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Sometimes dance says what words cannot. From tender moments between lovers to powerful expressions of friendship and pain, dance sequences have a unique ability to convey deep emotion without dialogue. Join us as we highlight some of the most moving and unforgettable scenes in film and TV where dancing spoke volumes and touched our hearts, proving that sometimes, actions truly do speak louder than words.
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00:00Oh, this is great. This is the best.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the scenes in film and TV that best conveyed emotion through dance
00:13instead of dialogue.
00:15Spoilers are included.
00:17It's mad. I'm not that bad.
00:19I just can't think of anything funny to say.
00:22No, I never saw them at all.
00:25Me either.
00:28Number 10. Orla's Step Routine – Dairy Girls
00:32Like the best comedies, Dairy Girls has always been adept at blending humor with emotion.
00:37Orla's talent show performance in the season 1 finale is one of the best examples.
00:42What are you on about, Orla?
00:44Step.
00:45I'm sorry?
00:46Step aerobics.
00:47Orla's got really into step aerobics.
00:49Her instructor says she's a natural, says she's got what it takes, you go all the way.
00:53All the way in step aerobics.
00:55Her step routine is unconventional at best and could have ended in humiliation.
01:00But instead of letting embarrassment take over, her friends rush the stage and join in the dance, turning the moment
01:06into a joyous demonstration of their friendship.
01:20Even sister Michael has to smile, intercut with the reaction of Erin's family to a tragic news report.
01:25The scene demonstrates that, despite living through a war, the girls are still just normal teenagers, experiencing life's highs as
01:33well as its lows.
01:34I've been like this before, now I'm feeling it even more, because it came from me.
01:45Number 9.
01:47Under Pressure.
01:48Aftersun.
01:49Last night.
01:49Time for a dance.
01:51I don't dance.
01:52Sophie.
01:53I never ever dance.
01:56That's okay.
01:56I'm dancing without you.
01:58I told you.
01:58I love to dance.
02:00In 2022's Aftersun, a young woman named Sophie looks back on a holiday she took with her dad as an
02:0511 year old.
02:06For her, the trip is a happy memory, but it's implied that her dad was struggling with depression and anxiety.
02:13I can't see myself before you, to be honest.
02:18I'm surprised I made it to 30.
02:19The film's final moments see Sophie and her dad share a dance together on the last night of their holiday.
02:25It's a moving, bittersweet moment.
02:27The song, Queens Under Pressure, is a clue to the way Sophie's dad has been feeling and what lies in
02:33store for their already broken family.
02:34Intercut with dreamlike rave scenes, the sequence indicates that this is one of their last happy moments together.
02:41This is our last dance.
02:44This is our last dance.
02:48This is ourselves.
02:51Number 8.
02:53Stay With Me.
02:54Rain.
02:54The relationship between Rain's Mary, Queen of Scots, and her first husband, Francis, was steadily built up over three seasons.
03:01They had their trials, but ultimately the strength of their love and respect for each other always won the day.
03:07Historically speaking, it was always going to end in tragedy.
03:11But we weren't prepared for how much it would hurt.
03:14Dancing music for the king and queen.
03:18Francis, we don't have to make an excuse.
03:22No, I want to dance with you.
03:25Can you do this?
03:26In this tender dance scene, Francis is dying and both he and Mary know it.
03:31They also know how important it is for them to present a strong united front before the court.
03:45Bridgerton has been praised for its use of modern music in a historical setting, but Rain did it first.
03:51Here, Sam Smith's Stay With Me is used to devastating effect.
04:01Stay with me, stay with me.
04:08Number 7.
04:09Hyacinth's Recital Dance, Bridgerton.
04:12We will begin with the long ways.
04:14Now the young men may approach.
04:16The latest Bridgerton scene to pull on our collective heartstrings was the kids dance at Bridgerton House, organized by little
04:23Hyacinth herself.
04:24Unlike some of her siblings, the youngest Bridgerton can't wait to enter the town and live the life of a
04:29debutante.
