Top 30 Iconic Broadway Dance Numbers

[@MsMojo]

Which Broadway dance number would YOU love to perform? Let us know below, and be sure to also check out our video of the Top 20 Hardest Broadway Dance Routines - kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5eaiY2peZulnqM

[@PsychicStones]

Who’s That Woman from Follies! Another great from Michael Bennet!

[@sharolynwells]

One from A Chorus Line

[@demeter42]

Jellicle Ball. Completely underrated

[@lindaallen9721]

All That Jazz or Hot Honey Rag….but I can’t dance and I’m 65!

[@trippyboi91]

The thing I just LOVE about Hot Honey Rag is that in every performance, the girls just look like they’re having the time of their lives. Catherine and Renee REALLY sell it for me. It’s such a FUN piece.

[@liteflightify]

Renee (even with all that over-editing) you can tell isn’t much of a dancer during the number. So, I wasn’t soldz

[@miyannapittman5580]

I'm in Fiddler on the Roof right now, and while maybe it's not the most technically impressive number, I think the Chava Sequence deserves recognition for the way it tells the story of each sister and her love story. But I'm really glad to see the Bottle Dance up there! My dad is one of the dancers and I can't wait to see how our community production shapes up- we have some fantastic dancers and an amazing choreographer!

[@dmcf77]

I was so blessed to work with Gene Kelly in Vegas for 8 weeks in 1970. I watched him perform Singing In the Rain twice every night. What a joy to dance beside in those many shows.

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

I remember when my sister went with our grandparents to see Mary Poppins about a decade ago and we were all shocked and impressed by Step In Time. Burt actually tapped on the wall and ceiling in that performance and that part stuck with our family a whole lot 😂

[@colleenkeefer2545]

Years ago I got to see Mary Poppins live as well. That part where Burt literally dances “around” the stage was most definitely a show stopper. It was a wonderful show all around. ❤️

[@johnny062448]

All the while, I thought you missed One Singular Sensation... Love it!

[@deniselongino6769]

Honorable mention: The Old Bamboo from Chirty Chitty Bang Bang

[@WrenFaithBridger]

That is my all-time favorite dance scene from ANY movie, bar none! (If you didn't say it, I would have.)

[@judykpremier]

Very impressed with the number of pre-2000 shows in this list, not the usual token one or two. Surprised "A hard knock life" was left off the list.

[@jacklow9611]

"We've Got Annie" from the same movie was also high energy and well-choreographed. When I saw it, I wondered if being a great dancer was one of the requisites of being hired at the Warbucks mansion.

[@grayj7441]

Yul Brenner's movements are magical.

[@gwenschott]

The gown in "Shall We Dance?" is an uncredited performer in that number. Should get top billing. LOL!

[@EvaGrammer]

Thank you for including Pippin as an honorable mention. Still have that DVD. All that good Fosse choreography!!

[@PrincessMeggala0913]

Pippin is such an amazing show. I love the original but also the revival with Patina Miller was incredible

[@D415h4n34]

This compilation makes my choir kid heart so happy🥰

[@brand_the_man]

“Forget About The Boy” from Thoroughly Modern Millie definitely should’ve made this list. It’s incredible!!

[@michaelkrupar9808]

"America" is a much more Iconic dance number that "The Dance at the Gym".

[@lornekay8948]

You would not believe it looking at me now but I actually performed the top dance number “One” almost 40 years ago. Continues to be my favourite.

[@stischer47]

When West Side Story came out, while America, Cool, and Gym Dance were interesting, the Prologue bBet blew my mind at a 14yo.

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

I spent this whole list wanting to dance and being in awe of the actual dancers ❤️

[@lauralake7430]

Dang i wish i could dance at all! But i can admire those that can!

[@MrRraoulof]

I'm surprised that choreographer and director Rob Marshall wasn't mentioned. His work for Cabaret, Chicago, Kiss of the spider woman, and recently Mary Poppins returns are terrific.

[@greatfilmmaker]

Why don't you try it? The top twenty bob fosse routines

[@joyrochelle]

Soo many good numbers. I’d add Marion the Librarian from The Music Man, too!

