Kick off your (Tuesday) shoes
August 31, 2010 1:26 PM   Subscribe

 
Gone.
posted by pracowity at 1:34 PM on August 31, 2010


("This video contains content from Sony Music Entertainment, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.")
posted by pracowity at 1:35 PM on August 31, 2010


Funny, it's working fine here.
posted by jjb at 1:36 PM on August 31, 2010


this should be titled: "White People Dance like This"
posted by any major dude at 1:38 PM on August 31, 2010 [5 favorites]


I thought dancing was banned in MetaFilter. Or maybe that was single-link YouTube posts?

I don't know, that jungle rhythm has me so worked up I can't think straight.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 1:38 PM on August 31, 2010


this should be titled: "White People Dance like This"

Ahem. White people and Gregory Hines dance like this, thank you very much.
posted by dersins at 1:43 PM on August 31, 2010 [5 favorites]


That was 1000 percent more enjoyable that I expected. Thanks.

Funny how much work goes into making something look so effortless and spontaneous.

Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor for the win.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:43 PM on August 31, 2010 [3 favorites]


this should be titled: "White People Dance like This" (any major dude)

Um, I don't know about you, but I saw a lot of nonwhite people in that video.
posted by ocherdraco at 1:45 PM on August 31, 2010


OK, any major dude, here's my last dance post. It's free of white people.
posted by desjardins at 1:52 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


I haven't watched the video, but I can tell it needs more Guile's theme.
posted by qvantamon at 1:52 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


this should be titled "I wish I could dance like this"
posted by Solon and Thanks at 1:53 PM on August 31, 2010


Still works here for me (USA), and was way more fun than I expected. Kudos.
posted by Gordafarin at 1:59 PM on August 31, 2010


I haven't watched the video, but I can tell it needs more Guile's theme

Sonic…boom?
posted by Cogito at 2:00 PM on August 31, 2010


Funny, it's working fine here.

I think it is related to that little bar under the video where it says "Kenny Loggins - Footloose" with the musical note. YouTube detected what the soundtrack was when it was uploaded, and applies additional restrictions. They must have a blanket license of some sort with the major music publishers in the USA that allows it. Likely related to their VEVO music-video product, which is what the "Kenny Loggins" link directs you to.
posted by smackfu at 2:04 PM on August 31, 2010


Needs more lasers.
posted by iamck at 2:06 PM on August 31, 2010


Needs more Bret's Angry Dance.
posted by amethysts at 2:08 PM on August 31, 2010 [4 favorites]



this should be titled: "White People Dance like This"
posted by any major dude at 1:38 PM on August 31


Just another example of someone's mouth (or in this case, fingers) running before they even know what they're talking about.
posted by Malice at 2:08 PM on August 31, 2010


Awesome end to a quite good day. Thank you. :)
posted by bardophile at 2:08 PM on August 31, 2010


Wow, those Jamie Lee Curtis aerobics scenes are from this which is even more ridiculous than you would think.
posted by smackfu at 2:09 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]


Really great. I must love dance movies . . . I recognized virtually all the scenes. I even wondered why there wasn't more Bob Fosse.

Also did a brief burn again at the failure in the movie to acknowledge the fabulous real dancers in Flashdance. To quote Wikipedia: [Beal's ]main dance double is the French actress Marine Jahan, while the breakdancing that Alex performs in the audition sequence at the end of the film was doubled by the male dancer Crazy Legs. The shot of Alex diving through the air in slow motion during the audition sequence was performed by Sharon Shapiro, who was a professional gymnast.
posted by bearwife at 2:09 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


Yeah, thank you! I was cynical but I actually really enjoyed this.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 2:12 PM on August 31, 2010


What's the clip at 1:13, the one on the rooftop?
posted by CunningLinguist at 2:16 PM on August 31, 2010


This may be the first thing that made me smile (broadly) all day. Thanks.

Despite my dislike for Jamie Lee Curtis (from two movies!) the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Gene Kelly more than made up for it. Plus, young Chris Penn!
posted by librarianamy at 2:29 PM on August 31, 2010


I hate this sort of nonsense.
And yet, I loved this. Go figure.
posted by cccorlew at 2:31 PM on August 31, 2010


That was astounding. Now all I want is to see somebody make a similar extraordinary effort with a song that isn't Footloose.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 2:32 PM on August 31, 2010


I need to see the counterexample which is scenes of dance moves that are NOT complemented by Footloose.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:32 PM on August 31, 2010


Gratuitous omission of the greatest dance scene ever committed to film.

