Dance Movies

You can watch beautiful dancing on the big or small screen! Pick and choose from this list of some of the best dance movies ever produced, taken from DanceHelp.com:

A Chorus Line (1985): This film is a look into the life of a classic jazz dancer who is auditioning for a part in the Broadway show. A director is casting dancers for a large production from numbers of dancers who audition. As the competition gets harder and is narrowed to a few dancers who compete for spots in the production. Rated PG-13.

All That Jazz (1979): Directed, written and choreographed by Bob Fosse, who depicts his own life story as a womanizing and drug-using, jazz dancer. Starring Roy Scheider and Jessica Lange. Rated R.

Billy Elliot (2000): A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected adoration of dance and the collapse of his family. With Jamie Bell, Jean Heywood, Jamie Draven. Rated PG-13.

Body Rock (1984): Chilly (Lorenzo Lamas) has a talent for break-dancing. When his moves catch notice of an industry professional, Chilly finds his dreams of fame and riches coming true, for better or for worse. Rated PG-13.

Breakin’ (1984): A struggling young jazz dancer (Lucinda Dickey) meets up with two break-dancers and they grow to be the sensation of the street crowds. Rated PG.

Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogoloo (1984): A developer tries to tear down a neighborhood recreation center to build on. The local kids and break-dancers try to stop it. Rated PG.

Bring it On (2000): Starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku and Gabrielle Union. A champion high school cheerleading/dance squad discovers its prior captain stole all their top routines from an inner-city school and must scramble to battle at this year's championships. Rated PG-13.

Burn the Floor (1999): An explosive voyage through dance featuring several of the world's champion ballroom and Latin dancers. Rated PG-13.

Cabaret (1972): Directed by Bob Fosse, starring Liza Minelli. An American cabaret dancer, working at the downtown "Kit-Kat club" where anything goes on the stage, comes into contact with several characters that take her on a journey. Rated PG.

Center Stage (2000): Starring Amanda Schull, Ethan Stiefel, Sasha Radetsky and Zoe Saldana and featuring Julie Kent. A story of a young ballet dancer who follows her dreams and gets into the American Ballet Academy of New York (that feeds into New York’s finest ballet company). Her trials and hardships in dance and in her love life take her on a journey… A must see for ballet lovers. Rated PG-13.

Damn Yankees! (1958): Starring Gwen Verdon, a Washington Senators fan who makes a pact with the Devil to help his baseball squad win the league pennant. Rated PG.

Dance Academy (1988): Choreographed by Dennon and Sayhber Rawles. Vince stumbles into a dance school, when he becomes entranced and joins. The school's manager, is about to throw him out for shenanigans when Moon, the school's unruly new jazz instructor, vouches for him. Rated PG.

Dance With Me (1998): Vanessa Williams, Chayanne, and Kris Kristofferson star. A Cuban boy comes to America to meet his dancer father, who has no idea he exists. Rated PG.

Dancemaker (1999): A documentary about dancing students that unravel the hardships of dance as a profession. Rated PG.

Dancers (1987): Allesandra Ferri and Mikhail Baryshnikov star in this drama about the life of dancers as they embark on a romance. Rated PG.

Danzòn (1991): Julia (Maria Rojo) is a telephone operator who divides her time between her career, her daughter and the Danzòn: a Cuban dance that is very popular in Mexico and Central America. Rated PG-13.

Dirty Dancing (1987): A classic starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray. Spending the summer in camp with her family, Frances ('Baby') falls head over heels for the dancing instructor. A must see for all dance lovers. Rated PG-13.

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004): Part two to the classic “Dirty Dancing.” An American girl and her parents arrive in Cuba right before the Revolution breaks out. She meets a local boy who instantly notices her dancing abilities and romances her. But as Castro's forces are forcing Americans to leave the country, will she stay or will she go? Rated PG-13.

Do You Wanna Dance? (1999): A comedy about a poor boy who aims to win over a well-to-do girl despite her parents' opposition (in the background of modern and traditional Greek dancing). Rated PG-13.

Fame (1980): At the New York City High School for the Performing Arts, students get expert training that often leads to success as dancers, singers, etc. This movie follows four students from the moment they audition to get into the school, through the time they graduate. Rated R.

Fast Forward (1985): A musical about eight dancers from Ohio, who come to New York, to compete in a major talent competition... Rated PG.

Flamenco (1975): A close-up look at the passionate and hard working life of Flamenco Dancers. Rated PG-13.

Flashdance (1983): A struggling Pittsburgh woman with two occupations as a welder and an exotic dancer wants to get into ballet school. Rated R.

Footloose (1984): Starring Kevin Bacon, Ariel Moore and featuring Sarah Jessica Parker. A city boy comes to a small religious town where rock music and dancing have been forbidden and banned. Rated R.

Hairspray (2007): Starring John Travolta, Amanda Bynes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Britney Snow and newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad. Pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show. Rated PG.

Honey (2003): Starring Jessica Alba. Honey (Alba) is a sexy, tough music video choreographer who’s life is shaken up after her mentor gives her an ultimatum: sleep with him or be blacklisted in the dance industry. Rated PG-13.

How She Move (2007): Following her sister's passing away from drugs, a high school student is forced to depart her private school to go back to her old, crime-filled neighborhood where she reawakens an dubious passion for step dancing. Rated PG-13.