[@BurrShotHam711Jenna]

i'm glad The Room Where It Happens from Hamilton made the list

[@PrincessMeggala0913]

Yay Barn Dance! I was in Seven Brides several years ago, and our version of the dance took a whole week of rehearsals 😂 it was intense and SO FUN

[@robertsandybeach9990]

I got lucky in my young days and did Dance at the Gym, Hairspray in heels as Edna, the Bottle Dance, Damn Yankees, One as Bobby, in revue shows did Steam Heat, 42nd street tap..and now am getting ready for a 2nd hip replacement

[@samanthaeck2319]

Just a couple honorable mentions: The masquerade from The Phantom of the Opera has always been a favorite of mine. Also, it may not be considered a dance number but it was well choreographed: The final chase from Some Like It Hot.

[@gaelsweeney1903]

Dick Van Dyke starred on Broadway and in the film Bye Bye Birdie in which he danced extensively so he was hardly without any dance training in Mary Poppins!

[@laurahart1245]

I love all the dancing in West Side Story. I danced to the music in my living room.

[@WrenFaithBridger]

I remember reading somewhere that one of the cast members of "Hairspray" liked to call the last number "You Can't Stop To Breathe".

[@JoyceGA]

Loved it. Cell Block Tango was my go to song.

[@Dreadpiraterose]

Glad to see Newsies so high - well deserved! Surprised not to see Masquerade from Phantom not on the list at all, or even in the honorable mentions. That choreo and the visual of them all on the staircase moving together in unison is absolutely iconic and was still getting gasps from audiences well into the show's final years. I guess there's no official footage of it though, which makes it hard to highlight in a video like this. The 25h annual version isn't like it was on Broadway and the movie version isn't quite the same either.

[@tropicalkitten]

How did Fosse's Manson Trio from Pippin not make this list? It is one of the most iconic dances he ever did... An honorable mention at least.

[@jonnarobinson7541]

Overall, the choices were good, although I may have ranked them differently. By the way, Agnes de Mille was the choreographer for Oklahoma.

[@nicolebranstetter5065]

Thank you so much for including Crazy for You! My high-school show choir saw the show in New York in 1994, and the end of the first act was like nothing I had ever seen before. I mean, tap-dancing with trash can lids on their feet? Just WOW!!! Thanks for bringing back this cherished memory.

[@GlennKay-qs4tp]

What about TAP YOUR TROUBLES AWAY from Mack & Mabel….such a great number!

[@cammieg4381]

These snippets were great! Closest I'll ever get to seeing an actual Broadway play and I'm grateful!

[@margaretkaraba8161]

Dick van Dyke was in musicals (Bye Bye Birdie) starting in 1960 (he got a Tony award for it, too). You don't get into professional musicals without some kind of dance background.

[@leese.23]

Nobody, and I mean nobody, dances like Gene Kelly!

[@geraldineclarke5434]

If you were ranking filmed numbers, Kelly's "Singing in the Rain" would HAVE to be NUMBER ONE. I saw it first when I was 5 and it destined me become a dancer.

[@lilbatz]

Tidbit fact. Kelly was sick as a dog when he shot that number. Like 102F fever sick. The guy was a beast.

[@geraldineclarke5434]

@@lilbatz That's a great tidbit of movie history. I never heard if they heated the water.

[@lilbatz]

@@geraldineclarke5434 knowing how the corporate overlords were back then, probably not.

[@pennystevens2294]

I majored in theater in college because of my love of musical theater

[@cwolf19380]

So many wonderful numbers that were not included. One that comes to mind is "Take Off With Us" from "All That Jazz" - another Fosse masterpiece.

[@6760joanne]

Thank you for looking back in time and picking up these timeless pieces!!

[@Iggystar71]

I watch Turkey Lurkey time so much all year long. 😂😂

[@pineshimmer]

Positoovity from The LIttle Mermaid with scuttle tap dancing with his fellow birds is worth watching. Irving Berlin's White Christmas stage musical, I LOve a Piano is pretty good too! ... and we owe it all to a man named Zigfield! Thank you Flo

[@Highland804]

I had such a crush on George Chakiris in West Side Story.

[@WrenFaithBridger]

Who didn't? 😍

[@user-tt9ow7yc9e]

Hairspray at macy parade they wore winter coats and mittens and also Tracy and link kiss and continue dance.

