"Let's Face the Music and Dance" -- Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (from Follow the Fleet)
"Slaughter on 10th Avenue" -- Gene Kelly and Vera-Ellen (from Words and Music)
"Dancing in the Dark" -- Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse (from The Bandwagon)
"An American in Paris Ballet" -- Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron
"Cheek to Cheek" -- Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (from Top Hat)
I realize that "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" doesn't exactly sound like a love dance, but if you have seen it, you know that it is. I'll be very interested to see which of these fabulous numbers is the favorite.
My first choice is "Cheek to Cheek". This dance is about two people in love, one of whom is resisting its expression while the other is trying to overcome her resistance. "Slaughter" is more about lust and competition than about love. "Dancing in the Dark" is just the 1st realization of attraction-not yet full blown love. "Let's Face the Music" is more about trying to grasp on to good things in life (like love) in the face of life's difficulties. The dancing characters are not yet in love, but they are trying to comfort each other by contemplating that possibility. "American in Paris" is about a lover seeking out his love in the face of obstructions. But, it is a lot more than that. It is a very complex piece, so I vote it second, because it is not as clear a declaration of love. My other nominees would be "Our Love is Here to Stay", "Night and Day", "Remember, It's My Heart", "Change Partners", the duet of Kelly and Charisse in "Singing in the Rain", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "Never Gonna Dance". All are terrific in their own special ways. There are more Astaire than Kelly dances on my list because Astaire did more romantic dances than Kelly, and Astaire had a special understanding about how to make them sensual and visually stunning without being explicit.
ReplyDeleteBecky, I love this poll !! I have to vote for one of my favorite musicals "An American in Paris". This movie is beautifully Choreographed by Gene Kelly.
ReplyDeleteBecky, I had to cast my vote for "Cheek to Cheek." It ranks at or near the top of my favorite Fred-Ginger dances.
ReplyDeleteBecky, this is such a fun poll. I, too, have climbed aboard the "Cheek to Cheek" bandwagon. I love the romance of that magical dance.
ReplyDeleteBecky - great choices...though they're all great and I especially love "Let's Face the Music and Dance," my heart belongs to "Cheek to Cheek" - the wonderful Irving Berlin song (sigh), the dancing and that wonderful feather dress of Ginger's...it's the stuff that dreams are made of...
ReplyDeleteI'm mad for Cyd Charisse (noting her recent death) so the apache number with Kelly gets my vote. Wow!
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