History Main / GrandStaircaseEntrance

->''"Music up as every eye goes to the head of the stairs, the portières move and Mrs. Levi steps through, handsomely gowned, red hair done up magnificently on top of her head. She descends stairs as Waiters, etc. await her first words."''

Often this will be shown visually with the camera starting at the feet and slowly panning up the figure. When wearing a dress with a long skirt, stepping down gives her a chance to show off her shoes and [[ShesGotLegs legs]] without being immodest.

Often this will be shown visually with the camera starting at the feet and slowly panning up the figure. When wearing a dress with a long skirt, stepping down gives her a chance to show off [[NiceShoes her shoes]] and [[ShesGotLegs legs]] without being immodest.

* In ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' this is how [[MadArtist Sander]] [[DepravedHomosexual Cohen]] meets you in person after you place the last photograph of his former disciples needed for his masterpiece.

* In issue 12 of ''ComicBook/RainbowRowellsRunaways'', Nico gets a moment like this before she and Karolina head out to a charity function together.

* In WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog when "Prince Naveen" first enters Charlotte La Bouff's masquerade party and waits for her at the bottom of the stairs, Charlotte descends down the stairs with an impressively fast sprint, all while she was wearing high heels and an extremely PimpedOutDress.

* In the British comedy ''Curtain Up'' (1952) a playwright has written such a scene into her play "Tarnished Gold", only for the producer to bluntly inform her they're not building such a staircase [[AwesomeButImpractical as it wouldn't fit on stage]].
* In ''Film/EverAfter'' she makes her entrance all right (though ''up'' the stairs, not down).

* ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' did this with Scarlett.

* Galadriel in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing''.

* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'': In the episode that introduced the ComicBook/ScarletWitch, the X-Men were fighting the Brotherhood in the local mall after hours, and after defeating them, Wanda made her dramatic entrance coming down the escalator and proceeded to [[CurbStompVictory hand the entire team their asses]].

[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/belle_staircase.png]]]]

** In season 2 episode 5, when Matt goes to Elektra's penthouse, Elektra makes her entrance into the scene coming downstairs from the penthouse's upper level.
** In season 3 episode 8, Karen decides to visit Wilson Fisk in his penthouse and try to provoke him into attacking her. While she waits in Fisk's refurnished living room, Fisk makes his entrance appearing on the second floor balcony and then coming down the stairs.

* A tragic version in ''Film/SunsetBoulevard'', as she's breathtakingly attractive only in her own mind--"I'm ready for my closeup, Mister Director."
** It's also a [[InvertedTrope inversion]] - it's a Grand Staircase ''Exit''.
* Rose in ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}''. Slight subversion in that she is dressed like this every night and has come down those stairs several times- it's the onlooker who is [[PrincessForADay a gentleman for the evening.]]

* In WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog when "Prince Naveen" first enters the Charlotte La Bouff's masquerade party and waits for her at the bottom of the stairs, Charlotte descends down the stairs with an impressively fast sprint, all while she was wearing high heels and an extremely PimpedOutDress.

* Done in Series/TheCarolBurnettShow's famous skit spoofing Film/GoneWithTheWind.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'': Elsa does this when Anna finds her in her IcePalace. Anna even has the traditional "[[SheCleansUpNicely Whoa, Elsa, you look... different!]] [[{{Adorkable}} It's a good different!]]" reaction in regards to Elsa's Snow Queen outfit.

[[quoteright:260:[[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/belle_gold.jpg]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', as shown above.

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* Played with in ''Film/DeathRace2000'' where the PropagandaMachine pans up a long golden staircase, atop of which is Mr President.

* In the Theatre/TakarazukaRevue productions of ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'', the titular character descends a staircase, wearing her famous Sternkleid/Star Dress, for the act 1 finale. The reveal of the dress usually gets applause.

* Galadriel in the first ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' film.

[[quoteright:260:[[Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/belle_gold.jpg]]]]

* ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', as shown above.
* ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'' did it first... three times! First when Cinderella surprises her stepmother and stepsisters in her new pink dress (although this is [[DoomedNewClothes cruelly subverted]] just moments later), then when she meets the Prince at the ball (though this slightly differs from the traditional entrance by having her walk ''up'' the stairs rather than ''down'' the stairs), and, finally, at the end when she comes down the stairs of her home to prove the slipper is hers.

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': Elsa does this when Anna finds her in her IcePalace. Anna even has the traditional "[[SheCleansUpNicely Whoa, Elsa, you look... different!]] [[{{Adorkable}} It's a good different!]]" reaction in regards to Elsa's Snow Queen outfit.
** ''Disney/OlafsFrozenAdventure'' has a downplayed example with Elsa. She first appears walking down the palace stairs, just in the middle of the frame, with little of the visual flair this trope usually has, but it is the first time we see the queen in her HappyHolidaysDress, and she's [[AnIcePerson using her powers to make ice decorations on the banisters]].

* In Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog when "Prince Naveen" first enters the Charlotte La Bouff's masquerade party and waits for her at the bottom of the stairs, Charlotte descends down the stairs with an impressively fast sprint, all while she was wearing high heels and an extremely PimpedOutDress.