[@Kammitoes]

I'd love to do the Pippin routine. It's just intriguing.

[@TomSavarese1]

Just fabulous, my dear~~!!!!

[@samuelcollantes1175]

One (reprise) Happy wednesday afternoon, Emily, take care and God bless you. Greetings from Colombia to you as well.

[@jonelrobinson582]

I see cats the musical I click

[@gigishomesteadofadifferent693]

There were a few things, as a lover of musicals that I would have done differently, added or taken away. However, I felt more credit should have been given to the original movie adaptation of Too Darn Hot. She broke ground with that number and I don't believe anyone else has matched her speed with her feet. That was a magnificent and ground breaking number, for the time.

[@mariocossa991]

Slap That Bass is an incredible number AND the ACT I Finale - I Got Rhythm was the real show stopper in CRAZY FOR YOU.

[@mfb5242]

There are a number of great ensemble dances in Oliver! Both Broadway show and the movie our all-time favorites! My uncle saw Davey Jones from the Monkee’s as the Artful Dodger in London back in the day!

[@user-hb1mw8qg4y]

You're going to show us 30 of these! Love the subject but I don't have an hour .

[@Beth_Alice_Kaplan]

Wow, that’s a lot of Fosse…

[@Nurichiri]

He was a legendary choreographer.

[@lilbatz]

@@NurichiriThere was a time there was Bob, then everyone else

[@MarkWerderitsch-k9v]

The issue I have with "Anything Goes" is as follows: in 1934, the song was performed as a commentary on something in the action and topical events (So, Mrs. R. with all her trimmin's /Can broadcast a bed from Simmons/Cause Franklin knows/Anything goes.) (When you hear that Lady Mendel, standing up/ Now turns a hand spring standing up/On her ties,/Anything goes) by Merman and four singing and dancing sailors with multiple dance breaks for the sailors was never has been done as an enormous tap extravaganza except since the 1962 Off-Broadway revival. They may produce dazzling choreography for it as an Act I finale, but that is not how it was originally done.

[@sigil8386]

I loved the pics. I would have also added the dice game scene from Guys & Dolls.

[@jws1948ja]

What is fascenating is Juvenile Detention.

[@marilyntreihart3838]

Always loved the dance "One" that's the one I would've wanted to do.

[@kaishefferly5965]

I'm so upset because back in December I went to Theatre States and did a workshop that had an obc Hamilton ensemble member and we had the option between Room Where It Happened choreography and Schuyler Sisters and it was the latter that we ended up doing even though I really wanted to do the former. It would have been so much fun, especially since the entire workshop was about acting through choreography. Also, I really think Shipoopi from The Music Man should be on this list, it's a lot of precise partner dancing.

[@laurab8450]

Ed Burns did a flip into that last Grease dance scene!

[@DepezPoopsie]

I’ve recently been watching a clip of Our Favorite Son from Will Roger’s Follies and that looks hellw fun.

[@vanessawhitneypro]

18:22 I was wondering if you'd include SLAP THAT BASS... Loved when they showed it on PBS... My dear friend Gair is one of the lead dancers!

[@aadamtx]

Some good selections, but with the preponderance of film clips, the video should be called "Iconic Broadway Dance Numbers That Also Appeared In Many Film Versions." I saw the new production of KISS ME, KATE at the Barbican in June 2024, and the "Too Darn Hot" number was excellent.

[@tammylynnbeatricedoyle4500]

Wow! Great list ❤ 1 2 3 the BEST 🎉🎉🎉

[@diannecoyne993]

I was thinking you would HAVE TO include the Best Little Whore House in Tex dance # called Jazz hand Aggies - Football players doing a cowboy dance in boots in the Locker room! And the one with Dance a little Sidestep! Loved that one too.

[@leonwechsler389]

There are so many, but my favorite is the WEST SIDE STORY

[@carlozabbia1157]

"Le Jazz Hot" from "Victor, Victoria."

[@carolpreston8781]

Need to add Shipoopi from Music Man!

[@bajawon]

Applause! The waiters!

[@tjohns25]

Was wondering when Newsies would show up lol

[@thetoshiapoundstoneshow373]

Yes. He is really good with his body. But there are a lot of good ones out there

[@leewuepper9159]

👏👏to them all.

