- 6 days ago
Grab your dancing shoes and get ready to be swept off your feet! Join us as we count down the most breathtaking ballroom dance scenes ever put to film! Our picks span decades of cinematic magic, featuring unforgettable moments of romance, passion, and pure elegance. Which ballroom scene could you dance all night to? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, we're looking at ballroom dance scenes that completely swept us off our feet.
00:21Number 20. The Perfect Waltz, Crimson Peak.
00:25Hearing the words, gothic horror romance and Guillermo del Toro, you know you're in store for a visual treat.
00:43Throw in a ballroom dance, and you've not only got a spectacle of sight, but also sound.
00:48Demonstrating the perfect waltz, Tom Hiddleston's Thomas offers his hand to Mia Vashikowska's Edith.
00:54In Thomas' other hand is a candlestick, which will test just how flawless this performance and partnership are.
01:08Even without the candle, there's a clear spark between the couple, who dance with the accompaniment of Jessica Chastain's Lucille
01:15on piano.
01:16With spectators gathered around, they light up the room like a literal ring of fire.
01:21By the time their dance is over, the flame burns stronger than ever until Edith blows it out.
01:36Number 19. Jim Saves Loretta, Easy Virtue.
01:40When Loretta's husband Ben abandons her on the dance floor, she's left without a partner in more ways than one.
01:46Heartbroken and humiliated, she is spared the uncomfortable glances as her father-in-law Jim extends his hand.
02:00The ensuing tango almost feels like the dance equivalent of a hug, as Loretta seeks solace in Jim's arms.
02:07They might not be dancing under the happiest of circumstances, but what starts as a sorrowful moment quickly turns into
02:13triumph.
02:25Whatever the others in the room are thinking no longer matters.
02:29All that matters is that Loretta and Jim are on the same wavelength.
02:32While it's never spelled out whether or not there's a romantic attraction,
02:36this dance displays a deep connection that requires no words.
02:50Oh, marvellous! Marvellous!
02:53Number 18. Once Upon a December. Anastasia.
02:58Nearly a decade has passed since Anya's grandmother gifted her a music box, and her whole world changed.
03:04Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember.
03:14Without any memories of her royal lineage, Anya returns to the palace's once glamorous ballroom,
03:20which is now empty and lined with cobwebs.
03:22Wiping away the dust, Anya's memory is triggered along with a familiar tune.
03:28Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory.
03:37While Anya still doesn't fully remember, she finds herself dancing with ghosts of the past.
03:42The musical number has a dreamlike quality as Anya envisions strangers who might not be strangers at all.
03:48Much like a dream though, Anya is soon brought back down to reality.
03:52For a fleeting moment, the lost princess is taken back to a happier time.
03:56Once Upon a December.
03:58Once Upon a December.
04:13Number 17. As the World Falls Down. Labyrinth.
04:17Although the age gap between David Bowie and a young Jennifer Connelly might raise a few eyebrows,
04:21there's one thing you can't deny about this ballroom dance.
04:25Connelly's ivory gown is beyond spellbinding.
04:36Connelly's Sarah finds herself lost at a masked ball, where she seeks out Bowie's Jareth.
04:41Despite the whole kidnapping her brother thing, it's easy to forget under such hypnotic circumstances.
04:59The sequence is set to the song As the World Falls Down, which captures Sarah's confused yet oddly entranced state
05:05of mind.
05:06When Sarah and Jareth do finally join for a dance, it's a little magical, a little nightmarish, and a little
05:13alluring.
05:14We think Jim Henson was going for all of the above, expertly threading the needle.
05:32Number 16. No Mistakes in Tango. Scent of a Woman.
05:37Al Pacino's Frank is blind, but he knows when he's in the presence of a beautiful woman.
05:41He also knows the scent of Ogilby's sister's soap.
05:44You know, I detect a fragrance in the air. Don't tell me what it is.
05:50Ogilby's sister's soap.
05:54That's amazing.
05:56Dining at the Pierre's Cotillion Ballroom, Frank offers Donna a tango lesson as she waits for someone else.
06:02Donna can't help but be charmed, accompanying Frank to the dance floor with trepidation.
06:06That hesitance dissipates as Donna not only finds that Frank is smooth on his feet, but she's not half bad
06:12herself.
