It's late, the cat's sleeping on my lap, I'm out of new books to read....
For my own enjoyment, I've put together a list of my favorite dance scenes in films and TV shows. I love love love it when dancers are hilariously awkward and those are the clips I started looking for but pretty soon I was watching all my old favorite dance numbers.
Here are my favorite (excluding all those that don't have clips on YouTube, anyway) dances.
AWKWARD DANCES:
The master of dance, Fred Astaire, drunk. From the 1942 movie Holiday Inn.
Thandie Newton and Gerald Butler in Rocknrolla, planning a heist.
From Flight of the Conchords - Brett dances when he's angry and he's very angry now.
This is pretty much exactly the way I dance now. Except, you know, without guys lifting me up. Or rhythm. I don't bother with that stuff. (Mostly because I don't have any.)
Ellen, before she started dancing EVERY SINGLE DAY on her talk show.
Abigail Breslin's dance at the beauty pageant in Little Miss Sunshine.
My brother and I learned this dance from Perfect Strangers and used to do it all the time and every now and then, we'll do it just to keep in practice. The end is my favorite bit. Usually, I'm the one who gets carried but once in a while, we switch things up and as soon as he jumps into my arms, we both end up on the ground.
Another Fred Astaire classic, from Swing Time. His character, a professional dancer, has to pretend he can't dance so he can meet Ginger Rogers' character, a dance instructor.
Later, Astaire shows off what he's learned from Ginger Rogers. Infinitely less awkward.
I had to leave out that epitome of awkward dancers, Napoleon Dynamite because the only clip I could find starts automatically and I think that's obnoxious. If you want to watch it, it's here.
OTHER AWESOME DANCE SCENES:
That moment in The Fisher King when Robin Williams' character spots the love of his life in Grand Central Station.
This clip from The Fifth Element could have gone either way - the Blue Diva has some incredibly lame dance moves but Milla is nothing but awesome.
The Cell Block Tange from Chicago. Sexy, funny, brilliantly choreographed. Really, the entire movie is phenomenal. It's hard to choose just one song.
The always magical Singin' In The Rain. Happiest number ever.
I was torn between this clip and Fred and Ginger dancing to Cheek to Cheek but in the end I chose this one because her dress is prettier.
El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge. I could (and have) watch this scene over and over. Everything about it is just perfect. This particular clip is different from the film version - it's the entire song but the clip focuses on the dancers, not showing the scenes with Nicole Kidman.
Finally, two clips from my favorite canceled TV show, Pushing Daisies. I cheated a litte here - there's not much dancing but they're still magical musical moments.