Also this.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:33 PM on August 31, 2010 [9 favorites]


as in: Clerks II

p.s. (i looooove Rosario Dawson in this scene)

p.p.s. interesting that in such a cynical movie that Michael Jackson is represented so joyfully - sorta sweet (ummm... not something i thought i'd ever say about Kevin Smith)

posted by jammy at 2:34 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


Thanks Matt and Jammy. I thought I recognized the chick as a friend who went to Hollywood but it wasn't Rosario Dawson....
posted by CunningLinguist at 2:44 PM on August 31, 2010


Gratuitous omission of the greatest dance scene ever committed to film.

What movie is that?
posted by inigo2 at 2:48 PM on August 31, 2010


Tap.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:49 PM on August 31, 2010


Gene Kelly called; he wants his aspect ratio back.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:49 PM on August 31, 2010 [10 favorites]


Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor for the win.

No shit.
posted by marxchivist at 2:51 PM on August 31, 2010


Is it humanly possible not to grin when watching Gene Kelly dancing in the rain?
posted by CunningLinguist at 2:55 PM on August 31, 2010 [3 favorites]


I love that the montage includes clips from Strictly Ballroom -- a wonderful film.

My favorite scene: the final 'dance-off.' [video | 08:41].
posted by ericb at 2:57 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]




Also, what kind of compilation of movie dance clips ignores Bollywood?
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 2:58 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]


I haven't watched the video, but

it must suck because the song does. Really. It really does. Flashdance plus about two dozen other conspicuously awful 1980s chart toppers including Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, That Old Fashioned Rock And Roll, anything by Huey Lewis + The News, etc ...

This was decided by myself and half-dozen or so other fellow DJs way back when in campus radio days, when we also provided the dance tunes in the U's main pub. It was constant war. Our superior taste versus the drunken rabble's entitled demand that we play whatever they wanted. It hit a fever pitch one night when some darling young thing decided I didn't like her because I wouldn't play Flashdance. This is only partly true. I had no particular opinion of her until after she got her boyfriend involved, and then a bunch of his tough guy friends, and eventually the management. Then, I didn't like her. Particularly after I got a beer dumped on me, and a few days later when I found out she'd tried to have me fired.

In the end, the pub management sided with us (the DJs) although they did eventually ask us to publish a list of songs we wouldn't play so they could post it at the door.

At this point, an uneasy peace settled in and we all got back to worrying about more important things like the immanence of nuclear armageddon that was all the rage back then.
posted by philip-random at 3:05 PM on August 31, 2010 [6 favorites]


That was well done but I'm sure I saw the same kind of montage during one of the recent Academy Awards shows. Or maybe all Academy Award show montages sort of look a like?
posted by cazoo at 3:07 PM on August 31, 2010


I haven't watched the video, but

it must suck because the song does. Really. It really does. Flashdance plus....


The song in the video is 'Footloose,' not 'Flashdance,' pops.
posted by box at 3:10 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]


...and then there is Napoleon Dynamite. But I agree with others that Kelly and O'Connor are pretty unbeatable.
posted by binturong at 3:14 PM on August 31, 2010


Is it okay to critique on threads like this or are we just supposed to nod our heads and move along?

The editing was great, but there was almost no narrative, which would have made things soooo much more interesting. The editor could have gone from oldest to newest, or mostly individuals and pairs dancing to scenes with everyone dancing in sync, or something!

I love dancing and I love mashups and I love music videos. Shit, I even like Footloose. But clips from 40 random movies, combined randomly, on the beat, doesn't really hold my attention.

I feel like a schmuck now :-/
posted by bpm140 at 3:22 PM on August 31, 2010 [8 favorites]


I need to see the counterexample which is scenes of dance moves that are NOT complemented by Footloose.

Close enough?

Mute the leftmost video.
posted by zippy at 3:26 PM on August 31, 2010


The song in the video is 'Footloose,' not 'Flashdance,' pops.

I'm not even sure which Flashdance song "Flashdance" is supposed to be. Is it "What a Feeling," or is it "She's a Maniac"?
posted by Sys Rq at 3:27 PM on August 31, 2010


...anything by Huey Lewis + The News..

Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humor.
posted by inigo2 at 3:27 PM on August 31, 2010 [18 favorites]


What are you doing with that plastic sheeting, inigo2?
posted by Sys Rq at 3:28 PM on August 31, 2010 [5 favorites]


That was fun.
posted by OmieWise at 3:33 PM on August 31, 2010


I'm not even sure which Flashdance song "Flashdance" is supposed to be. Is it "What a Feeling," or is it "She's a Maniac"?

The full title of the song is "Flashdance... What a Feeling," so I presume that's the one. The title of the other song is just "Maniac."
posted by jedicus at 3:43 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


That was sweet, but definitely could have used some Nicholas Brothers.
posted by thomas j wise at 3:46 PM on August 31, 2010


I need to see the counterexample which is scenes of dance moves that are NOT complemented by Footloose.

This.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 3:56 PM on August 31, 2010


The song in the video is 'Footloose,' not 'Flashdance,' pops.

Same difference. They were both on THE LIST. And thus they merge as thermoplastic sludge in the depths of my reptile brain, vile and toxic and infused with deep loathing.
posted by philip-random at 4:04 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


This is GREAT!!!! My facebook friends are GONNA LOVE ME!!!!
posted by pearlybob at 4:05 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


Made me happy.
posted by Kerasia at 4:07 PM on August 31, 2010


GOD IN HEAVEN I wish I could dance like all of these people. Or any of these people. What a great project!
posted by ZakDaddy at 4:14 PM on August 31, 2010


I guess if you like stuff that's totally awesome, you might enjoy this video.
posted by Mister_A at 4:14 PM on August 31, 2010 [3 favorites]


p.s. (i looooove Rosario Dawson in this scene)
It would be hard not to.

p.p.s. interesting that in such a cynical movie that Michael Jackson is represented so joyfully - sorta sweet (ummm... not something i thought i'd ever say about Kevin Smith)
I'm surprised you found Clerks II cynical, it seems to me like his one unashamedly sentimental film.

The Internet has spoiled me so much that I now want a response video comprised solely of clips referencing or parodying the ones they used - Bret's angry dance, Mr. Burns doing Kelly, the Final Fantasy version of Thriller, Wall*E, et cetera.
posted by ecurtz at 4:26 PM on August 31, 2010


Really well done, but there is a bit of a cheat there. A clip need to hit one beat and a lot is synchronized (psychologically? perceptually?). It's just something human minds do, like seeing patterns in random images. Now many clips had three or more beats hit exactly, and there were many where there was an appropriate movement (leap, kick) that followed the emphasis of both the music and the preceding clip. But there were a bunch where a single step/beat was the only exact synch.

Needs more Nicholas Brothers!
posted by sammyo at 4:59 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


I'm gonna name my new band "Jennifer Beals' Body Double's Wig."

Trips right off the tongue, doesn't it?
posted by tristeza at 5:07 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


I LOVED this !!

Thanks so much desjardins for posting this. Best smile of the week!
posted by marsha56 at 5:08 PM on August 31, 2010


Oh, that was fun! That's all. That's my whole critique. It was really fun. Now I'm going to go back through the comments and click on all the links. (I'm sure they will be fun too, so thanks in advance to everyone who added another fun link!)
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 5:09 PM on August 31, 2010


Gratuitous omission of the greatest dance scene ever committed to film.

I refute it thus.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:14 PM on August 31, 2010 [12 favorites]


Like everything else, needs more Bacon! But thank you -- always love the low-slung, finger-snapping coolly cool boys from West Side Story.
posted by thinkpiece at 5:19 PM on August 31, 2010


Does anybody else find it odd that John Travolta is in *three* of the movies in this montage? When I think "dancer," his is not exactly the name that springs to mind.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 5:22 PM on August 31, 2010


I take that back, he's in FOUR of these movies.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 5:23 PM on August 31, 2010


John Travolta danced his way to megastardom in Saturday Night Fever!
posted by thinkpiece at 5:25 PM on August 31, 2010 [3 favorites]


GO BILLY!
posted by killy willy at 5:26 PM on August 31, 2010




I take that back, he's in FOUR of these movies.