06:24Despite only meeting once, Frank and Donna have crossed an essential item off their bucket lists.
06:29Donna has finally shared a tango with someone, while Frank may have had his last dance.
06:34Yet moments like this remind Frank why life is worth living to the fullest.
06:51Number 15. A lively dance.
06:54Addams Family Values.
06:55As morbid as Gomez and Morticia Addams are, their chemistry is the envy of every other couple in the room.
07:13Where so many other couples resist public displays of affection,
07:17Gomez and Morticia never think twice about expressing their love for the world to witness.
07:34Gomez can barely contain himself as he kisses his beloved across her arms,
07:39until Morticia reminds him that they have a show to put on,
07:41set to the classic Addams Family theme with a tango twist.
07:45The two light the floor on fire, and we do not mean figuratively.
07:49That's not the dance's only logic-defying moment,
07:52building to a climax so intense that the room explodes with applause,
07:55along with every champagne bottle.
08:08Number 14. Something more robust.
08:11The Mask of Zorro.
08:12Whether dueling or dancing,
08:14the temperature always rises when Alejandro and Elena cross paths.
08:17Out of his Zorro mask,
08:19Alejandro removes the captain from the equation with a savage burn.
08:22The lady and I were trying to dance.
08:24You were trying.
08:26She was succeeding.
08:29Proceeding to demonstrate what true success looks like,
08:32Alejandro and Elena first engage in a simple waltz.
08:35Once Alejandro suggests that they kick it up a notch,
08:37Elena more than proves that she's up to the challenge.
08:40Their vigorous display turns everyone's heads,
08:43including the captain's,
08:44showing why he never stood a chance.
08:46The only thing that would make this dance even steamier is if it ended with a kiss.
08:50Given the way they take each other's breath away, though,
08:53it still feels like the two have shared something intimate.
09:04Number 13. Ozdust Ballroom.
09:07Wicked.
09:08The last stretch of dancing through life takes the characters to the Ozdust Ballroom.
09:19While not everyone ends up dancing with the person they long for,
09:22it's still a night for celebration.
09:25Elphaba is the only one left out,
09:27dancing alone in the black ensemble that Galinda convinced her to wear.
09:30Realizing that her actions were inconsiderate,
09:33Galinda steps up as the friend Elphaba desperately needs.
09:36Elphaba's impromptu dance becomes more fashionable as Galinda mirrors her routine.
09:41Dancing through life here at the Ozdust,
09:45it only because dust is what we come to.
09:49At the same time, Galinda knows that she might be risking her social status,
09:54but she doesn't care.
09:55Dancing to a melody that foreshadows their final meeting years later,
09:58this is the exact moment that Elphaba and Galinda become best friends for life,
10:03forever changing each other.
10:04And here's a strange thing,
10:07no, I couldn't have changed it,
10:09while you're dancing,
10:13through.
10:19Number 12.
10:20Dancing at the Ball, Cinderella.
10:22When people think of Dancing at the Ball,
10:24Cinderella immediately comes to mind.
10:38Which version?
10:39Any of them, honestly.
10:41Although in terms of presentation,
10:43few did it with more pageantry than director Kenneth Branagh.
10:46All eyes are on Ella when she arrives at the ball in a ravishing blue gown.
10:50But the only eyes that matter are Prince Kitts.
11:04While they met before,
11:05Ella has yet to realize that Kitt is also a prince.
11:08Not that it matters,
11:09as Kitt and Ella were already falling for each other.
11:12They fall even deeper with this elegant dance,
11:15in which the camera practically feels like a third partner.
11:18The moment truly belongs to Kitt and Ella, though,
11:20going together like a pair of glass slippers.
11:40Number 11.
11:42I've had the time of my life.
11:43Dirty Dancing.
11:44Be it a school prom or wedding,
11:46chances are you've fantasized about
11:48recreating the final dance from Dirty Dancing.
11:58Without Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, though,
12:00it just isn't the same.
12:02No matter how many times we re-watch this 80s classic,
12:05two moments always make us swoon.
12:07First, Johnny Castle saying...
12:09Nobody puts baby in a corner.
12:11And second, that needle drop for I've had the time of my life.
12:27The dance is just getting started,
12:28as Johnny shows he's more than meets the eye,
12:31and Baby reveals she isn't a little girl anymore.
