Ten Fantastic Tap Dancing Scenes In Film
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Well, wouldn’t you know that today is National Tap Dancing Day. It’s a niche thing to celebrate in film, but I honestly don’t see why we shouldn’t. In musicals, tap dances usually stand out. The click-clack of soft-shoeing punctuates certain moments, and leaves an impact that a number of other dance styles just don’t. With a large focus on one’s feet as they complete acrobatic feats, these kinds of scenes end up stealing the show. Let’s have a look at ten strong examples of tap dancing in film (in no particular order).
Small Town Girl
Ann Miller’s solo number in Small Town Girl is matched with some surreal imagery, particularly detached hands that match the same effect tap dancing has (where it’s as if one’s shoes are an entity of their own). The all-white backdrop allows these “players” to stand out, and create quite a visual treat to match Miller’s sensational routine.
Chicago
Some of Chicago’s finer moments are when the musical blends the severities of real life (and a world of crime) with the conventions of the usually wholesome genre. In this particular scene, the tip-toeing of a lawyer is met with a set of tap dance dashes; this becomes the perfect visual and musical metaphor for a crooked representative within the unforgiving legal system, and we’re watching him complete two unimaginable feats at once.
Stormy Weather
Stormy Weather is groundbreaking for its African American cast, back in a time when that was sadly a very rare occurrence. Amongst these wonderful examples featured were The Nicholas Brothers (Fayard and Harold), and they had their moment to shine during the “Jumpin’ Jive” set. What transpired is one of cinema’s great musical moments, which only gets more and more love in the age of YouTube and GIF sharing.
Singin’ in the Rain
Picking any Gene Kelly example — especially from Singin’ in the Rain — feels daunting, but I might have to go with the “Good Morning” sequence featuring Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor. Their timing is impeccable, and each dancer has their moment to take a hold of the entire screen (and whatever furniture comes in their way and becomes a useable prop). Their celebration of their revelation is infectious, and you’d wish that they never stopped going.
Billy Elliot
Much of the titular character’s woes are matched with his love for dance; his focus is on ballet, but other styles get their dues, too. In this sequence, Elliot wants to let go of the negativity that is plaguing his life and bullying him. Instead of breaking objects, he turns to tap, and his impactful steps are as well timed as they are full of emotion and hurt.
Yankee Doodle Dandy
James Cagney rules all of Yankee Doodle Dandy musically, showing the showman side that may have been forgotten about after his iconic gangster film roles. He wraps up his Academy Award winning role with one final improvised hurrah: a tap dance down the stairs. This could have been a dangerous disaster, but Cagney — ever the professional — pulls it off with ease. It’s a brief shot, but it’s enough to leave you speechless.
Swing Time
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers have a chemistry that no other dancing partners in film ever had. Naturally, their tap sequence in Swing Time is perfect for a list of this nature. Notice their bounce and speed that just feels effortless. In the same way that tap separates and combines the dancer and their feet (you’re aware of both together and apart), Astaire and Rogers are terrific alone, despite how well they compliment one another.
The Little Colonel
There’s always time for Bill Robinson when it comes to a list of this nature, as Mr. Bojangles is one of the finest to ever soft shoe. Perhaps his most well known moment is in the Shirley Temple vehicle The Little Colonel, and you can easily see why. His charm and smooth moves make this sequence impossible to turn away from. Side note: I may or may not have named my Myspace account after Bojangles because of this scene when I was a teenager.
42nd Street
One of the strongest moments of 42nd Street is this Ruby Keeler routine that transcends into something much grander: a massive spectacle that involves anyone and everyone. Even still, Keeler kicks things off (in all senses of the expression) with such style and grace, so everything else that follows her had to keep up. Luckily, they do, and the complex depictions of city life (both the joys and the horrors) are turned into interpretive art.
The Artist
Let’s end off with a contemporary tribute, especially since a number of films have them. I could go La La Land or one of the Happy Feet films, but I feel like picking The Artist is a must (especially considering the film’s focus on the transition from silent films to talkies and sound-era musicals). In the film’s final moments, a scene of this nature only makes perfect sense, as the capping off of a niche film with a niche routine, and as the ushering in of sound in a silent picture that tried to escape it.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.