So you enjoyed those classic moves from Pulp Fiction, Napoleon Dynamite and Van Damme’s “cheesier-than-7-cheese-pizza” gooeyness in Kickboxer. Well, we dug through our SCUM archive to compile a dozen more to stir your loins…
12. Donga
A 1985 Telugu film which features a shameless ripoff of MJ’s Thriller dance routine. At least it managed to be equally entertaining!
11. Gumnaam
Not to be confused with that tiresome Korean horse-riding move that your 5 year-old nephew has been teaching your grandma. This is an utterly insane Indian number that appeared in the opening of the movie Ghost World. Talk about dancing like no one’s looking… oh, we actually wouldn’t mind watching a video of your granny imitating this move…
10. Top Secret
Our favourite Mel Brooks classic! We could go on and on about how Top Secret is filled with the most creative visual gags and over-the-top nonsense, but we shall just focus on one of them for this list. They sure don’t make comedies like this anymore.
9. A Dirty Shame
You know something special is going to happen when you put sleazemeister John Waters and comic genius Tracey Ullman in the same room, and here’s the proof! Be warned though, this clip is NSFW!
8. Monday
One of the more underrated Japanese yakuza/ comedy from Sabu. Its also our introduction to the handsomely funny Shin’ichi Tsutsumi. I wonder if all the ‘salaryman’ in Japan is this cool…
7. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Ah, the 80s…..the era of mullets, neon colours, baggy trousers and Friday the 13th. (R.I.P Wes Craven) Throw in a slice of Crispin Glover, a dash of bad dancing and you get an instant classic! You just can’t get any more random than this…
6. Journey to Japan (aka Nippon Sex Ryoko)
A 1973 sexploitation film that features Swedish softcore nymphette Christina Lindberg in the land of the rising sun. This was the period of ‘Pink’ films in the Japanese film industry, when violent and sexual contents were used to tear the audience away from their TVs and back into the cinemas. I guess they were pushing the envelope (and probably the budget) by casting the Swedish bombshell, but I was more enamoured by Ichiro Araki’s bad dancing than anything else. Napoleon Dynamite eat your heart out!
5. Stormy Weather
A 1943 black & white classic that contains the mother of all dance scenes. It features a jawdropping dance routine that is absolutely flawless, and was apparently done in the first take! The Nicholas Brothers were also one of the first African-American entertainers to break through the colour barrier and enjoy success in show business in the 1930s to 1940s. Watch till the end, where they do a series of crotch-crunching splits down the stairs. M.A.D!
4. PythagoraSwitch – Algorithm Dance
Ok, so PythagoraSwitch isn’t technically a film, but a tv series in Japan designed mainly to encourage creative thinking for kids. They are presented in such an interesting manner that even adults are addicted to watching them. And one of the most memorable episodes that’s permanently embedded in our brains is the Algorithm Dance. Its the perfect dance routine to perform with your kids, at wedding banquets or even in prison! Watch till the end, where a group performs the dance. Then it will all make sense…
3. Dogtooth
We reviewed this masterpiece way back in 2013, and we simply cannot leave out the dance sequence from this list. Its fun, its absurd and its sad all at once. Tragicomedy at its best!
2. Shall We Dance?
No, not that lame ass remake with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere – it’s the original 1996 version from Masayuki Suo! As far as we know, there have been two remakes of this film, one from USA and another from Hong Kong, but neither even comes close to the inimitable Naoto Takenaka. Just take a look at his poise, elegance and grace….NOT!
1. Adhisaya Piravi
We came across this life-changing clip many many moons ago, and we still find ourselves coming back to YouTube just to watch this on repeat, again and again. There is no doubt in our minds that this is the number 1 dance scene of all times!!! Its so wrong its gooooood….
Well, that’s the end of our list. Did we miss out your favourite?
Send us your suggestions!