Dude, shut up. It would have been really easy to include him in even more. Urban Cowboy. Staying Alive. Michael has a short dance scene, too.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:29 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


Who's up to posting a Bollywood version?
posted by digitalprimate at 5:45 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]


I don't care what anyone says, I love White Nights. That one routine with Baryshnikov and Hines in the dance studio is wonderful with each bringing their own styles to the same general routine. Baryshnikov's precise and accurate ballet influence and Hines' relaxed groove - each amazing in their own right.
posted by NoraCharles at 5:49 PM on August 31, 2010 [3 favorites]


I loved White Nights, too. I had a huge crush on Baryshnikov for years and years. I saw him in his first performance after he defected n Toronto, at the Ontario Place Forum, dancing La Sylphide. I was a kid and had never seen a live ballet before. Fell in love with him and ballet in one evening. He was terrific in The Turning Point, too.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:04 PM on August 31, 2010


blech.
posted by Huck500 at 6:07 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]



Kirkaracha -- thanks for that. That was awesome.

(I liked the original post, too).
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:11 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


From Mart138, the creator, a list of all the movies clips were pulled from:

Here is the list:

Dirty Dancing,Flashdance,White Nights,Perfect,Saturday Night Fever,Blue Skies,Pulp Fiction,High Fidelity,Clerks 2,American Pie,Billy Elliot,Footloose,True Lies,Grease,Honey,Phantom of the Opera,Step up,Step up 2,Moonwalker,West Side Story,Moulin Rouge,Mary Poppins,7 Brides for 7 Brothers,Rocky Horror Picture Show,Strictly Ballroom,Happy Feet,Singing in the Rain,Fame,Fame2009,Save the Last Dance,Mamma Mia,Mask of Zorro,Coyote Ugly,Wild Hogs,Get Smart,Airplane, A Knights Tale...

posted by marsha56 at 6:16 PM on August 31, 2010




If YouTube was unkind to you, here is an alternate link. Note: it's an MP4 file.
posted by filthy light thief at 6:49 PM on August 31, 2010


And let's not forget one of the all-time best dance and vocal numbers of the 60s ever COMMITTED TO FILM!!! (Or at least, that's how I remember it... sort of... oh hell, it was the 60s!)
posted by Mike D at 6:52 PM on August 31, 2010


"Gratuitous omission of the greatest dance scene ever committed to film."

You're all wrong... here
posted by Crane Shot at 7:02 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]


This was a lot of fun to watch and made me wish I could dance.
posted by orange swan at 7:05 PM on August 31, 2010 [1 favorite]


Mike D: "And let's not forget one of the all-time best dance and vocal numbers of the 60s ever COMMITTED TO FILM!!! (Or at least, that's how I remember it... sort of... oh hell, it was the 60s!)"

That was from 1973. The sixties took a while to end for you?
posted by octothorpe at 7:40 PM on August 31, 2010


When I think "dancer," his is not exactly the name that springs to mind.

You are so not a child of the 70s. Travolta in Saturday Night Fever changed everything.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:49 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]


Missing: Just one scene from The Breakfast Club.
Other than that KUDOS on the TIMING! It was perfect!
posted by will wait 4 tanjents at 7:54 PM on August 31, 2010


I always thought one of those dance routines in White Nights was a surreptitious martial arts lesson that Hines character, a former soldier, was teaching.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 7:57 PM on August 31, 2010


When I think "dancer," his is not exactly the name that springs to mind.

What. Why do you think Tarantino cast him in Pulp Fiction? Purely to see him dance with Uma.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:00 PM on August 31, 2010 [2 favorites]


"The editing was great, but there was almost no narrative, which would have made things soooo much more interesting. The editor could have gone from oldest to newest, or mostly individuals and pairs dancing to scenes with everyone dancing in sync, or something!"

Seems hard enough without adding another dimension. Like ascending is quite a feat even if you don't do it as an atheist, vegetarian, pacifist.

"Dirty Dancing,Flashdance,White Nights,Perfect,Saturday Night Fever,Blue Skies,Pulp Fiction,High Fidelity,Clerks 2,American Pie,Billy Elliot,Footloose,True Lies,Grease,Honey,Phantom of the Opera,Step up,Step up 2,Moonwalker,West Side Story,Moulin Rouge,Mary Poppins,7 Brides for 7 Brothers,Rocky Horror Picture Show,Strictly Ballroom,Happy Feet,Singing in the Rain,Fame,Fame2009,Save the Last Dance,Mamma Mia,Mask of Zorro,Coyote Ugly,Wild Hogs,Get Smart,Airplane, A Knights Tale..."

