Romance and Dance

Posted by Leslie C. Halpern Aug 20, 2008

I took ballet classes as a child and then later had some ballroom dancing instructions as an adult. I can’t say that dancing ever added any romance to my life. Just look at the movies, though. A solo dance usually catches a lover’s eye, and a shared dance becomes a prelude to a committed relationship.

Would Deb (Tina Majorino) ever have hooked up with the ill-mannered Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder) if he hadn’t danced on stage to get his friend elected? Or would chunky high schooler Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) in Hairspray have earned status, a new admirer, or a spot on a television show if she couldn’t move to the music so well? Probably not.

Sharing a dance brings even more romantic success for cinematic hoofers. Disguised as The Mask, Stanley (Jim Carrey) literally sweeps Tina (Cameron Diaz) off her feet. In Dirty Dancing, Baby (Jennifer Grey) repeatedly dances with Johnny (Patrick Swayze) in order to perfect a routine, with each practice session becoming more and more romantic. When John (Harrison Ford) sneaks an intimate dance with Amish widow Rachel (Kelly McGillis) in the barn in the film Witness, it confirms their mutual attraction.

Although an energetic or exotic dance may entice lovers in the movies, there’s nothing like a tango for handling the more dangerous situations. In True Lies and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, free style dancing, the waltz, or a tame bear hug couldn’t have conveyed the intrigue needed for those delicious verbal jousting scenes. Shall We Dance? Although in real life, you may choose to sit this one out because of foot pain or inadequate skills, romantic leads need to keep on dancing.