Top 10 Dance Scenes with Elaborate Sets
#10: “Fight the Power”
“Do the Right Thing” (1989)
Rosie Pérez made her film debut in Spike Lee’s hard-hitting 1989 masterpiece. She’s actually the first performer we see in “Do the Right Thing.” The former “Soul Train” dancer exhibits her skills while Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” blasts on the soundtrack. Her routine is framed against a large projection of sights around the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood where the movie takes place. Throughout her dance, the buildings behind Perez are cast in different colored gel lights. It actually changes the entire way the same unmoving photos look. It’s a technically simple set-up, but it’s really effective on screen.
#9: “Gutterballs”
“The Big Lebowski” (1998)
Starring as The Dude, Jeff Bridges gave life to an instantly iconic character. This guy gives new meaning to the word “chill.” After being drugged by some evil henchmen, the Dude dreams of an extended dance sequence inspired by his one true love, bowling. We’re treated to surreal images like rows of bowling shoes leading up to a full moon, a checkerboard staircase, and showgirls with bowling pin headpieces. Julianne Moore’s Viking get-up is just an added bonus of unhinged hilarity. Bridges’ goofy smile and loose moves tie it all together. What does it all mean? Bowling is life, man.
#8: “Shall We Dance?”
“The King and I” (1956)
Anna Leonowens teaches the stern King Mongkut how to dance the polka. “Shall We Dance?” is incredibly romantic and sumptuous to the eye. The two are connecting on an intimate level, surrounded by the overwhelming beauty of the king’s fully realized palace. As Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner sweep across the great hall, the camera pans and tilts with them so we can also take in the enormous room. Designed to look incredible and elegant in CinemaScope, the set is a marvel. With its golden columns, delicate statues, and choreo-friendly flooring, it’s both a perfect performance space and a nod to Thailand’s history.
#7: “42nd Street”
“42nd Street” (1933)
Busby Berkeley was a legendary director and choreographer of the classic Hollywood period. His dance numbers were known for playing with perspective and geometric shapes. His choreography for the title number of “42nd Street” is a masterstroke. Stars Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell join an ensemble of dancers to perform multiple dramatic urban scenes that play out across the impossibly elaborate New York City street. Forced perspective and editing tricks account for the enormity of the set. It’s clearly on a soundstage instead of a theater stage but it’s a feast for the eyes anyway.
#6: “Cell Block Tango”
“Chicago” (2002)
Like most of this Best Picture winning musical, this number straddles the line between reality and fantasy. Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as Velma Kelly, one of the six merry murderesses of the Cook County Jail. “Cell Block Tango” sees the inmates narrating the circumstances that landed them behind bars. In the fantastical performance space, they dance in the shadow and lights of a stage. As their dances of death pick up force, the blending of the prison cell iconography and the glitz of showbiz is twisted and completely perfect. The imagery of slinky silhouettes framed by hot red lights became a defining image of the movie.
#5: “Dancing Through Life/Ozdust Ballroom”
“Wicked” (2024)
From its very first trip to the big screen, “The Wizard of Oz” has put its actors through the paces when it comes to dancing through fantastical environments. “The Wiz” had stars Diana Ross and Michael Jackson prancing across a surreal landscape inspired by New York City. The beloved 2024 musical adaptation has Jonathan Bailey “Dancing Through Life” in the gorgeously ornate Shiz University library. Co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande then share a devastating duet at the cavernous, crystalline Ozdust Ballroom. The entire sequence packs a huge punch largely because of the way the actors are interacting with the very real spaces. While enhanced by computer generated imagery, the sets are not greenscreened in.
#4: “I’m Just Ken”
“Barbie” (2023)
Ryan Gosling scored an Oscar nomination for his role as Ken, the living doll who craves Barbie’s attention. He really delivers in this well-deserved five-minute dance-slash-battle sequence with all the other Kens on their beloved beach. “I’m Just Ken” is an ‘80s power ballad about how hard it is to be…well, Ken. It showcases Gosling, a great song, and the incredible practical sets and miniature models of “Barbie.” Showing the Dreamhouses and plastic plants, pink sand and impossibly blue “water,” the song is the perfect excuse to showcase the design team’s work. The whole sequence finishes with a group dance in an unreal, blue and pink dreamspace.
#3: Ballet Sequence
“The Red Shoes” (1948)
This opulent melodrama is about a ballet dancer torn between two loves, a man and her career. Directed by the legendary British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, “The Red Shoes” stages her conflict through a fairy tale ballet instead of dialogue. But the climax isn’t just a filmed stage performance. The movie instead takes us through a lush dance sequence, designed to illustrate the character’s subconscious. Star Moira Shearer was trained as a ballerina. As a result, she was able to do her own dancing through all the expressionistic and often liminal set pieces. Clocking in at over 15 minutes, “The Ballet of the Red Shoes” is still spellbinding.
#2: “You’re All the World to Me”
“Royal Wedding” (1951)
Fred Astaire was one of Hollywood’s greatest dancers. As a result, he always had to top himself. In 1951’s “Royal Wedding,” he somehow defied gravity. The set he’s dancing in seems unremarkable when you look at it. It’s only when Astaire starts dancing up the walls and on the ceiling that you realize it’s anything but unremarkable. The set was built in a large box that was then rotated on an axis, allowing Astaire to just follow the gravity. With the camera moving with the set, it appears that only the performer is in motion. This set-up is so incredible, it’s still being referenced today.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“Hello, Dolly!,” “Hello, Dolly!” (1969)
Barbra Streisand Dines Out in Style
“Get Down Saturday Night,” “Ex Machina” (2015)
Oscar Isaac & Sonoya Mizuno Trip the Neon Light Fantastic
“I’ve Gotta Hear That Beat,” “Small Town Girl” (1953)
Ann Miller Dances Past the Band’s Disembodied Limbs
“Hindi Sad Diamonds,” “Moulin Rouge!” (2001)
Nicole Kidman & Co-Stars Perform Their Big Show’s Opening Number
#1: The Ballet
“An American in Paris” (1951)
The artists behind this classic musical looked to its French setting for inspiration. Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron’s climactic ballet sees the two powering through a demanding routine. They make it look effortless. What makes the sequence so special is that it plays out against detailed and artful backdrops inspired by the country’s most legendary landmarks and artists. Their romantic duet of movement plays out against and even between the massive set pieces. At 17 minutes, the scene is a marvel. Costing nearly half a million dollars to produce - a huge amount in 1951 - it’s the perfect encapsulation of what made the classic era great.
Which of these scenes had you seen before? Tell us in the comments.
