosdance]

I can only imagine the many hours that went into making the stars look even as they did. Knowing what I know about dance and the long arc of learning, the dance coaches performed miracles!

[Terpsichorean Clod]

Move over, "Shall We Dansu?" I have a new favorite ballroom movie. ;)

"Sipur Hatzi-Russi" (literally "A Half-Russian Story", English title "Love & Dance")
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98ZCutLXnw0

As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew I had to get the DVD. :grin:

[White Chacha]

ALso look for films with Cyd Charisse in them...

Silk Stockings (1957), a musical remake of Ninotchka (1939). Wonderful dance numbers with Cyd Charisse. To paraphrase Fred Astaire, I feel "danced with" just watching!

[Leon Theou]

Move over, "Shall We Dansu?" I have a new favorite ballroom movie. ;)

"Sipur Hatzi-Russi" (literally "A Half-Russian Story", English title "Love & Dance")
Trailer: [URL removed to satisfy the forum gods]

As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew I had to get the DVD. :grin:

+1

Is it in NTSC too, or do you have a DVD player capable of playing PAL?

[ajiboyet]

I liked Love n Dancing too.

[Terpsichorean Clod]

+1

Is it in NTSC too, or do you have a DVD player capable of playing PAL?
I don't think it's available in NTSC. I got the Australia release (PAL); I had to use a region-free player.