10 Best Movies About Dancing That You Should Watching Update 03/2024

Movies About Dancing

Dancing is a common theme in many films, and they appear in a variety of genres. According to IMDb, these are the finest.

Despite the fact that dance has traditionally been performed on stage in a live setting, there have been a few instances of dance being shown on the big screen over the years. Dancing has found a home in the film industry, from romantic comedies starring dancers to psychological thrillers that examine the darker side of the art form.

It’s not enough to simply have some dance components in a film to make it onto our list; it has to be prominent. Most of the movies on this list don’t make the cut since they don’t contain a character who is actively pursuing a dance profession.

10. Save The Last Dance (2001) – 6.2

Save The Last Dance (2001)

Save the Last Dancing, a teen dance film, comes in at No. 10 with a rating of 6.5.

It was released in 2001 and starred 10 Things I Hate About You star Julia Stiles and District star Sean Patrick Thomas, both of whom have a tangled love for dancing. Together, they prepare for a dance audition and deal with the challenges of being an interracial couple at the same time.

Save the best for last….

went on to win multiple MTV Movie Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and even garnered Thomas a Young Hollywood Award for his performance in the film.

9. Tap (1989) – 6.5

Tapis a 1989 film about a brilliant tap dancer and veteran thief, Max Washington (Gregory Hines), who has recently been released from prison. Little Mo (Sammy Davis Jr.), the father of Max’s fiancée, invites him to assist him at the dancing studio he co-owned with Max’s father upon his release from prison.

A 6.5 rating on IMDb places the picture in ninth place on the list of all-time top dance flicks.

When Sammy Davis Jr. passed away in 2011, Tapis was credited with being the actor who played him in his final feature film role.

8. Step Up (2006) – 6.5

Step Up (2006)

Only Step Up is mentioned on this list since it has a 6.5 rating on IMDb and is the only Step Up film to have ever been made.

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan star in the 2006 picture as the lead love interests, but the story revolves around Tatum’s Tyler. As a result of the poor reviews, the film made $114.1 million at the box office, even though it only cost $12 million to produce.

7. Footloose (1984) – 6.6

In terms of the top dancing movies of all time, the Kevin Bacon starrer Footlooselands comes in at number 7 with a score of 6.6. To prove that dancing should not be forbidden, Ren McCormack (Bacon) sets out to prove to his new community that it’s not a crime.

However, despite the film’s mixed reviews, it became an 80s classic and has had a significant influence on popular culture. Additional adaptations include a Broadway show, and a 2011 remake with Kenny Wormald as Kevin Bacon’s character.

6. Center Stage (2000) – 6.7

Center Stage (2000)

Center Stage is an adolescent dance drama that focuses on a group of young adults who have all been admitted into the prestigious American Ballet School. Each of the outstanding dancers faces their own challenges while attempting to prove to themselves and the Academy that they are worthy of performing on stage.

As a feature debut for both Zoe Saldana and Amanda Schull, Center Stage has been hailed as a success.

Films based on the film have also been made, and a TV series is currently under development, as well.

5. White Nights (1985) – 6.7

White Nights is the third 80s-released dance picture to join the list of the greatest dance films of all time, according to critics.

In White Nights, Mikhail Baryshnikov plays the role of ballet dancer Nikolai Rodchenko, who is stranded in Siberia after an emergency landing.

When he returns to his native city of Leningrad, he meets an American dancer, who introduces him to her husband (Gregory Hines). The two of them intend to flee to the American consulate in order to avoid capture.

Even though Baryshnikov and Hines provide remarkable dance routines, White Nights is underappreciated when it comes to dance flicks.

4. Saturday Night Fever (1977) – 6.8

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Saturday Night Fever was John Travolta’s film dancing debut prior to his performance of Danny Zuko inGrease, which most people are familiar with.

An aspiring dancer named Tony Manero (Travolta) stars in the film.

He and Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) wind themselves competing in a dancing competition, and he begins to fall in love with her.

Saturday Night Fever helped to popularize disco music around the world at the time of its release. In spite of this, the film depicted the subculture of disco in a misogynistic manner.

3. Dirty Dancing (1987) – 7

Dirty Dancing is the best dance film of the 1980s, which is why it came in third on the list of the greatest dance films. Jennifer Grey stars as a rich girl who finds herself on vacation with her family in the 1980s classic. She meets Johnny (Patrick Swayze), the resort’s dancing instructor, while she’s there. After a series of mishaps, Baby steps in to be Johnny’s dancing partner, against her father’s objections.

Both financially and critically, Dirty Dancing was a huge hit. Best Original Song won an Academy Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical.

2. Billy Elliot (2000) – 7.7

Billy Elliot (2000)

Billy Elliot, a British dance drama, takes second place with a rating of 7.7 out of 10.

Billy, a young kid who takes up dance against his father’s desires, is the focus of the film, which is set in England during the 1984-1985 miners strike.

Against a budget of under $5 million, the film made $109.3 million at the box office. Three Academy Award nominations followed, as well as a musical adaptation of the film.

1. Black Swan (2010) – 8

Black Swan, unlike most of the films on this list, chose to focus on the harsh realities that some ballerinas have to cope with in order to maintain their careers in the arts.

Nina (Natalie Portman), a prima ballerina who ends up fighting for the featured part in Swan Lakeagainst the equally gifted Lily (Sarah Jessica Parker) (Mila Kunis). Natalie Portman won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film.