04:30But as she's still too young, a recital dance like this one, fully chaperoned by the parents of course, is
04:36the next best thing.
04:38And now, your relevance.
04:55Dancing to an orchestral arrangement of Charlie XCX's 360, Hyacinth and her peers might not be the most graceful or
05:02natural.
05:03However, the youthful shyness and awkwardness of the dancers has a nostalgic charm all of its own.
05:08Conjuring up memories for the audience of school dances and tentative first love.
05:27Good evening, Miss Hyacinth.
05:29Good evening.
05:30Number 6.
05:31So Close, Enchanted.
05:33Well, does he take you out dancing just so he can hold you close?
05:38I don't dance.
05:40Dedicated song with words meant just for you.
05:44And I really don't sing.
05:45The central couple in Enchanted seem, at first glance, to be complete opposites.
05:51Robert's a cynic who doesn't believe in romance or spontaneity.
05:54Giselle is a real-life Disney princess who's never experienced a negative emotion.
06:00However, the So Close dance at the Kings and Queens ball shows how far they've both come since the beginning.
06:06Robert even starts to sing to Giselle, a surefire sign that he's entering into the spirit of her world.
06:11Go beside me and look how far we've come.
06:20Alas, it's too late.
06:22Although their feelings are obvious from the way they dance together, Giselle and Robert are bound to other people and
06:28so unable to express their love.
06:30It's a heartbreaking scene, even when we know that their happy ending is just around the corner.
06:46Number 5, Dance at the Gym, West Side Story.
06:50What have you been taking tonight?
06:51A trip to the moon.
06:53And I'll tell you a secret, Doc.
06:55Ain't a man that's up there.
06:56It's a girl.
06:59A lady.
07:00The love at first sight seen in any Romeo and Juliet tale is always a major moment.
07:05To believe in anything that comes after, we have to believe in the instant connection between the lovers.
07:11I'm not thinking I'm someone else.
07:14I know you are not.
07:19Or that we've met before.
07:23I know we have not.
07:24West Side Story is a musical adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play set in 1950s New York.
07:30In plays of complex language, it conveys emotion most powerfully through music and dance.
07:36Like Romeo and Juliet, Tony and Maria meet at a party and are immediately drawn to each other.
07:42Everyone around them is dancing energetically.
07:44However, as they spot each other across the crowded room, the music changes and a gentle, dreamlike dance sequence begins.
07:51It's as if there's no one else in the room, and they can't take their eyes off each other.
08:11Number 4. Dance at the Ozdust Ballroom. Wicked.
08:15You join us at the Ozdust. I'm inviting you.
08:21Why?
08:22Well, because everyone will be there. And don't tell me you have nothing to wear.
08:27Because you could wear this.
08:29While West Side Story is all about the romance, the core relationship in Wicked is the bond between Glinda the
08:35Good Witch and Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West.
08:37What begins as loathing develops into a sincere and important friendship that will shape both girls' lives for good.
08:44The dance at the Ozdust Ballroom is the turning point.
08:47I'll say this much. She doesn't give a twig what anyone thinks.
08:51Of course she does. She just pretends not to.
08:57Jealous of Elphaba's magical talent, Glinda sets her up for public humiliation when she lends her an ugly hat to
09:03wear to the dance.
09:04Hurt and isolated, Elphaba defies the mockery and dances alone.
09:09Instead of joining in the laughter, a guilty and admiring Glinda joins Elphaba on the floor.
09:14It's a moving moment of connection that turns them into fast friends in an instant.
09:32Number 3. Angry Dance. Billy Elliot.
09:36Hanging out there all out that time.
09:38Some of the lines are twice.
09:40It's enough to make it stop and leave.
09:43With this cup of the furious and devil.
09:46Set during the 1980s UK minor strike in Durham, Billy Elliot follows the 11-year-old protagonist as he discovers
09:53a talent for dancing.
09:55As he struggles against the restrictions imposed on him by class and gender roles, Billy doesn't express much through words.