Lambada (1990): Kevin Laird is a Beverly Hills teacher by day and a mystery man by night who uses Lambada dance moves to first earn the school kid's respect, in order to teach them academics. But when a jealous student exposes Kevin's dual life, his two worlds crash, threatening his employment and reputation. Rated PG-13.

Mad Hot Ballroom (2005): A documentary about the students of several New York City elementary schools learn ballroom dancing and compete in a city wide dance competition. Rated PG.

Planet B-Boy (2008): A documentary look at the history of break-dancing’s influencing urban cultures around the world. Unrated.

Rize (2005): A documentary. Rize chronicles one of the newest forms of original dance that arises out of South Central Los Angeles with roots in clowning and street moves. Rated PG-13.

Roll Bounce (2005): Starring Bow Wow and Nick Cannon: a film with the backdrop of the 1970s roller-skating rival kids at the local rink. Rated PG-13.

Roseland (1977): "Roseland" is made up of three intertwining stories, all set in the renowned New York dance palace with one thing in common: finding the right dance partner.

Salsa (1988): A movie that is all about Salsa, passion and performing. Rated PG.

Saturday Night Fever (1977): Starring John Travolta. A young Brooklyn man feels his only opportunity to get somewhere is as king of the disco dance floor. Rated R.

Save the Last Dance (2001): Starring Julie Stiles and Derek Reynolds. A white Mid-western girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past. She comes from a ballet background and dreams of getting into Julliard and he comes from a hip hop street style background, when their world’s collide so does their dancing. Rated PG-13.

Shall We Dance? (2004): Starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon. A workaholic takes an unexpected turn when he follows a beautiful woman to a Chicago dance studio and becomes a ballroom dancer. Rated PG-13.

Shall We Dance? (1997): This is the original version of the Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez movie in Japanese with English sub text.

Showgirls (1995): A young girl pushes her way to the top of Vegas as a Vegas Showgirl despite the hardships thrown in her path. Rated R.

Stayin’ Alive (1983): A documentary: "Stayin' Alive" launched disco fever which endured through the last quarter of the 20th century and into the new millennium.

Step Up (2006): A troubled teen commits a crime and is sentenced to community service in a dance school where he falls in love with dance and a girl. Rated PG-13.

Step Up 2: The Streets (2008): Romantic sparks occur between two dance students from different backgrounds at the Maryland School of the Arts. Rated PG-13.

Stepping Out (1991): Featuring Liza Minnelli, an incredibly entertaining “feel-good” dance film for the whole family to enjoy. Rated PG.

Stomp the Yard (2007): Starring Columbus Short and Meagan Good, featuring Ne-Yo. A troubled street dancer from Los Angeles is able to avoid juvenile hall by enrolling in college. But his efforts are sidelined when he is courted by the top two fraternities, both of which want and need his street-style dance moves to win the national step show competition. Rated PG-13.

Strictly Ballroom (1992): A comedy about competitive ballroom dancing between an unorthodox male ballroom dancer and a mousy girl that musters up enough courage to join him in his quest to blaze a trail into ballroom dancing despite the cynicism surrounding them.

Swing (2003): The story of a generational clash between a father and son about the conventional work life and following a dream. The music is hot, the dancing exciting, and the story lovely. Rated PG-13.

Swing Kids (1993): The story of a group of youth in Nazi Germany who listen and dance to forbidden swing regardless of the consequences. Rated PG-13.

Take the Lead (2006): Starring Antonio Banderas. The story of a dance teacher who believes in the talent of a group of problem kids he is required to teach. Rated PG-13.

Tango (1998): Mario is a tango dancer in his forties, whose wife has left him. He becomes inspired to make a film about tango. Rated PG-13.

Tap (1989): Starring the late Gregory Hines. Just released from prison, Max Washington must decide which of his earlier professions to return to: burglary or tap dancing. Rated PG-13.

That’s Dancing! (1985): The history of dance documented on film. Rated G.

The Company (2003): Starring Neve Cambell. A drama centered around ballet dancers, with a focus on one dancer (Campbell) who's poised to become a principal dancer. Rated PG-13.

The Forbidden Dance (1990): LAMBADA...If it got any hotter, it wouldn't be dancing! PG-13.

The In Crowd (1988): A young man of the rock and roll generation in his senior year of high school successfully gets on a popular teen dance television show and becomes a star. As he lives his new life, he finds adoring fans, jealous rivals, bitter friends left behind, and the girl of his dreams...his dance partner. Rated PG.

The Red Shoes (1948): A musical ballet of a girl who can’t stop dancing and dances until she goes mad and drops! Rated G.

The Tango Lesson (1997): A young girl meets a tango dancer on a trip to Paris, she meets him again in Buenos Aires some years later as they develop in love and in dance. Rated PG.

The Turning Point (1977): Possibly one of the most famous ballet movies of our time starring Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft. When her daughter joins a ballet company, a former dancer is forced to confront her long-ago decision to give up the stage to have a family. Enjoy some great ballet scenes from dancer Leslie Brown. Rated PG.

White Nights (1985): Starring Mikhail Baryshnikov. An expatriate Russian dancer is on a plane forced to land on Soviet territory. He is faced with an opportunity to defect from Russia to the USA with the help of a US citizen he comes in contact with. He can become a dancer for the Bolshoi again back in Russia, but he chooses to escape to dance in America. Rated PG-13.

You Got Served (2004): In order to achieve their dream of opening a recording studio, two friends must first win their city's dance contest: a street style competition that pits them against a group of tough street dancers. Rated PG-13.