Top 10 Awesome Christopher Walken Dance Moments

Before he was an Oscar-winning actor, this man was born to dance! Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Christopher Walken Dance Moments.

For this list, we’re taking a look at movies, television appearances, and music videos that feature Walken demonstrating his toe-tapping skills.

“Wayne’s World 2” (1993)
Wayne and Garth are at it again in this silly sequel, and this time, the guy out to steal Wayne’s main squeeze Cassandra is her new producer, Bobby Cahn. And you’ll never guess who plays Mr. Steal Yo Girl! A smooth-as-silk Christopher Walken. Bobby surprises everyone with his impressive – and sexy – moves when he grabs Cassandra and starts grooving, twirling and grinding on the dance floor. As you can imagine, this all makes Wayne pretty jealous – and not just cause of the fancy footwork. But we gotta admit: if we were in Wayne’s shoes, we’d wish we could dance like Walken too.

“Around the Bend” (2004)
In this story of forgiveness and coming-of-age, Walken plays Turner Lair, the crazed father to Josh Lucas’ Jason. Turner is back with his family after abandoning them 30 years earlier, and together with his son and grandson, he embarks on a trip to scatter some ashes. Along the way, there’s bonding and redemption to be found, and if none of this sounds like the setup for a dance scene, you clearly don’t know Chris Walken. While the others sleep, Turner busts out some dance moves, lit only by their van’s headlights, for pretty much no reason. Wacky? Yes. Unexpected? Sure. Walken? To a tee.

“The Deer Hunter” (1978)
The fact that Walken earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this movie probably had little to do with his dancing skills, but hey, you never know. Before the men are shipped off to Vietnam and the true drama of this war film starts, we see the characters live a few moments of happiness. And you’d better believe Walken cuts a rug more than once. When he’s drinking and playing pool with his buddies and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” comes on, Walken can’t help himself. And later, at a wedding, when the Russian dancing starts, Walken stands out from the crowd like only he can.

“Communion” (1989)
“Communion” is the so-called based on a true story tale of one man’s interactions with extraterrestrials. From a cabin in the woods, to group therapy sessions, this alien abduction movie takes you on quite the emotional rollercoaster. Peppered between these strange moments are even stranger moments where Whitley Strieber, as portrayed by Walken, dances with aliens in a seemingly dreamlike state. There’s fog. There’s bowing. There’s a handshake and some teasing. And then there’s those crazy dance moves. No big deal, right? Well, given that it’s a Christopher Walken joint, probably not.

“Plots with a View” [aka “Undertaking Betty”] (2002)
How many people can say they’ve seen a tap dance routine performed at a funeral? Well, if you’d like to, check out this dark comedy. Christopher Walken plays Frank Featherbed, an undertaker with a revolutionary idea about “themed funerals.” At the funeral in question, the theme is clearly old Broadway theatre: the guests are greeted by showgirls, they’re treated to the aforementioned dance number – complete with sequins, top hats and canes – and, to top it all off, they get to hear the dearly departed sing one last time… through a cardboard standee, of course. All in a day’s work for Mr. Walken.

“Search and Destroy” (1995)
We’re not gonna mince words: this movie is weird. And what would a weird movie be without an out-of-place karaoke scene starring Christopher Walken? Though he’s only a supporting player in this 1995 drama, playing an eccentric rich guy who lives life on the edge, he’s definitely everything in this scene. Walken’s eating dinner, when all of a sudden he gets up, walks slowly yet confidently to the microphone at the front of the room, and starts singing and tap dancing for some reason. And everyone in the room is smiling when he takes the stage. That’s Walken for ya: always pleasing his public.

“Puss in Boots” (1988)
Walken definitely flaunts his theatrical roots in this film. Not only does he dance; he also sings his heart out. And when both happen at the same time, it’s just beautiful. Throughout this retelling of the classic tale of “Puss in Boots,” Walken (as Puss) shows off his finely tuned skills and cat-like reflexes, using them to confidently stand out every time he’s onscreen. However, the most notable moment has to be when Walken dances into a kitchen and proceeds to jump on a table and let his dancing feet fly!

“Hairspray” (2007)
Okay, we’ll admit that matching John Travolta in dance in DRAG is a daunting prospect – like, come on, he’s been in some of the most iconic dance movies of all time! But Walken accepts the challenge and more than holds up his end of the bargain. In this rowdy musical, the world is changing a little too fast for this old married couple. But in a moment of doubt, they sing that their love for each other will never fade. And they dance, of course. And not just one style of dance: from a tango, to a waltz, to the can-can, the pair clearly has a great time. It’s definitely not just acting, either.

“Pennies from Heaven” (1981)
There go those tapping feet again! And you know what? That’s not even the best part of this dance routine. As Tom the pimp, Walken is surrounded by scantily clad women of the night. When he embarks on a tap number performed on top of a pool table, two of those ladies help him out with his striptease. Yup, you heard that right: Christopher Walken performs a striptease. His goal? To convince Lulu, portrayed by the talented Bernadette Peters, to become a prostitute. Well, if anyone’s up to that challenge, it’s Christopher Walken.

Before we dance our way to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
- Hallway Dance
“Joe Dirt” (2001)

- Crotch Thrust
“King of New York” (1990)

- Vengeance
“Peter Pan Live!” (2014)

“Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim (2001)
Who could deny this Spike Jonze-directed music video the top spot? Fatboy Slim may’ve produced the song, but the true star of this moment in music history is obviously Christopher Walken; the man completely owns the screen as he dances around a deserted hotel lobby. There are those tap dancing feet, those boogying arms and those grooving hips – and his musical theater dance training is on full display. Is it any wonder this music video not only won multiple awards at the 2001 MTV Video Awards, but also took home the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video? And Walken probably danced all the way home too.