Whether it’s the finger-snapping, cool moves in West Side Story or Gene Kelly’s tap dance jaunt down a rainy street in Singin’ in the Rain, dance numbers were the set pieces to any classic movie musical of yesteryear. But times have changed. In the age of hot music videos and So You Think You Can Dance reality TV, swingin’ on screen has taken on a whole new meaning. So, coinciding with the release of the latest sexy dance flick Step Up, we’ve chosen some of our most favorite modern movie dance sequences and rated them on their steaminess on a scale of 1 to 10.
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Set the Mood: It’s another frenetic night at the dark, fantastical Moulin Rouge. But for the young, impressionable poet Christian (Ewan McGregor), it’s a whole new world, as he makes his first foray into Paris’ legendary nightclub. As the master of ceremonies cries out, “Can-Can!,” scantily clad dancers rush onto the stage, pick up their skirts and kick it into high gear.
Sizzle Factor 6: Not so much bump and grind but some definite naughtiness in the choreography.
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Set the Mood: The film’s finale showing Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze) dancing their little number in perfect unison is sweet and all, but for our money, it’s an earlier scene in one of the back cabins at the Catskills resort, away from the stuffy patrons, where the guys loosen their ties—and the girls push their skirts up—on the dance floor. Baby gets an eyeful on just how dirrrrrrty things can get.
Sizzle Factor: 10: Are you kidding?
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Set the Mood: Hitman Vincent Vega (John Travolta) isn’t quite sure what to make of the beautiful Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman), the wife of his menacing boss. He has been told to take her out while the boss is out of town, and she demands to be taken to the ‘50s retro diner Jack Rabbit Slim’s for the best $5.00 milkshake ever. Then she makes Vincent do the twist with her to Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell.” The sexual tension is palpable.
Sizzle Factor: 8: You just know if Mia didn’t nearly OD snorting Vincent’s heroin later, a little sometin’ sometin’ would have happened.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Set the Mood: Napoleon (Jon Heder) isn’t really what you call the most popular kid at his high school, but he means well. And he’s loyal to his friends, especially Pedro (Efren Ramirez), who is running for class president. At the election rally, when Pedro discovers he has to perform a skit but has nothing prepared, Napoleon steps up to the challenge and shows off some surprisingly cool moves in a jammin’ dance number—and wins the election for Pedro. Who knew?
Sizzle Factor: 2: Well, it is Napoleon, after all. Not too sexy but worth watching.
Chicago (2002)
Set the Mood: Poor little Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger). She’s in jail for offing her abusive lover but once behind bars, realizes she isn’t at all alone. As the other female inmates gather round, they each illustrate their own story—on how their men definitely had it coming—by gyrating, snapping, whipping their bodies all over the screen. It’s a showstopper.
Sizzle Factor: 7: It’s all that fishnet and leg-splitting moves that get you.
Flashdance (1983)
Set the Mood: The young Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals) knows she won’t be a welder for the rest of her life. No, she wants to be a dancer. So in between soldering nuts and bolts and dancing at the local dive around the corner, Alex practices. Hard. Like a maniac. And we like to watch her do it.
Sizzle Factor: 6: For all the sweat pouring off her body alone.
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Set the Mood: Tony Manero (John Travolta, again) may be nobody in the real world, but on the disco floor, he’s king. The first time we get see Tony strut his stuff, in the white suit, swinging the hips, rolling the arms, with the dance floor lights changing with his moves and the tunes of the Bee Gees, we are mesmerized.
Sizzle Factor: 5: For the time, sure, Tony’s discoing was hot. But the sizzle has fizzled a bit since then.
Striptease (1996)
Set the Mood: We all heard about how Demi Moore got her body in top physical condition (surgical enhancements or not) to play Erin, the stripper trying to get her daughter back. But not until that first dance number, when Erin comes out in a suit jacket, tie, hat—and starts ripping them off to Annie Lennox’s “Money Can’t Buy It,” do we get the full picture. What a picture.
Sizzle Factor: 9: Demi—and her new bod—simply crackles with sensuality.
