Dance it off!
Dance can convey a lot of things–love, vulnerability, excitement, elation. When you dance, your feelings take center stage. You might be dancing for yourself, or for someone special. Or maybe you’re just there to have a rollicking good time.
Some TV shows that are typically non-musical use dance breaks to explore the thoughts and feelings of characters. This method may seem unexpected and unconventional for the show, but these toe-tapping scenes do their job to remain memorable in the minds of viewers.
The Umbrella Academy is no stranger to a good dance break. Way back in Season 1, fans got a glimpse of the Hargreeves dancing prowess with a scene set to Tiffany’s "I Think We’re Alone Now." But the Season 3 opener is something else. Enter the Footloose dance battle.
The Brellies face off against the Sparrows to settle their dispute “the old-fashioned way.” Luther (Tom Hopper) leads the crew while a very confused Diego (David Castañeda) asks what the heck he is doing–“protecting our honor, bro!” Of course, it’s all a hallucination induced by the Sparrows’ Jayme (Cazzie David), but the scene shows just how far the crew has come from dancing alone to dancing–and working– together as a cohesive unit.
In the aptly titled episode “Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam”, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and the gang are subject to the whims of God’s (Dennis Haysbert) powers. The big guy’s diminishing control over his power is causing everyone to break out into spontaneous song and dance, much to Lucifer’s initial distaste.
The episode’s first and best dance break takes place at a crime scene, where Luci, Chloe (Lauren German), Dan (Kevin Alejandro), and Ella (Aimee Garcia) perform a choreographed rendition of Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust. Lucifer can’t deny his love of showmanship and really gets into the number before it abruptly ends, causing him to question “what just happened?” The reoccurring dance breaks remind Lucifer that he is still very much under his Father’s control, but has the opportunity to change that.
Fans of Terry Crews’ dance floor antics in White Chicks were delighted to witness another rousing performance to Salt ‘N’ Peppa’s Push It in Season 7 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But what makes this dance break unexpected is his choice of dance partner–none other than the sensible Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher).
Terry and Captain Holt are charged with distracting a laboring Amy (Melissa Fumero), who is stuck in the precinct without power or her husband. Amy initially thinks the Captain is bringing her drugs from the evidence room, but Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) is quick to advise that “something way weirder is happening.” The scene shows just how far the squad is willing to go for each other, which includes Rosa filming Captain Holt dancing, knowing just how upset Jake (Andy Samberg) will be that he missed it.
The Big Bang Theory is not typically a show known for its musical numbers. But if anyone is going to put on a performance worth watching, it’s Raj (Kunal Nayyar). In Season 4, the astrophysicist experiences some confusing feelings for his best friend’s girlfriend Bernadette (Melissa Rauch). This leads to a series of daydreams involving Howard’s (Simon Helberg) disappearance, giving Raj no choice but to care for Bernadette.
One of these daydreams is a colorful Bollywood performance set to "You Are My Heart, My Universe." The scene is not only a celebration of Raj’s cultural background, but a demonstration of his love for Bernadette, and perhaps more so his loyalty to Howard in keeping his feelings entirely confined to his own mind.
In Season 5 of New Girl, Schmidt (Max Greenfield) puts his personal insecurities aside to win over his fiancé Cece’s (Hannah Simone) mistrusting mother with a big Bollywood number. Schmidt and Nick (Jake Johnson) dance right along with “MaHot Moves Ghandi” while Jess (Zooey Deschanel), Winston (Lamorne Morris), Cece, and her mother look on. Winston must then intervene when “fake Cece’s mom”–a woman the boys accidentally kidnap from the airport when picking up Cece’s mother–tries to steal the show.
Cece is none the wiser, with tears in her eyes, she is truly touched by Schmidt’s grand gesture. While the same can’t be said for her mother, the dance break is used to show just how deep Schmidt’s love is for Cece, and just how strong the bond of friendship is between Schmidt and Nick, who is willing to embarrass himself right alongside his friend.
Emotional, impactful and transcendent aren’t usually words that you would use to describe It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, but Mac’s (Rob McElhenney) coming out dance in Season 13 is all those things and more. Mac struggles to tell his felon father that he’s gay, so he shows him instead.
The beautiful, rain-swathed contemporary performance takes place in front of a crowd of inmates at the prison Mac’s father is being kept in. Mac has the whole audience enthralled, including Frank (Danny DeVito) who with tears in his eyes exclaims, “Oh my God, I get it. Unfortunately, the impact isn’t felt by Mac’s dad, but the dance break is still an extremely powerful moment in the history of LGBTQ representation on television.
In Season 4 of Schitt’s Creek, David Rose (Dan Levy) overcomes his insecurities and puts his vulnerability on full display when he dances and lip-synchs to Tina Turner’s Simply The Best. The performance is meant to be an olive branch to David’s boyfriend Patrick (Noah Reid), who sends numerous gifts to David in an effort to mend their strained relationship.
The dance break is a call back to Patrick’s acoustic performance of the song at the Rose Apothecary’s open mic night. Despite Patrick warning David that “you know people can see you, right?” he performs the whole song in an effort to show Patrick just how important he is to him.
Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) shows fans that she doesn’t just have superpowers, but she can dance too! Kamala and her family put on a surprise Bollywood-esque performance for her brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh) and his new wife Tyesha (Travina Springer) at their wedding. Even Kamala’s best friend Bruno (Matt Lintz) joins in, showing off his commitment to Kamala.
Despite Kamala almost falling off a fellow dancer’s shoulders, Aamir and Tyesha are delighted. The scene is not only a celebration of Pakistani culture but also something new and unexpected for Marvel, who don’t typically include dance breaks in their stories. Pave the way for more dancing superheroes!
In Season 2 of Euphoria, Rue (Zendaya) gives a stirring performance set to Bobby Darin's "Call Me Irresponsible." She dances around her room with a pillow like she is on Broadway before making her way into the kitchen for some pop tarts and milk. The music cuts out, but Rue doesn’t stop dancing until she notices her sister Gia (Storm Reid) watching her.
Gia is understandably confused since the music seems to be all in Rue’s head. She even asks, “are you high?” to which Rue responds, “I mean…” and shrugs. Euphoria isn’t short of, well, euphoric scenes however this one seems quite unexpected in that Rue is battling addiction, echoed by the dark nature of the rest of the season. However, dance seems to be a coping mechanism for her as it is for many.
Daniella Di Carlo is a TV & Movie List Writer for Collider. She is a compulsive reader, a mythology buff, and a self-proclaimed professional fangirl.
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