#dancepower

5-      Mean Girls, Mark Water (2004)

MOST GIRLY

Ah the cult teen movie! Where Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the mistake of falling for Aaron Samuels, the ex-boyfriend of their “queen’’ Regina George. And this scene takes place during the school’s Christmas talent show where the girls are presenting the same routine they do every year, but this time with Cady. And the whole vibe the scene conveys is just so ridiculously hilarious. The girly shallow superficial world of this movie can be summed up with this dance only. A dance that shocks innocent Cady’s parents, while Regina’s mother knows all the steps by heart. Pathetic dance, but we just love it! If you don’t, then #youcan’tsitwithus.

4-      Pride and Prejudice, Joe Wright (2005)

MOST FRUSTRATING

Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with her, while she’s beneath his class. The scene is a sequence typically representing pride... and prejudice (Gee! What a coincidence!), subtly expressed through dance. It is a lovely playful seduction game, based on back and forth movements of Elizabeth and William, approaching each other, escaping from each other, slightly brushing each other, while other guests keep separating them, then reuniting them again, through the tradition of a 19-century ball. The frustration that is stemming from this sequence is almost suffocating. The brief shy looks that they exchange portray the romantic mood of that century and convey the discreet flirting floating in the air. *Sigh* Compare that to dancing in a hot disgusting nightclub, with lingering odors of smoke and alcohol, and strangers trying to get you to dance with them. Oh boy, things really were different in my time.

3-     High heels, Pedro Almodovar (1991)  

MOST ECCENTRIC

Becky returns after 15 years to find her daughter, Rebecca, has married one of her  mother's old boyfriends. They try to mend their broken mother/daughter relationship and deal with their common lover. We, movie lovers, are all familiar with Almodovar’s crazy vibe. But I judge this one - and I allow you not agree with me - to be the most insane one. When Rebecca goes to prison, many women unexpectedly come out of nowhere, they form a group and they start dancing on a sudden music. They’re all wearing joyful and colorful clothes, and the weird choreography follows a vivid rhythmic music. I don’t know what came through Almodovar’s mind when he decided of this scene, but I kinda like the fact that we don’t get any explanation whatsoever. This scene is like a parenthesis to the story. We don’t know why it’s here, and we probably never will. But that’s the goal itself of this brief colorful eccentric dance moment.No reason. Just dance. 

2-      Little Miss Sunshine, Jonathan Dayton - Valerie Faris (2006)

MOST ENDEARING

A family determined to get their young daughter Olive into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus. And it’s a wrecked family who goes to the extreme, against all obstacles, out of love for their little girl. Each of them carry their own personal baggage, but we follow them onto this crazy journey. Through the whole film, we always hear of Olive practicing with her grandpa on her routine for the pageant. But we never get to watch the dance until the end. The build up of unfortunate events getting in their way naturally makes us expect something outstanding at the end. Plus, the story is so close to the heart, and the characters so endearing that we get attached to them; so when the fatal scene is here, we are ready for anything. And while we're waiting for something spectacular, we know deep inside that something unusual is going to happen, given the family’s natural attraction for troubles. Olive scandalizes and horrifies most of the audience and pageant judges with a burlesque performance that she joyfully performs. When the pageant judges demand that she gets off the stage, the whole family gets on the stage with Olive as a sign of protest. And this is what makes the scene a magma of sweetness and humor... A sad exhausted family reunited in love and tenderness, standing together through that grotesque dance against the world. I don’t know about you but I’m not sure my parents would have done the same for me. Nevertheless, little Olive’s dance dedicated to her dirty-minded grandpa is the cutest sexy dance (weird combination) I’ve ever seen.

1- Scent of a woman, Martin Brest (1992)

MOST ELEGANT

A prep school student needing money agrees to "babysit" a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated. For me, the story reaches some sort of climax with this sequence. Actually, this scene fully embodies the extent of Al Pacino’s talent. Don’t ask me how that’s possible but his starring blind eyes manage to be both empty and expressive. The way he guides the beautiful woman with the movements of his body gives the scene an elegant awkwardness. He holds on to her on every step, loosing and gaining balance, while her fear of him slowly becomes blind trust, along with happy giggles. The beautiful tango music wraps them up in a cozy soft dance moment which gives the movie a sprinkle of bittersweet surprise. And here I am, still waiting for my Al Pacino to ask me to dance, when I’m in a random restaurant. This is just sad.