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1[[quoteright:350:[[Film/DirtyDancing https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dirty_dancing_1.jpg]]]]
2
3->'''Girl:''' I'm rich and you're poor, but let's dance together!\
4'''Guy:''' Society won't like it.\
5'''Girl:''' ''[grabbing him dramatically]'' I don't care!
6-->-- ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' (parodying this trope)
7
8Some media works feature people dancing. This makes a whole lot of sense when the scene is set in a nightclub, a prom, or even a concert. Other times, however, there is an elaborate plot going on upon which the story is concentrating, and there's no time for frivolity because serious business is afoot. And yet dancing has been shoved in there somewhere, even when it feels (or at least ''should'' feel) out of place.
9
10Very common in music videos and in films that are ''about'' dancing. This trope does not generally apply to musicals (see the MusicalWorldHypotheses), but it could do if the dancing is diegetic and the plot revolves around it.
11
12Naturally a SubTrope of SeriousBusiness. May feature an AngryDance.
13
14----
15!!Examples:
16
17[[foldercontrol]]
18
19[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
20* In ''Manga/Brave10'', for the fourth of the [[TournamentArc Ueda Castle 10 Matches]], reputed shrine maidens Isanami and Izumo no Okuni get into a dance-off before their fight as Isanami is absolutely determined to prove the latter is a pretender to the Izumo name.
21* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'' is made of this. Angry wili ghosts trying to take your boyfriend with them into death? Monster crows trying to destroy the city? [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Helpless baby birds falling out of their nests?]] Then it's time to ''dance your goddamn heart out.''
22* In the third episode of ''Anime/BlackButler'', Sebastian is dismayed to learn that Ciel doesn't know how to dance, and chides his young master for the oversight, as Ciel's position in society demands that he be able to perform appropriately at balls and gatherings. In fact, Ciel's fiancée is expecting him to dance with her that very night, so Sebastian insists upon teaching Ciel the basics of a waltz, over the young lord's frustrated objections. After all, what kind of butler would Sebastian be if he couldn't do that much?
23[[/folder]]
24
25[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
26* ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'': Cinderella's salvation more or less comes from dancing at a ball.
27[[/folder]]
28
29[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
30* ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInTheTwelveDancingPrincesses'' practically revolves around this trope. Genevieve dances across the tiles in the princess' room to unlock the entrance to a secret pavilion. When [[TheVillain Rowena]] has the tiles destroyed to trap Genevieve and her sisters in the pavilion forever, Genevieve and [[spoiler: her LoveInterest Derek (who she knows because he makes the dancing shoes for her and her sisters) have to dance together]] to get out. At the end of the movie, Genevieve vanquishes Rowena once and for all by [[spoiler:[[ChekhovsGun fanning back]] towards Rowena a spell the latter cast to [[FateWorseThanDeath make one dance for eternity]]]].
31* ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'' pegs the survival of every Emperor Penguin on Earth on the penguin's ability to impress humans with their tap-dancing skills.
32* ''WesternAnimation/{{Leap}}'': Félicie, an orphan girl, dreams of becoming a ballerina. So she escapes from the orphanage, hops a train, and ''commits identity fraud'' to get into the Paris Opera's ballet school. Meanwhile, the school is auditioning for the part of Clara in ''The Nutcracker'' by holding a ''Survivor''-type single-elimination contest; each week, the weakest student is permanently dismissed from the class with the last one standing getting the part. Naturally, Félicie and Camille (the girl whose place she took) wind up as the final two contestants, with the bonus that if she loses she'll not only be sent back to the orphanage, but TheMentor who has been training her on the side gets fired. It all leads up to an epic dance battle across the whole studio, with our heroine victorious and TheRival gracefully admitting defeat. [[spoiler: But it doesn't end there! [[StageMom Camille's mom]] is so enraged that she coldly tries to ''murder a teenage girl'' just for besting her daughter.]] Even for a movie about ballet, that's pretty extreme.
33[[/folder]]
34
35[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
36* ''Film/AnotherCinderellaStory''. It's a modern version of Cinderella (see above), so it actually makes sense to be about a dancer.
37* ''Film/BillyElliot'' qualifies as this at the point where the striking miner father almost becomes a scab for the money to send Billy to ballet school so the kid can have a better chance at life.
38* ''Film/BlackSwan'' is a {{Deconstruction}} of this, following a ballerina who basically destroys her life, body, and sanity in an obsessive quest to give the perfect performance in ''Theatre/SwanLake''. The insanity of treating dancing [[SeriousBusiness so seriously]] is called out, as is the fact that doing so looks rather pathetic when seen from an outside view; at one point, Nina rambles about ''Swan Lake'' and ballet to two guys with her typical obsessiveness, and the two can’t even pretend to find it interesting.