Weirdest film marathon ever.
posted by Mitheral at 8:11 PM on August 31, 2010


Yeah, say what you will about Travolta, but the man can fucking dance.

I would have like to have seen just a bit of this, too.
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:39 PM on August 31, 2010


A little too much Curtis Crotch for my tastes.
posted by Kwine at 8:41 PM on August 31, 2010


kirkaracha -- holy crap, that is amazing. Thanks so much for the link!
posted by Kat Allison at 8:55 PM on August 31, 2010


Dancing is the most primal art -- it requires nothing but the human body, and is perhaps the greatest expression of the whole human body, besides the making of life - and dancing seems to be a celebration of that incipience.
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:09 PM on August 31, 2010 [3 favorites]


I was really hoping for some Romy & Michele, but this was pretty darn happiness-inducing. Thank you!
posted by queensissy at 11:39 PM on August 31, 2010


I haven't watched the video, but I can tell it needs more Guile's theme.
Okay, this actually worked way better than I expected.
posted by NMcCoy at 1:00 AM on September 1, 2010


"That was from 1973. The sixties took a while to end for you?"

Wait... sorry... I nipped out to buy some Cheetos. What was the question again?
posted by Mike D at 4:29 AM on September 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


Thank you for this. God I miss the 1940s/50s/60s musicals
posted by stormpooper at 7:06 AM on September 1, 2010


Dancing is the most primal art -- it requires nothing but the human body, and is perhaps the greatest expression of the whole human body, besides the making of life - and dancing seems to be a celebration of that incipience.

Nicely put, and reminds me of the old joke, Why don't Southern Baptists have sex standing up? Because it might lead to dancing.
posted by hhc5 at 7:32 AM on September 1, 2010 [2 favorites]


The song in the video is 'Footloose,' not 'Flashdance,' pops.

...

Same difference


?! And to think I previously valued your opinion. ^_^

Footloose (the song) is an atrocity. Flashdance...What a Feeling is a great r&b pop song.

I'm likely biased by an '80s crush on Jennifer Beals and a lack of any interest whatsoever in Lori Singer (until VR.5).
posted by mrgrimm at 9:27 AM on September 1, 2010


Needs more Fred and Ginger and Gene and Roller Skates
(video links; open in new windows)
posted by spacely_sprocket at 9:31 AM on September 1, 2010


Thank you so much for that. It made my job searching a little less bleak today!
posted by bilabial at 10:53 AM on September 1, 2010


...reminds me of the old joke, Why don't Southern Baptists have sex standing up? Because it might lead to look like they're dancing.

FTFY
posted by spock at 11:04 AM on September 1, 2010


That was AWESOME.

Seriously. I enjoyed the hell out of that. I play around with Final Cut Pro, and once made a video of movie dance number clips to "Puttin' on the Ritz," with the attempt to make every single clip match the rhythm perfectly. That is some arduous editing work right there. (And no, I'm not self-linking. Learned my lesson.) I'm 100% impressed, and am sharing that link around.

Thank you for posting. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm queuing up "Footloose" on iTunes and I'm gonna dance around my little home office. Haters gonna hate; dancers gonna dance.
posted by tzikeh at 5:05 PM on September 1, 2010


(And no, I'm not self-linking. Learned my lesson.)

You can self link in comments! Let's see it!
posted by inigo2 at 6:07 PM on September 1, 2010


I had no idea I was such a curmudgeon, but man I hated this. It's a cool project, but the movies chosen were so disappointing. It was like an object lesson about how not all dance in films is created equal. There are so many hours of truly stunning dance performances in movies, and with the exception of Singin' in the Rain and a few others, this video somehow manages to avoid most of them.

However, I've enjoyed the hell out of just about every other video linked to in this thread. So thanks for that. Man, it's like those Nicholas brothers have a different, much more elegant gravity surrounding their bodies.
posted by mostlymartha at 11:15 PM on September 1, 2010


I even wondered why there wasn't more Bob Fosse.

Personally I wondered why there wasn't more Bob Fossil
posted by chill at 2:30 PM on September 2, 2010 [1 favorite]


Gratuitous omission of the greatest dance scene ever committed to film

Great dancing, cheezy plot. Super-80s-cheezy. But great dancing.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:57 PM on September 7, 2010


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