5 of the most inspirational dancers

Inspiration is huge in the entertainment industry. Whether you’re a performer, choreographer, director or producer, being inspired by others is essential to creating that next masterpiece. There are many great dancers and performers both past and present but here’s a short list of the 5 that have probably inspired me the most.

I grew up watching these dancers from a very young age. (By the way if you’re interested in knowing how I got started with dance, click here.) All of them were introduced to me by either my parents or my grandparents and I am sure you’ll agree, each and everyone of them has shaped the entertainment world. Before I begin, I should note that this list is in no particular order… that would be near impossible!

Contents

1. Gene Kelly
2. Fred Astaire
3. Bob Fosse
4. Donald O’Connor
5. Michael Jackson

Gene Kelly

Like most people out there, Singin’ In The Rain was the first movie I saw starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’ Connor. I’ve probably watched it hundreds of times over the years with the most recent time being less than a month ago.

My three favourite scenes with Gene Kelly in this movie are “Good Morning”, “Moses Supposes”, and of course “Singin in the rain” (If you haven’t seen these, go… in fact… run and watch them immediately!) Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen choreographed and directed the movie. It’s considered by many to be the greatest movie musical of all time…

Gene Kelly’s style was athletic combined with his classic ballet technique. When dancing with a partner I always thought the lines and pictures he created were very stylish and those images became a visual  reference I associated with era.

Another number I mentioned earlier was ‘Moses supposes.’ Performed by Gene Kelly and Donald O’ Connor. The piece was genius. I really like the effortless from both of them when performing this number. 

As a performer, Gene Kelly’s chemistry with every partner, man or woman, was really endearing and drew you into the scene more and more. Years later I came to appreciate this lesson.

Fred Astaire

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are probably the most famous dancing duo of all time. As a male dancer Fred Astaire served as an inspiration on so many levels. One of my favourite Astaire scenes is from the movie ‘Damsel in Distress’ and is most commonly know as ‘The Drum Scene.’

The musicality in this number is incredible. Fred Astaire is tap dancing surrounded by a number of drums which he uses to hit various accents and illustrate different rhythms. It was a glimpse into how he felt and heard the music. Something that I consider extremely important when performing. Everyone hears things in a different way and feels things in a different way.

The music we dance to can be a smorgasbord of accents and rhythms to highlight throughout our routine and in this scene Fred Astaire displayed this perfectly.

Another iconic scene that sticks in my mind is from the movie ‘Bandwagon’ and this particular scene inspired another person on this list to create something incredible. The scene is called ‘The Girl Hunt Ballet’ and my favourite part takes place in ‘Dem Bones Cafe.’

There are too many things to mention in this scene that make it awesome but for me the thing that I really found to be inspirational was Astaires style when partnering Cyd Charisse. Again the musicality and body language makes the number, quirky lines and dance move choices seem to work together flawlessly.

The whole Girl Hunt Ballet is over 10 minutes long but this section in particular is a highlight for me.

Bob fosse

Bon fosse was undoubtedly one of the greatest dancers and choreographers of all time. His signature style and incredible abilities are so inspirational for many. Although there are many dance scenes to watch that will inspire every dancer, a number that I really enjoyed was his duet with Tommy Rall in ‘My Sister Eileen.’

It’s not just the dancing in this number thats brilliant it’s also the way the narrative is done completely through dance or more specifically two simple actions. A click and a tip of the hat. In the scene Bob Fosse shows Tommy Rall that he can do everything Tommy can, when he does it he clicks as if he checked it of the list or tips his hat as if to say what’s next. I thought this was so simple yet incredibly clear to the audience what the narrative is. 

Bob Fosses’ style was and is so iconic that it’s become a style in itself. I’ve been in plenty of shows where the style has been described as Fosse. The slinky and soft arm movements and signature positions seen in ‘Rich Mans Frug’ are accepted to be the Fosse style. Speaking of this number, I love the way the movements the dancers are performing accentuate the characters they are playing. It’s so inspirational and I’ve often looked back on this number for these reasons.

Donald O Connor

I have mentioned Donald O’Connor previously but I loved watching him as well in Singin’ in the Rain. An amazing number he performed, which I am sure you have heard of, is ‘Make em laugh.’ The energy and comedy he brought to that scene was incredible, not to mention the athletic ability.

He was so good at acting and this inspired me a lot. When performing, characterisation is so important. It’s, of course, crucial for story telling. I always liked how expressive he was. This seemed to add to the perceived effortlessness when watching.

Also mentioned earlier was the number ‘Moses Supposes’ again his performance in this number was superb. The part where Donald dances solo for the first time is one of my favourite parts in the entire scene. Great choreography and performed so well.

Michael Jackson

Last but certainly not least is the king of pop, Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson’s career spanned decades and he was a one of a kind performer. What’s inspiring to me though is that he was inspired and influenced be everyone else on this list. Do you remember the number I mention earlier when talking about Fred Astaire, ‘The Girl Hunt Ballet.’

The scene in ‘Dem Bones Cafe’ inspired ‘Smooth Criminal’ even the suit Michael wears is a replica of Fred Astaires. Michael Jacksons dance style developed over the years and his moves will go on for generations. His ability to take already iconic moves and make them his own was and is the most inspirational thing for me. 

As a performer he was able to control the audience with the simplistic things. He saw the power in suspense and subtly. The details mattered and the quirky statements became legendary. I, like many others, have modelled stylistic choices when performing from Michael Jackson, some obvious and some not so much. I still find myself researching his inspirations to see if I can see why he saw what he saw, and how it guided him to create what he created.

Is there anyone on this list that has inspired you in some way? Or maybe your inspirations differ? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

Stephen.