[@jandreid2023]

Probably one of a few MsMojo Broadway lists that don't have a Sondheim musical included.😁

[@thomashuffman3237]

Honorable mentions: The Lioness Hunt and He Lives in You (reprise) from The Lion King

[@NediSafa]

The writing was better than usual in this list. You only use the word iconic five times. But Cell Block tango is not about female empowerment. It is about careless disregard for human life.

[@lilbatz]

It was about women getting used and abused by the system. In the world and in the prison system. There’s nothing empowering being locked up in a cell after you murdered your user/abuser.

[@NediSafa]

@@lilbatz listen to the words! None of them were being abused. One of them was just snapping his gum.

[@rosabellavitaalvarez-calde5836]

At most, they had been cheated on and lied to. Actually, Velma is the only one who you can almost understand a bit, especially since she herself admits to the murders but not really being aware of doing it. The only one who was actually used and abused by the system was Hunyak

[@gryphonberlin]

Did enough of them long ago

[@cak813]

Though not strictly a Broadway show, the last dance from “Riverdance” should have been included.

[@georgiaoliver5727]

All amazing numbers, but not including Our Favorite Son from Will Rogers Follies almost seems like a crime.

[@strino50]

Missed the Can-Can from the original 1983 La Cage aux Folles

[@McFiery28]

Y'all really missed out on giving Michael Kidd his dues for Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.

[@yogibear2522]

You forgot James Cagney, 1944?, I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy. Didn't he win the academy award for his performance?

[@arynackerman7232]

Haven't I seen this video already??

[@LeonardoKlotz]

The thumbnail, though 👀

[@PDXLibertarian]

#1 should have been We've Got Annie

[@robingow7276]

Hot honey rag in the movie is not the same as the play!!

[@jandreid2023]

You included the "Waiters' Gallop" from "Hello, Dolly!" in the honorable mentions but not the title song dance number??

[@rayizard5687]

Really? No love for Michael Kidd and the phenomenally quirky yet highly impressive Rag Offen the Bush?!

[@adenmcfarland5116]

Ahh pajama game mentioned

[@olihoj7575]

So most of these get a good analysis of the dance and the show and whatnot. But of course cats only get cat related puns. The Jellicle Ball is 10 minutes of pure beauty, wonder and excitment. Lynn was and still is one of the best in the industry and she deserves alot more than just puns for the magic she created. There's a reason cats is one of the longest running shows mind you.

[@3l3llala13]

Was '7 Brides For 7 Brothers' ever a broadway show ?

[@maggiegarber246]

Yes, but only a few performances in US. Had 41 performances in the UK. I couldn’t find more than that.

[@danahansen5427]

Wait, Dear. The Wiz started out on stage to begin with.

[@princervv]

You missed the Rich Man's Frug

[@HaunaMyKiki]

"Glory/Manson Trio" should have represented Pippin instead, and swap it in for _at least_ Matilda's spot in the rank.

[@MaSant-l4p]

Shipoopi! Not even an honorable mention?

[@user-cr5rg4db4p]

Bob Fosse was a nightmare junkie

[@sarahmcmann5253]

My sister loved the movie Hairspray

[@CBAAM]

Please call these "Dance Numbers on Film from Broadway Shows"....not Broadway Dance Numbers...I have performed on Broadway and the dance numbers are often quite different when they transfer to screen.. thank you.

[@WrenFaithBridger]

Almost every single one showed clips from Broadway. That makes them Broadway Dance Numbers.

[@greatfilmmaker]

As usual, you had them out of order and I wouldn't even have put Fiddle the roof and it all

[@haineshisway]

Way too many modern things in there - with meaningless choreography that's all about flips and stomping. Where's My One and Only? It opened the Tonys the year it was up - you won't see finer dancing or tap choreography. Where's Dreamgirls' Steppin' to the Badside (want to talk about choreography that actually does tell a story), where's the REAL Waiter's Galop not the revival, where's The Shriner's Ballet with Chita Rivera, and for heaven's sake where's Ron Field's Wilkommen, one of the greatest opening numbers in history.

[@cathycharron-folsom4504]

Dick VanDyke could tap