Top 10 Moments We Found Out a Dancer Was a Great Actor
#10: Sarah Hay “Flesh and Bone” (2015)
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Prodigious American ballerina Sarah Hay clearly has a passion for acting. A few years after leaping with the Semperoper Ballet of Dresden, Germany, she landed “Flesh and Bone”. The Starz miniseries follows Claire Robbins’s experiences with a renowned ballet company, whose pressures push her to face her tra umatic past. Hay’s own history with such pressures, as well as her physical expressiveness, informed an intense screen presence. Her grasp of the subtler psychological thrills stood out, and she commanded the screen. Fittingly, she was nominated for a Golden Globe and won a Satellite Award. She has since earned additional roles that have allowed her to expand her range. In “Flesh and Bone”, though, there’s no denying Hay’s dynamic talent.
#9: Jennifer Lopez “Selena” (1997)
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Years before achieving pop stardom, Jennifer Lopez entered the entertainment industry as a backup dancer. Then, her tenure as a Fly Girl on “In Living Color” helped launch her onscreen career, and her subsequent breakout as the eponymous character in “Selena” was truly earned. The biopic chronicles the life of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, aka the “Queen of Tejano Music.” The riveting and heartbreaking vulnerability with which Lopez embodies the part has won her much praise, as well as a Golden Globe nomination. It proved she could act, and also foreshadowed her rise as one of Latin pop’s most recognizable stars. She still makes time to foster her ever-prolific dancing, singing, and acting career today. J.Lo has clearly served Selena’s legacy in more ways than one.
#8: Ariana DeBose “West Side Story” (2021)
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Audiences first met Ariana DeBose as a contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance”. She went on to blow up Broadway, while easing into movie and TV musicals. Then, everyone listened up after Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” DeBose plays the fiery yet optimistic Anita, who’s dating gang leader Bernardo. As the Sharks and the Jets’ war escalates, she tries to remain a voice of reason and resilience, though she’s ultimately pushed to her limit. The musical epic went beyond a showcase of the actress’ standout range in dancing and singing. Like it did for castmate Rita Moreno 60 years earlier, it also won DeBose the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Now, she's as in-demand on the screen as she is on the stage.
#7: Bob Fosse “My Sister Eileen” (1955)
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Choreographer, dancer, and director extraordinaire Bob Fosse knew how to capture deeply human storytelling through movement and jazz. But he could also act, and 1955’s “My Sister Eileen” was his big break in film. In the musical flick, which he choreographed, Fosse also plays Frank Lippincot, who falls in love with the title character as she seeks opportunity in New York. The iconically cool Fosse really warms up in this romantic role when he isn’t nailing his own snazzy routines. Frank otherwise keeps the comedy grounded as its heart. Fosse had acted before this, but his emotional and physical flexibility stole the spotlight in “My Sister Eileen.” Fosse’s on-screen versatility alone proves the genius of his craft.
#6: Leslie Caron “An American in Paris” (1951)
Gene Kelly was in Paris when he was struck by one dancer in Roland Petit’s ballet company. His discovery later amazed the world in “An American in Paris”. Leslie Caron portrays Lise Bouvier, Kelly’s love interest and source of conflict with a fellow artist. She might initially seem like a typical plot device for an Old Hollywood romance. But Caron brings an enchanting wit and depth to Lise, likely informed by her personal experiences in World War II-era Paris. Her expressionistic dance with Kelly in the film’s climax is still celebrated as a masterpiece. Caron would continue to win acclaim across numerous genres throughout her acting career. And it all started with some American walking into a ballet in Paris.
#5: Mikhail Baryshnikov “The Turning Point” (1977)
Few contemporary ballet dancers are as recognizable and celebrated as Mikhail Baryshnikov. He certainly raises the credibility of the Golden Globe-winning dance drama “The Turning Point”. He also holds his own with the stellar cast as Yuri, a womanizer who begins a relationship with a younger colleague. His performance is a dashing mix of commanding presence and vulnerability, and he makes the most of his chemistry with fellow ballet dancer Leslie Browne. The pair were themselves nominated for Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Baryshnikov has since built a notable screen career, and in many ways, this is where it all began.
#4: Rosie Perez “Fearless” (1993)
Rosie Perez’s natural dance skill has always been impossible to ignore, and allowed her to make her mark in the industry both as a dancer and choreographer. A few years after exploding onto the screen in “Do the Right Thing,” she took things to the next level in Peter Weir’s “Fearless.” Perez is Carla Rodrigo, who struggles to cope with a plane crash that claimed her child’s life. Her intense grief acts in contrast with the unstable euphoria of fellow survivor Max, played by Jeff Bridges. Perez brings a subtle emotional complexity to the role that challenges veteran dramatist Bridges, and the movie is better for it. The part earned the typically comedic actress many accolades, including an Oscar nomination, proving she’s incredibly multi-talented.
#3: Dorothy Dandridge “Carmen Jones” (1954)
Dorothy Dandridge’s singing and dancing continued to dazzle audiences after the end of the Dandridge Sisters. Sadly, the limited opportunities for Black actresses meant she didn’t get the amount of recognition she deserved for some time. Thankfully, that changed with a film adaptation of Hammerstein’s “Carmen Jones.” While Marilyn Horne dubs Dandridge’s singing, the latter’s passion as an actress is breathtaking. Her vivacious, visceral portrayal of a tragic figure made her the first Black woman ever nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. This was followed by several more powerful performances before Dandridge’s untimely death in 1965. Though she’s gone, her name will live on in history forever.
#2: Liza Minnelli “Cabaret” (1972)
The daughter of Judy Garland and director Vincente Minnelli would of course be a natural entertainer. Song-and-dance starlet Liza Minnelli still earned her own place in the film industry with the acclaimed dramedy “The Sterile Cuckoo”. But it was in Bob Fosse's “Cabaret” that she cemented her screen stardom. The drama explores Berlin bohemian life during the rise of Nazism, from the perspective of American cabaret performer Sally Bowles. Minnelli surely lights up the stage as Sally with iconic musical numbers. But she also poignantly embodies Sally's eccentricities and devastating reckoning with reality. The performance won her an Oscar, among many other awards. Besides paving the way for her EGOT, “Cabaret” firmly established her explosive career on the cinematic frontier.
#1: Fred Astaire “On the Beach” (1959)
Fred Astaire will always be known as one of classic Hollywood’s biggest stars, especially for his dancing with Ginger Rogers in musical comedies. Rogers was notably able to stand on her own two acting feet with her Oscar-winning turn in “Kitty Foyle”. But with “On the Beach”, a new generation was introduced to a new Astaire. He portrays Julian Osborn, a nuclear scientist whose developments have ushered in an apocalypse. It's a part of immense remorse and anger, and Astaire doesn't miss a step. The Golden Globe-nominated performance showed he could handle more serious roles, bringing the house down even without dancing. Of course, Astaire’s musical stardom never faded. But “On the Beach” remains a great revelation of the beloved dancer’s reach as an actor. What is your favorite acting performance by a dancer? Groove into the comments and let us know.
