Continuing our look into movies using dance as the backdrop to the story, here are a few more that capture that theme. I’ve also noticed that the decade of the 80s really tried to take advantage of the dance vibe producing many classics along the way.
Tap
(1989) Starring Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr.
An ex-con just released from jail, Max Washington (Gregory Hines), is a veteran burglar, but he’s also a talented tap dancer. Reuniting with his girlfriend, Amy (Suzzanne Douglas), Max is approached by her father, Little Mo (Sammy Davis Jr.), about a new dance production. Max’s criminal past, in the form of his old buddy, Nicky (Joe Morton), also comes knocking, however, and he must decide between embracing dance and lapsing into his delinquent ways.
Flashdance
(1983) Starring Jennifer Beals
Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals) is a beautiful young woman who works a day job in a steel mill and dances in a bar at night. When Alex discovers that her handsome boss, Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), is both interested in her and supportive of her performing career, she renews her efforts to get accepted into a prestigious dance conservatory. Although Alex is frightened of failure, she is cheered on by Nick, as well as by her mentor, former ballet performer Hanna Long (Lilia Skala).
Breakin’
(1984) Starring Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo Quinones, and Michael Chambers
Kelly (Lucinda Dickey) is a classically trained jazz dancer who’s tired of warding off her amorous teacher and hungry for a new outlet. When she befriends street dancers Ozone (Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quinones) and Turbo (Michael “Boogaloo Shrimp” Chambers), she’s blown away by their unique and original moves. She soon volunteers to help them defeat a rival group of street dancers, learning break-dancing skills along the way and sharing some moves of her own.
Footloose
(1984) Starring Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow
Moving in from Chicago, newcomer Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) is in shock when he discovers the small Midwestern town he now calls home has made dancing and rock music illegal. As he struggles to fit in, Ren faces an uphill battle to change things. With the help of his new friend, Willard Hewitt (Christopher Penn), and defiant teen Ariel Moore (Lori Singer), he might loosen up this conservative town. But Ariel’s influential father, Reverend Shaw Moore (John Lithgow), stands in the way.
Staying Alive
(1985) Starring John Travolta
Six years after his glittering triumph in the disco dance contest of “Saturday Night Fever,” an older and wiser Tony Manero (John Travolta) works as a serious dance teacher in New York City and dreams of making it on Broadway. Manero gets his shot when his girlfriend, Jackie (Cynthia Rhodes), gets him an audition for a daring new show called “Satan’s Alley.” Manero lands a part as a backup dancer and falls back into old habits as he lusts after Broadway bad girl Laura (Finola Hughes).
Lambada
(1990) Starring J Eddie Peck
After a long day of teaching entitled high school students in Beverly Hills, Calif., Kevin Laird (J. Eddie Peck) likes to spend the evening dancing the Lambada at Latin clubs. There, he’s known by the monicker “Blade,” and his libidinous dance moves have made him a local sensation. What’s more, he tutors some of the club’s underprivileged patrons in math. It may all seem innocent enough, but his future is threatened when one of his rich students, Sandy (Melora Hardin), spots him at the club.