10:02Dance is his outlet as well as his passion.
10:05In the angry dance scene, we finally see the depths of Billy's rage and frustration.
10:18Dancing through the streets with a town called Malice blasting in the background.
10:22The young Jamie Bell gets to show off both his dancing and his acting chops.
10:27It's arguably the most powerful scene in the film and it's all done without words.
10:38Number 2. Anna and Alexei. Anna Karenina.
10:42Dance with me.
10:46I'm not used to being spoken to like that by a man I met once at a railway station.
10:50I dare say, but if I'm not to dance with you, then I'm getting out of this operetto and going
10:54home.
10:56Then we could just sing.
10:58Director Joe Wright set out to create a version of Anna Karenina that was reminiscent of a ballet in its
11:04form.
11:04According to the choreographer Sidilar Bichakawi, Wright treated the choreography, quote,
11:10not as decoration, but as part of the storytelling.
11:13The film's most memorable dancing scene is Anna's waltz with Count Vronsky.
11:17In Wright's Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth and Darcy's dances together are emotionally charged.
11:22But in Regency routines, couples barely touched.
11:26The waltz is different and for the entangled Anna and Vronsky, dancing together is a risky step to take.
11:49In this breathtaking scene, we witness a whirlwind of emotions, particularly from Anna and Alicia Vikander's kitty.
11:56Although there is no dialogue, we know exactly what each character is feeling throughout.
12:18Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:22Harry and Hermione's Dance. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
12:26A brief moment of light and friendship in one of their darkest times.
12:44Anne and Gilbert's Dance. Anne with an E. Romantic feelings begin to blossom.
13:06Kingdom Dance. Tangled. Rapunzel finally experiences the Lantern Festival and starts to fall in love.
13:22Emma dances with Mr. Knightley. Emma. They're not so much like brother and sister after all.
13:41Dancing to the radio. Dancing at Lunasa. A rare moment of spontaneous happiness for the sisters.
13:54Dancing to the radio. Dancing at Lunasa. A rare moment of spontaneous happiness for the sisters.
13:57Dancing at Lunasa. A rare moment of spontaneous happiness for the sisters.
13:57Dancing at Lunasa. A rare moment of happiness for the sisters.
14:00Dancing at Lunasa. A rare moment of happiness for the sisters.
14:07Dancing at Lunasa. A rare moment of happiness for the sisters.
14:07Before we continue, check out this single from SoundMojo's album, Balance.
14:11Classical music reimagined as rock, hard rock, and metal.
14:15Check out the full track and album below.
14:18Born in the sunlight. Born in the rain. Life is a rhythm. Running through veins.
14:31Number 1. The Lendler. The Sound of Music.
14:34Throughout The Sound of Music, there are plenty of hints that Maria and the captain are falling for each other.
14:39However, it's not until the Lendler scene when their feelings are made crystal clear to the audience.
14:45And also to the poor Baroness.
14:48All that needless worrying, Georg. You thought you wouldn't find a friend at the party.
14:56A bit chilly out tonight, isn't it?
14:58No, I don't know. Seemed rather warm to me.
15:02Maria is originally attending the party as staff only.
15:05She's teaching Kurt to dance an Austrian folk dance when the captain steps in.
15:10Kurt, we'll have to practice.
15:12Do allow me, will you?
15:13Mm-hmm.
15:21The children are suddenly bystanders to something new and somehow serious and grown up.
15:26It's a deceptively simple scene.
15:28The couple dance with no distractions.
15:30Completely absorbed by the routine and each other.
15:33The Lendler in itself is a beautiful dance to watch.
15:36And the chemistry between Maria and the captain is unparalleled.
15:40It's all just very romantic.
15:43I don't remember anymore.
15:47Your face is all red, is it?
15:50I don't suppose I'm used to dancing.
15:55Which emotional dance scenes say the most without words?
15:58Tell us your favorite in the comments.
16:00The Lendler in the comments.
16:00If you're listening to my слухie do you want to show off?
16:06This is your favorite in your audience.
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