Greasy hair, but she does care
Sandy Olsson, a student from Australia, attends high school in America after having a summer fling with a greaser, Danny Zuko. Sandy becomes friends with some preppy peers who re-introduce her to her summer lover, who is seemingly uninterested. The two spend time attempting to conform to their school personas, but ultimately can’t fight their attraction toward each other.
Atmosphere: 4/5
While featured in a national dance contest hosted at their own prom, Sandra and Danny pair up and absolutely rock the dance floor to “Hound Dog” and “Born to Hand Jive” by Johnny Casino and the Gamblers. The couple is flawlessly engaged, until Cha-Cha, Danny’s ex lover, interrupts their perfect picture and schemingly steals Danny from the floor. It’s obvious that Danny and Cha-Cha are intimately close in their final dance scene, which drives Sandy out of the dance in tears, leaving both Sandy, and I, heartbroken.
The Dance: 5/5
The film, also directed on Broadway, is a musically composed masterpiece, perfectly capturing the spirit and energy of teenage adolescence through late 70s raunchy rock and roll style dancing. The explicitness not only reflects the teen era, but exposes the raw emotion behind it, leaving a desperate craving for more.
Loosening the law
After losing his single mother, Ren McCormack picks up his life and moves to Bomont, Georgia, with his uncle for his senior year of high school. Ironically, McCormack enters the film as an outsider, parading a strong Boston accent among the country folk’s redneck holler and enraging conservative residents with his loud city music. After stirring up a fair amount of trouble, Ren meets his match in the town Reverend’s daughter; Ariel Moore, who is coping with her brother’s fatal car accident and its consequences.
Atmosphere: 5/5
Hosted in a jazzed up industrial building on the outskirts of town, the prom itself is a truce between the “rebellious, and frisky,” teenagers, and their overbearing parents. The dance really steps into place once Ren and Ariel’s scummy ex-boyfriend brawl it out, leaving the couple free to enjoy the groove for the rest of the night.
The Dance: 5/5
Kicked off to the beat of “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins, the energy of their disco, rumba, and rock combination had the building buzzing the whole night, concluding with a carefully choreographed dance from Ren and his new country BFF, Willard.
Campaigning a date
After becoming friends with Pedro, a Spanish-speaking transfer student, awkwardly framed Napoleon Dynamite, and his new best friend set out on a mission to secure the seat of class president. During the movie, Pedro secures a date and urges Napoleon to do the same. After one failed attempt with the wrong woman, Napoleon invites Deb, who gladly agrees to attend the prom with him.
Atmosphere: 3/5
With a classic hit, Alphaville’s “Forever Young” playing in the background, Napoleon and Deb’s dance scene couldn’t get any more stereotypically awkward. With dim fairy lights and quirky 80’s decorations surrounding them like a snow globe, the dancing couldn’t matter in the slightest. The two are nothing special, but that’s exactly what makes them so special. They perfectly encapsulate the absurdity of high school romance.
The Dance: 2/5
Watching the two sway side to side along with the soft, heartfelt tune is a reminder of the present, feeling as if nothing but this moment matters. The scene is nothing extravagant, but it captures the emotion within the characters as they gaze into each other’s eyes.
Bribes for my beloved
In this iconic high school rom-com, Kat Stratford, a modern woman who doubles as man-repellent, refuses to attend her senior prom, which prevents her younger sister, Bianca from attending as well. In an attempt to convince Kat to attend the dance, Bianca’s original date, Joey, bribes walking ashtray, Patrick Verona, to get Kat to attend as his date. After an absolutely devastating poetry scene that will leave that burning feeling in your chest, the two surprisingly fall for each other.
Atmosphere: 3/5
After convincing a reluctant Kat to attend, Patrick calls in a favor to one of her favorite artists, Hanley and Eisenstien, who covered Nick Lowe’s “Cruel to be Kind.” Joey exposes Patrick’s role in his elaborate scheme to get Bianca to the prom and into the sheets, leaving both Kat and I feeling hurt and betrayed. Bianca makes quick work of the scene with a carefully coordinated clock of the fist to Joey’s nose. Leaving a sliver of satisfaction witnessing Joey’s pain after the pain he caused to everyone else.
The Dance: 5/5
Probably being the most relatable to our modern dance techniques, the late 90s pop-rock music played at the prom got students swaying and jumping to the music. Although the scene had a couple coordinated spins, the dancing was not what they, or I, was focused on.
