That's Dancing! (1985)

A compilation of movie musical highlights.Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSICALS/MUSICALS UPC: 012569795310 Manufacturer No: 79531 Product Description

With many full-length performances! Very entertaining!

How enjoyable 1985 That's Dancing is! And the special treat is that you get to see the complete dance performances. You will see the beginning era of dance and several entertainers who comment, Gene Kelly, Baryshnikov, Ray Bolger, Liza Minelli and Sammy Davis Jr.

Genres of Dance
You will see some entertaining black and white performances from the earliest choreographer, Busby Berkeley, and those beautiful, jovial dance numbers in Technicolor. Included are some wonderful tap dancing performances from the legends of the dance, especially a Nicholas Brothers tapdance; it is exuberant. Considered one of the best, a tap dance with Donald O'Connor and Gene Kelly. Plenty of time is given to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers from "Gay Divorcee" and "Swingtime", plus Astaire's various partners. What is new to audiences is a scene that was cut from "The Wizard of Oz", a charming dance number with Ray Bolger. Too bad that was cut because it was so refreshing.

Baryshnikov comments on early ballet clips, and archive footage of Nureyev. From the colorful "Red Shoes" is Isadora Duncan. And not to forget the dance from Broadway which includes James Cagney in "Yankee Doodle Dandee" and more.

The latter part of dancing features that amazing dance from Flashdance, where the actual dancer, Marine Jahan, danced for Jennifer Beals. Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and John Travolta's "Saturday Night Fever" clips.

Special features - Yes...John Travolta was included as ONE of the GREATEST!???? Huh??

This extra includes info on selection process to include such astonishing performances, and how this search was conducted. There was a grand photo of the remaining dance greats that took place, and yes, don't ask me how, but John Travolta was included among the greatest dancers in entertainment. He was so honored, I think he was just wondering how he was ever to be included anyhow!

Enjoyable!!....Rizzo
June 30, 2008

Dancing by the greats!

This movie is a compilation of some of the greatest dancers and dances ever filmed! From the early days of Ziegfeld Follies and Busby Berkeley to modern ballet and break-dancing, you can see the different styles and forms of dance. Some of the stars are Ruby Keeler, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, a wonderful solo by Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, the Nicholas Brothers, Eleanor Powell, Ray Bolger, Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Ann Miller, Leslie Caron, Nureyev/Fonteyn. Wonderful choreography from "West Side Story" and "Flashdance" and other memorable dance movies. May 29, 2008

Good

Good documentary about dance history but if you want to see Barisnykov it's the wrong way. February 8, 2008

Pretty entertaining in most parts...

There are a few boring parts in this, but it won't deter you from watching this tribute to dancing in movies. There's a little too much tap in it, the breakdancing is now outdated (crunk has taken its place), and they didn't even cover one of the most popular movies in the short 1980s section ("Footloose"). Still, I had a nice time watching this, though I didn't care for the ballet section at all. I really enjoyed seeing the origins of dancing on film, especially from the turn of the 20th century and the roaring 20s. It's fascinating, and this DVD is worth watching over again. February 3, 2008

That's Amazing Dancing

I am certainly glad I purchased this DVD. There is footage that is historic as well as artistic, such as Bojangles' routine and some of the ballet dancers. I would have liked it even more if they'd done longer segments of some of the dances, rather than snippets, and if they'd chosen a better segment for Michael Jackson, such as his show-stopping live performance with his moon walk; also, I wish they'd shown Sammy Davis Jr's amazing live performance of "Mr Bojangles"--another show-stopper and awesome.

That being said, it is a superb compendium; I'm glad that it was created. It was quite an undertaking to sift through the vast array of recorded performances. The scope of the subject is so huge that there was no way they could cover everything, or please everyone. That they did such a great job is testimony to their dedication, skill, etc. I'm pleased that they included bits showing actors who weren't known for dancing; some were surprisingly good. I am especially thankful that it includes a segment showing Rudolph Nureyev leaping around the stage, leap after leap. My most treasured dance moment is/was watching him do so in a live performance, when he did seven fantastic leaps around the stage. It was the most beautiful and wonderful ballet moment I'd ever seen: power, grace, astounding height and width...

One final "I wish they'd...": Many consider the folk dance in The Sound of Music, when the Captain cuts in while his son is dancing with Maria, one of the most romantic moments ever in any movie. Too bad it wasn't shown here.

I do recommend this DVD, and have no regrets about buying it. September 15, 2007

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