12:34Everything about the routine is iconic,
12:36from Baby's pink dress,
12:37to Johnny leading a line of backup dancers,
12:40to the leap that serves as a cherry on top.
12:42This could be love,
12:45because
12:47I
12:48have
12:49the time of my life.
12:51Number 10.
12:53The Waltz.
12:54Shall We Dance?
12:55Richard Gere stars in this unassuming dance movie
12:57about a middle-aged man who falls in love with ballroom dancing.
13:12Well done!
13:13Happily married, but feeling restless,
13:15John Clark joins a dance class on a whim.
13:18He keeps his new hobby to himself,
13:20while training enthusiastically for a big city dance competition.
13:23However, his wife and daughter find out,
13:25and attend a performance in secret.
13:36It's awesome.
13:39That is awesome.
13:40Shall We Dance has some really moving moments.
13:43The scene where John dances with his wife is especially lovely.
13:46But the Waltz scene is wonderful too.
13:48Like his family and his teacher,
13:50the audience can watch with pride as John shows off all he's learned,
13:54demonstrating that it's never too late to discover a new passion.
14:10Number 9.
14:11Waltzing with Vronsky.
14:13Anna Karenina.
14:14Anna Karenina is a famous Russian novel
14:16which follows a married aristocrat's affair
14:18with a young cavalry officer.
14:36In the 2012 adaptation, starring Keira Knightley,
14:39director Joe Wright uses an old abandoned theater
14:42as a framing device to tell the story.
14:44The bold setting gives the movie a stylized, theatrical feel,
14:47and this extends to the dance sequences.
14:50The Waltz scene is a visual and emotional rollercoaster.
15:03Alicia Vikander's Kitty has her heart broken,
15:05and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Vronsky allows his feelings to give him away.
15:09Meanwhile, Anna is torn between her loyalty to Kitty,
15:12her sense of propriety,
15:13and her growing desire for Vronsky.
15:15The drama plays out on the dance floor,
15:17and we are living for it.
15:28Number 8.
15:29Shall we dance?
15:30The King and I.
15:31The best dance moments are all about chemistry,
15:33and Anna Leonowans and the King of Siam have it in spades.
15:37And shall you be my new romance?
15:42On the clear understanding that this kind of thing can happen.
15:47Shall we dance?
15:48Shall we dance?
15:49Shall we dance?
15:50The shall we dance scene takes place just after an important banquet with European visitors.
15:55Shall we dance?
15:56One, two, three, and.
15:57On a bright cloud of music, shall we fly?
16:01One, two, three, and.
16:02Shall we dance?
16:03One, two, three, and.
16:04Shall we then say goodnight and mean goodbye?
16:08With Anna's help, the King has successfully impressed her friends and countrymen,
16:12and averted an international incident.
16:14If anything was ever going to happen between them,
16:17this would be the moment,
16:18and there's definitely something in the air.
16:20He asks her to teach him polka,
16:22and she obliges.
16:23But she's not quite ready to find herself in his arms.
16:26It's a great scene,
16:27a great dress,
16:29and a masterclass in sexual tension.
16:40Number 7.
16:42El Tango de Roxanne.
16:43Moulin Rouge.
16:44Jukebox musicals get a lot of criticism,
16:47but it's always fun to see how they play around with popular songs
16:50to fit the mood and context of their story.
16:58You don't have to put on that red light.
17:02Moulin Rouge takes the British rock song Roxanne
17:05and transforms it into an atmospheric Argentine tango.
17:08This sensual style of dance originated on the streets of Buenos Aires in the 19th century.
17:21It's often said to tell the story of a courtesan and a prospective client,
17:25making it a perfect fit for the doomed romance between Christian and Satine.
17:29With low lighting,
17:30Latin violins,
17:31a growly-voiced Argentinian,
17:33and Ewan McGregor singing his feelings,
17:35the mood is well and truly set.
17:47Number 6.
17:48Tale as Old as Time.
17:50Beauty and the Beast.
17:51Beauty and the Beast may be an animated Disney movie,
17:54but that ballroom scene is really special.
17:57Ever as before,
17:59ever just as sure,
18:01as the sun will rise.
18:05The friendship between Belle and the Beast has been steadily growing throughout the film,
18:09and it soon becomes clear that there's something there that wasn't there before.
