History Main / DanceOff

* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'': Subverted and PlayedForLaughs. Peter Quill [[WeNeedADistraction challenges]] Ronan to a dance off at the film's climax. Ronan, being raised in a ProudWarriorRace, has no idea what Quill is on about, and just looks on with absolute confusion. Even Gamora is flabbergasted. This doesn't stop Quill from continuing to dance until his people can attack.

* Aja Perera and Wrestling/KimberLee had a dance off while they wrestled in SHINE's 2019 Nova Vacancy Tournament. Fans wanted dancing from Lee, who at first declined until Perera started dancing in Lee's holds to show how ineffective they were leading Lee to block, dodge and counter Perera's altogether with dance moves. The wrestling was competitive and [[DiabolusExMachina ultimately inconclusive]] thanks to BTY, but the dancing was dominated by the {{classically trained}} Lee even though she couldn't [[ShakingTheRump twerk]].

* Wrestling/TheOsirianPortal would start these in Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}, sometimes hypnotizing their opponents to get them to dance.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': The episode "Billy Idiot" features a ballet dance off between Billy's dad and Ms. Pollywinkle the Witch Ballet Teacher. It gets parodied quickly as their start switching up dance styles such as Hawaiian Hula and ThatRussianSquatDance.

* Dancing was taken very seriously in ECW. An entire feud, Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie and [[Wrestling/{{Nova}} Super Nova]] vs. the FBI (Tracy Smothers, Wrestling/LittleGuidoMaritato and "The Big Don" Tommy Rich) was started over Smothers being a particularly awful dancer.

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[[caption-width-right:350:[[Series/{{Riverdale}} Lodge vs. Blossom for the queen of Riverdale's River Vixens Cheer Squad!]]]]

* Wrestling/StevieRichards and [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoyz Bubba Ray Dudley]] had one in Wrestling/{{ECW}} in the 90's.

Dance Off is a sister trope to CookingDuel, wherein the duel is usually something silly for silly reasons with silly weapons of choice. Compare BattleOfTheBands.

** In another episode, Bob and Teddy take a hip-hop dance class and get challenged to a dance-off by the teacher's son. As the dance battle begins, the son hurts himself, so Bob and Teddy win by default before they even make a move.

* On ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'', Bob and Teddy take a hip-hop dance class and get challenged to a dance-off by the teacher's son. As the dance battle begins, the son hurts himself, so Bob and Teddy win by default before they even make a move.

* ''Film/Taxi|1932}}'' - Creator/JamesCagney and Creator/LorettaYoung compete in foxtrot contest and lose. When the winning contestant gloats just a bit too much, Cagney knocks him out.

** While she was Fandango's dance partner, Wrestling/SummerRae challenged Wrestling/{{Emma}} to one in 2014. Emma, who was portrayed as a comedy character when she first came up from NXT, [[DancingIsSeriousBusiness didn't take the contest seriously]], doing moves like "The Shopping Cart".

->'''Ronan:''' ...What are you doing?\\

** While she was Fandango's dance partner, Wrestling/SummerRae challenged Wrestling/{{Emma}} to one in 2014. Emma, who was portrayed as a comedy character when she first came up from NXT, didn't take the contest seriously.

* The music video for "Shake It" by Music/MetroStation shows off a number of different groups of dancers showing off their moves while the band plays both singularly and together.

The Dance off is a type of contest, but rather than one anyone can enter, it's a form of duel between two mutual antagonists.

For one reason or another, one dancer (often the DancingRoyalty) is convinced their moves are the best, the sweetest, the most unbeatable. But someone else challenges them, to knock them down a few pegs, or for the attention of a LoveInterest. The Trope is usually a fun or [[PlayedForLaughs comedy]] trope but can venture into DuelToTheDeath territory if the stakes become high enough. The challenge does not even have to be formally made.

Usually the dancers take turns showing off their increasingly elaborate moves until one concedes they have nothing left, or one or both dances themselves into collapsing from exhaustion.

While it is possible for one or both parties to be a DanceBattler, that trope is not employed here. The dance-off does not contain combat.

-->'''[[BigBad Ronan]]:''' ...What are you doing?\\

* ''Film/CatsDontDance'': NaiveNewcomer Danny and IceQueen Sawyer conduct one of these during an impromptu talent show near Mammoth Studios, complete with TrashCanBand. Tillie's hip toss sends Sawyer reeling into the spotlight, where she takes a few blithe steps and poses. "Not bad," comments Danny, "A little rusty, but hey, who's perfect?" Giving Danny a DeathGlare, Sawyer snarls, "I'll give you rusty." The two FunnyAnimal felines then take turns out-stepping each other, culminating in a pirouette and dip finale ... and an AlmostKiss.