Six Favorite Dance Movies in NYC *Unranked
New York City, December 2023. Photo by Myala Callender
New York City has no shortage of catchy nicknames, from the City of Dreams to the City that Never Sleeps, to The Big Apple, which was rumored to be named after a famous jazz dancing club in 1930s Harlem. Dance in NYC has a deep and powerful history; shaped by cultural fusion, rebellion, and preeminence. Below are six films in no particular order, both new and old, famous and obscure, of genres from ballet to salsa, to watch this Christmas break to relax and get in the spirit of dance in the city!
Rent (Musical, 2005, rated PG 13)
This 2005 film adaptation presents 1990s NYC and a young group of artists struggling to make ends meet amidst the AIDS crisis. The film’s choreography highlights friendship as catharsis during a year of hardship.
In the Heights (2019, Musical, PG 13)
The famous musical was recently adapted in 2019 with otherworldly color and optimism. The movie stars Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera, two young adults in Washington Heights, a Boricua enclave rich with Latin dance and music. Lin Manuel Miranda shines in his lyricism, and the choreography that fills the street is electric.
Center Stage (2000, Teen Drama, PG 13)
Twelve dancers arrive at the American Ballet Academy, where six of them will be selected to join the company by the end of the year. The competition is fierce and unforgiving, but Zoe Saldana and Amanda Schull's debut in this 2000 teen drama might be just tenacious enough to make the cut.
West Side Story (2021, rated PG 13)
This 2021 remake of the 1961 musical uses the “star crossed lovers” arch of Romeo and Juliet, but places it in 1960s New York City, when cultural divisions were tense between Puerto Rican and Polish American rival gangs. The Sharks and the Jets duel in response to Maria and Tony’s clandestine romance, where strife, violence, and racism are embedded in electric scenes of groovy 60s ballroom, mambo, ballet, and jazz.
A Ballerina’s Tale (2015, Documentary on Misty Copeland, NYC ABT)
The ballerina that took the world by storm with her exquisite craft starred in a documentary about her upbringing and her path to the American Ballet Theater as the first Black woman principal dancer in the company’s history.
Fame (NYC Performing Arts School, 2009, PG)
This 2009 remake of the 1980 musical thriller stars a group of emerging high schoolers at a competitive NYC performing arts school. Spanning all four years, each character faces challenges from familial grief to contentious romance, all while under the spotlight of the entertainment industry. The film culminates in a memorable school-wide performance.