I have a strong passion for film and – like pop music – I acknowledge the kitsch and novelty of the medium as much as I embrace it. An example of this is dance sequences, which is like the film equivalent of having a spoken word bridge in a pop song; it’s a stylized technique that adds another layer of genre to the overall piece.
Film has a long history of illustrious dance sequences, most recently including Marc Webb’s Five Hundred Days of Summer (2009) and Tom Ford’s A Single Man (2010). Often, dance sequences become the most memorable scene of a film. They somehow always manage to steal the show, and leave a lasting imprint on the audience’s memory.
I have come up with a small list of some of my all time favorite dance scenes in film history.
—Eric Hehr
BANDE A PART (1964)
VIVRE SA VIE (1962)
FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL KILL (1965)
PULP FICTION (1994)
BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970)
VIVA LAS VEGAS (1964)
GENTLEMAN PREFER BLONDES (1953)
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977)
MARY POPPINS (1964)
WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
IT’S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER (1955)
SWING TIME (1936)
