No self-respecting dance-movie list would be complete without the inimitable Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. While you could choose many spectacular numbers, just look at 1935′s Top Hat, which includes the duo’s routine to Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek.” Here Ginger is initially reluctant to dance with Fred because she thinks, mistakenly, that he is her friend’s husband. Eventually, of course, she lets herself go. The two float across the floor (grandeur sets in at around 3:25 in the clip above), defining elegance with every step, turn and dramatic dip. Yet even in the midst of this formal affair, they tap. They’re playful. Fred and Ginger were about romance, but romance that went hand in hand with fun, as another memorable number from Top Hat, “Isn’t This a Lovely Day,” also shows. This time there’s no ballroom, no formal wear — they’re in a gazebo during a thunderstorm. Katharine Hepburn said of the pair, “He gives her class. She gives him sex.” They both give us some unforgettable scenes.
