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Everyone loves dancing. Even the people who claim to hate dancing. The evidence lies in those private moments of bliss when your limbs are swinging, your hips are shaking, and you can feel your favorite song in your bones. It’s okay, you can admit it, this is a safe space.

It’s also a known fact that dance movies are the best, most feel-good kind of movies, because secretly we all know that real life would be so much better if we could all break out into spontaneous but expertly choreographed dance routines whenever we please.

Dance movies are also the most re-watchable, partly because they’re anchored in a certain time and style that feels both farther and more interesting as time progresses, and partly because you can always pick up on new moves that you didn’t catch the last time.

There’s also a whole world of drama and physical tension in the world of dance that makes it endlessly entertaining to watch. Besides competition for coveted spots, “showmances” among performers, and feuds between different parties, there’s also the sheer amount of emotion that can be expressed through the body—be it joy, anger, grief, or arousal.

Whether you can dance or not, it’s always entrancing to see what the human body is capable of. Watching stars cut a rug, shake a leg, and get jiggy with it can also inspire you to get moving, because we can’t let living room dance routines become a thing of the past!

Check out this gallery to take a tour of some of the best dance movies out there, with some stars whom you probably forgot could even dance, and... five, six, seven, eight!

▲Besides being the real-life tale of how Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum fell in love, the film also tells the classic tale of a young, troubled man helping a prim ballet dancer add some hip-hop to her life.

▲In this chilling film, Natalie Portman plays a young woman desperate to land the lead role in her ballet company's production of Swan Lake. Portman actually went to extraordinary lengths to prepare for the role!

▲Of course, the story of a girl who has the time of her life with a dance instructor at the resort where her family is staying must make the list. Audiences will never forget that lift.

▲Everyone wanted to go to the New York High School of Performing Arts from this musical drama, and it notably had an amazing, award-winning soundtrack.

▲This romantic dance drama starring Vanessa Williams and Chayanne tells the story of a Cuban dancer whose passion inspires students at a Latin dance studio, but who can't quite get the beautiful professional dancer to like him.

▲This flick boasts Omarion's moves, street dance battles, and a contest where the prize is getting to dance in a Lil' Kim video.

▲Welder by day, burlesque dancer by night, Alex Owens actually dreams of becoming a full-time professional dancer in this '80s gem.

▲Some people will argue this movie is about cheerleading and not dancing, but true fans will know that the entire point of the franchise is that cheerleaders don't get enough credit for their all-around athleticism and sharp choreography.

▲No matter your opinion on Julia Stiles' hip-hop talent, this film is still a classic. Stiles plays a Julliard-reject who moves to Chicago and goes from prim and pointed to pop, lock, and dropping.

▲Baz Luhrmann's over-the-top debut film sees two unlikely partners whose worlds collide as the prestigious Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Dancing Championship approaches.

▲This documentary on drag queens and ballroom culture in New York City is about so much more than dance, but it also introduced the world to the wonder that is voguing.

▲Certainly not the 2011 remake, because really what is 'Footloose' without Kevin Bacon?

▲Before Carrie Bradshaw was dreaming of men, Janey Glenn was dreaming of auditioning for her favorite dance show.

▲Jessica Alba plays the titular character, a woman who just wants to become a choreographer, in this forgotten gem. Missy Elliott also stars in it, which is reason enough to watch it right now.

▲Antonio Banderas plays a professional dancer turned public school teacher whose streetwise students laugh at his ballroom dancing. Of course, the marriage of hip-hop and classical style earns Banderas their respect.

▲The film itself doesn't necessarily age well, but John Travolta's moves will last forever.

▲Since The Kings of Tampa aren't strippers, they're male entertainers, this technically counts as a dance movie. Also, Channing Tatum really does have moves.

▲This film about the renowned American Ballet Academy also features Peter Gallagher's eyebrows, a young Zoë Saldana, and a steamy finale number set to Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai—need we say more?

▲Luca Guadagnino's remake of the 1977 Italian psychological thriller has a lot of blood, sure, but there are also wicked dance sequences.

▲Centered around a street dancer who goes to college and joins a fraternity, this movie most importantly immortalizes the impeccable moves of Ne-Yo and Chris Brown.

▲No matter what side of the Oscars controversy you're on, watching Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone waltz their way through a gorgeously lit Hollywood is an instant feel-good.

▲This remake of John Waters' 'Hairspray' and the popular Broadway musical of the same name just got it all right. Remember this John Travolta role?

▲One for the whole family, this animated movie about a penguin who can't sing but shares an uncanny control of rhythm in his feet will get anyone grooving.

▲One of J-Lo's best movies also stars Richard Gere, who plays a stiff lawyer who decides to take ballroom dance lessons.

▲The film where Helen Mirren fell in love with her husband, director Taylor Hackford, and the film where Mikhail Baryshnikov shows off some serious ballet skills pre-'Sex and the City.'

▲Christina Aguilera and Cher working in a burlesque club—what more could you ask for?

▲Set in England in 1984, the film follows 11-year-old Billy as he leaves boxing behind and enrolls in a ballet class to follow his true passion.

▲This semi-autobiographical tale was written and directed by the legendary Bob Fosse, so you know the dancing is sublime.

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And of course, in an ode to the dance movies that came before, this musical comedy starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers features choreography that will not soon be forgotten.

Shake and shimmy through the greatest dance movies of all time

Pop, lock, and watch these for some inspiration

25/06/19 por StarsInsider