Everyone loves music. It is a source of stimulation that follows us through the various stages of our lives, and usually evolves as we grow older. Whatever musical genre we prefer is irrelevant — it could be any genre, but there is always at least one that fills up our daily playlists. Perhaps part of the magic of music is the thrill of sharing it with others, remembering loved ones through songs, and singing and dancing along with your best friends. Music connects us with people, and so does dancing, so they often hold a special place in the fondest memories of many.
Music and dancing are two elements that are often featured in a great number of movie and TV productions. In fact, there is one genre devoted entirely to them: movie musical productions. These films are packed with iconic dance scenes and songs that turned into classics, with perfectly remembered lyrics and choreography still in use today. Among them, it is worth mentioning John Travolta and Olivia Newton John grooving to “You’re The One That I Want” in Grease, or Gene Kelly waving his umbrella around in Singin’ in the Rain, among countless other legendary shots.
Although it is expected to find dance scenes in musical films, a different thing happens when they appear in non-musical productions. Over the course of film history, several directors have managed to feature outstanding dance breakout scenes in their movies regardless of not being related to musicals, turning that production into a legend and imprinting the memory of that song and its performance in the audience’s memory forever. This article lists some of the best dance breakout scenes in non-musical movies.
8 10 Things I Hate About You
Touchstone Pictures
The 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You ranks among the best rom-coms of its decade. Bianca was considered the queen of Padua High School, while her older sister Kat was rather the opposite: unruly, anti-social, and with little interest in school. Their overprotective father had just one single rule: Bianca could date if Kat dated too. Aware of this rule, Cameron, a new student obsessed with Bianca, decided to hire Patrick, the school’s bad boy, to seduce Kat. Little did Patrick know that he would end up falling in love with her. As part of his attempts to show her his affection, this character portrayed by Heath Ledger performed “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in front of the whole school with the help of the marching band. This performance managed to impress Kat, earning him a spot in detention, and also one among the best love statements in teen movies of that era.
7 Little Miss Sunshine
Searchlight Pictures
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, who were husband and wife, made their directorial debut as a team in the black comedy Little Miss Sunshine. In this 2006 movie, the audience was introduced to a dysfunctional family, the Hoovers. When Olive was chosen to participate in a child beauty pageant, the girl worked out a routine with the help of her grandfather as the family set out on a journey to California, where the pageant was being held. After an unfortunate trip, they managed to get there, and as soon as they entered the establishment, they felt out of place. The other girls were totally different from Olive, although both she and her family were confident in her talents. However, by the time it was her turn to do her routine, Olive horrified the judges and pageant families with a slightly provocative dance to “Super Freak.” Her family, attempting to support her, jumped on board with her choreography, which led to one of the most iconic scenes in the film.
6 Risky Business
Geffen Pictures
Risky Business was the film that launched Tom Cruise to stardom. In it, he played Joel Goodsen, an excellent high school student from a very wealthy family. When his parents went on a trip, Joel was left alone in his house, so his best friend encouraged him to have a little fun. Armed with this newfound freedom, the young man started doing things he’d always wanted to do: drinking a bottle of scotch from his father’s collection and dancing around the house with no pants on to “Old Time Rock and Roll,” leaving his mark among cinema’s most iconic shots.
5 Beetlejuice
Warner Bros.
In Beetlejuice, the 1988 Tim Burton movie, the Deetz family bought a house that once belonged to the deceased Barbara and Adam, both of whom were still living there. Oddly enough, the only person who was able to see this ghostly couple was Lydia, a young photographer wannabe, who quickly formed a good friendship with them. Barbara and Adam made it their mission to keep the Deetzes away from their place, so as part of this task, in the midst of a big family dinner with friends, they haunted and frightened them. As such, Charles and Delia started singing and dancing with horror to the rhythm of “Day O,” also known as “The Banana Boat Song.” They were accompanied by their guests, who, terrified, followed them in the choreography.
4 Pulp Fiction
Miramax
Pulp Fiction’s dance scene is probably the most iconic scene in the movie, which in itself features several memorable scenes. In this Quentin Tarantino film, John Travolta and Uma Thurman left their mark on movie history as Vincent and Mia. She was the wife of Vincent’s boss, and Vincent was entrusted with the task of taking her out to dinner and making her happy. In the midst of their dinner at a retro diner called Jackrabbit Slim’s, a Twist contest kicked off, and Mia wanted to win the trophy. So they both dance to “You Never Can Tell,” a Chuck Berry song. This scene was striking for many reasons, among them, their facial expressions in contrast to their body movements during the twist.
3 The Breakfast Club
Universal Studios
In The Breakfast Club, a brainiac, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a juvenile delinquent were punished by being sent to detention, and had to attend school for a whole Saturday. The five students, who seemed to have nothing in common with each other, were assigned to write a 1000-word essay. As detention dragged on, they discovered that, after all, they were not as incompatible as they thought to be. Halfway through their punishment and after smoking together, Brian, Andrew, Allison, Claire and John all danced to Karla DeVito’s “We Are Not Alone,” a song that described the main characters of the story perfectly.
2 13 Going On 30
Revolution Studios
13 Going On 30 has proven that a great song can redeem even the dullest party. In this acclaimed 2004 romantic comedy, Jenna, a 13-year-old teenager, woke up at 30 with no idea of what happened along the way. While adjusting to her new age, Jennifer Garner’s character was reunited with old friends and lovers, such as Matt (Mark Ruffalo), but she discovered that, as time went by, she failed to become the person she hoped to be: she turned out to be a selfish woman who was only concerned about succeeding, regardless of the consequences. This clash with her inner child drew a lot of attention from those around her in her adult life, especially for her attitude, which had changed greatly over a short period of time. One of the most iconic scenes in the film was precisely when Jenna danced to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” a risky move that ended up saving a party that was on the brink of failure.
1 The Mask
New Line Cinema
This 1994 movie was Cameron Diaz’s acting debut and scored Jim Carrey a Golden Globe nomination and stardom as a comedy lead actor. In the film, Carrey starred as Stanley Ipkiss, a washed-up man whose life changed when he found a mask that granted him supernatural powers when worn. While wearing the mask, Stanley broke into the bank he worked at to steal money and gain access to a club where Tina, his love interest, used to dance. Once inside, armed with the courage that the mask gave him, Stanley impressed Tina by leading a dance performance to the song “Hey Pachuco!” by Royal Crown Revue. Little did Stanley know that, while the two of them were dancing, Dorian Tyrell, the young woman’s mobster boyfriend, was out to get revenge for losing the bank’s money. Another iconic dance scene in The Mask is the one where Carrey performed “Cuban Pete” while being surrounded by the police.