18:13As the two friends dance alone together in the empty ballroom,
18:16Angela Lansbury's Mrs. Potts provides the musical commentary.
18:20Bittersweet and strange,
18:22finding you can change,
18:25learning you were wrong.
18:28Despite the grand setting and Belle's gorgeous dress,
18:31it's a quiet, intimate moment between two people who are just beginning to fall in love.
18:36The scene has been replicated in the remake and referenced in Enchanted,
18:39and both are beautiful moments.
18:42But nothing beats the original.
18:44Tale as old as time,
18:47song as old as rhyme,
18:52beauty and the beast.
19:01When Audrey Hepburn put on a ballet-length wedding dress to dance with Fred Astaire in Funny Face,
19:06she delighted audiences and set a new trend.
19:20In this scene,
19:21Hepburn's character Joe is dressed up for a photo shoot with Astaire's Dick Avery.
19:25In such a setting,
19:27the mood soon turns romantic,
19:28and they dance to a song called
19:30He Loves and She Loves by George and Ira Gershwin.
19:38Astaire was nearing the end of his film career when he shot Funny Face,
19:42and was three decades older than Hepburn.
19:44However,
19:45she wasn't about to pass up the chance to dance with one of the greats,
19:48and reportedly insisted on Astaire for her leading man.
20:10The documentary movie Mad Hot Ballroom told the story of Pierre Dulain's dancing classrooms,
20:16a project that brought ballroom dancing to inner city kids.
20:25Take the lead fictionalized Dulain's life with Antonio Banderas in the starring role.
20:30The movie has plenty of great dancing scenes,
20:32from the three-way tango to the final waltz,
20:35but the most memorable moment is when Pierre gets his dancing shoes on
20:38to demonstrate the Argentine tango to the class.
20:48The troubled teens have been resistant so far,
20:51but when their teacher brings in a star student to show off her stuff,
20:54they finally allow themselves to be impressed.
21:05Number 3.
21:06The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing
21:08White Christmas
21:10Old Hollywood gave us some of the most technically skilled ballroom dancing on film,
21:14and birthed a whole new form of dance.
21:28The American Smooth incorporates elements of the Viennese waltz and the foxtrot,
21:32but is much less regimented.
21:34This scene from White Christmas is one of the loveliest examples of the dancing style.
21:49Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen are the movie's second leads,
21:53but the best dancers of the foursome.
21:55This dance marks the beginning of their character's romance,
21:57and is one of the film's standout scenes.
21:59It's a classy yet creative routine that never gets boring.
22:13Number 2.
22:14The Paso Doble
22:15Strictly Ballroom
22:16This Baz Luhrmann movie was part of the inspiration behind Strictly Come Dancing,
22:21and later Dancing with the Stars.
22:26It follows a young ballroom dancer who joins forces with a total beginner
22:30to take part in a big competition.
22:32Scott teaches Fran how to dance, but he also learns from his unlikely partner.
22:36Fran's a girl from the wrong side of the tracks,
22:39but her family are of Spanish descent, and the Paso Doble is in her blood.
22:48Her father and grandmother teach Scott how to really feel the rhythm,
22:52which comes in handy during the finale when their dance is sabotaged and the music cuts out.
22:56Instead of ruining their routine, their naysayers only add to the atmosphere.
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23:42Number 1.
23:43Dancing Cheek to Cheek
23:45Top Hat
23:45When it comes to ballroom dancing,
23:47Fred Astaire is the gold standard.
23:49And of course, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred did,
23:52except backwards and in high heels.
23:54I seem to find the happiness I see
24:00When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek
24:06Their partnership produced plenty of delicious movie moments
24:09in films including Swing Time and the story of Vernon and Irene Castle.
24:13However, this routine from Top Hat is probably their most famous scene together.
24:17Dancing to Irvin Berlin's Cheek to Cheek,
24:20Fred and Ginger are the epitome of rhythm and grace.
24:31The dress moves beautifully, just like the dancers.
24:31Rogers had to fight for her satin and ostrich feather gown,
24:34which, if you're wondering, was pale blue.
24:37The feathers may have shed everywhere,
24:39but the dress moves beautifully, just like the dancers.
24:54Which ballroom scene could you dance all night to?
24:56Let us know in the comments.
24:58That was very nice.
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