39* The movie ''Film/{{Breakin|1984}}'' featured the classic "pinning of all hopes and dreams on a dance routine," but its strangely-titled sequel ''Film/Breakin2ElectricBoogaloo'' ratcheted up the crazy by not only using breakdancing as a means to save the [[SavingTheOrphanage perpetually-imperiled youth center]], but also as a form of ''combat''. No, not like a DanceBattler, but rather two teams of enemies facing off, breakdancing, and then deciding -- as a group -- who won the battle. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boL9o0u0Dig What, do you think we're kidding?]]
40* ''Film/CMeDance'' is about a girl whose faith in God is apparently dependent on her ability to dance. When she can't dance due to some rare blood disease, she loses faith. Her father prays that she returns to Christianity and regains the strength to fulfill her dream of dancing. God apparently not only obliges by making her better, He makes her gift of dance so great that people who see her dance apparently have religious epiphanies and convert to Christianity instantly! Satan, upset by her ability to bring people to God that easily, then aims all his evil energy at preventing her from dancing. It should be noted that this film '''''is not a parody or a comedy'''''; they were trying to be serious. Quite clearly, Dancing Is Serious Business.
41* In ''Film/DirtyDancing'', much more is riding on Baby learning to dance than Johnny not being able to do a dance exhibition at another resort and thus suffering professional embarrassment.
42* ''Film/{{Flashdance}}'' has Alex (played by Jennifer Beals) pining her own entire future on her audition for the Pittsburgh Conservatory.
43* In the middle of ''Film/{{Footloose}}'', Ren [=McCormick=] invades a train-yard just so he can work his dancing {{Angst}} out. And impress the girl, apparently.
44* In ''Film/TheGamePlan'', Monique takes Joe through a series of ballet exercises to show him that ballet takes as much athletic ability as football.
45* In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'', with the fate of an entire planet at stake, Quill challenges [[spoiler:Ronan the Accuser]] to a dance-off. [[spoiler:It is a distraction. Ronan is extremely confused and temporarily stops his attempt to destroy the planet while he tries to figure out what is going on. This gives Rocket time to fix his BFG and destroy the source of Ronan's power.]]
46%%* Also parodied in ''Film/HotRod'', although it's in a forest and the dancing... isn't that great.
47* In ''Film/{{Midsommar}}'', the cult/group the Harga choose the May Queen via a dance, which many young women are seen preparing for, as it is a highly honored position.
48* In ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'', James Bond (Sean Connery) turns Domino (Kim Basinger) away from Maximillian Largo in an elaborate tango. The right to which he won by defeating Largo in a game.
49* The {{documentary}} ''Film/{{Pina}}'' is about the late choreographer, Pina Bausch, and her dancers speak about her in awe as an artist the way a sculptor would speak about Michelangelo as they perform the dances she developed.
50* In ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'', Tony Manero (played by John Travolta) basically pins his entire future on winning a dance contest. Justified as Tony is from a poor, slightly abusive family, is stuck in a dead-end job, and is affected by gang violence. He has nothing else to enjoy and pin his hopes on nothing but dancing.
51* Seen in ''Film/{{Showgirls}}'', as much of the film revolves around dancing (albeit much of it is related to or akin to stripping or prostitution due to all the nudity and sexuality in it). Specifically, Nomi and James take it very seriously, to the point that it's their primary means of supporting themselves.
52* Baz Luhrmann's ''Film/StrictlyBallroom'' takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to this trope by having everyone treat a professional dancing competition with the same level of seriousness most people reserve for wars, deaths in the family, and epidemics.
53* ''Film/TheyShootHorsesDontThey'' is a {{Deconstruction}} based on actual exploitative dance contests during the Great Depression. Dancing ''is'' serious business, but it's also not fun or quirky; it's brutal, gruelling, emotional and physical labor to the point where [[spoiler:death is better]].
54* ''Film/WhiteNights'' has a serious setting, a USSR prison during the Cold War. A famous Russian ballet dancer who defected is in a terrible situation when he is recaptured by Soviets during a plane crash. The Soviets bring a supposedly loyal tap dancer to help teach this defector the error of his ways while pressuring him. These two dancers express their angst and conflict while dancing.
55* There was a rash of these in the '00s: ''Take the Lead'' and the Creator/DisneyChannel movie ''Gotta Kick It Up!'' were SaveOurStudents stories; ''You Got Served'', the ''Step Up'' movies and ''Save the Last Dance'' all involved gang violence wherein somebody got shot; ''Stomp the Yard'' (which also started with a murder) and ''How She Move'' had pulling-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps-and-the-magic-of-dance plots. In 2009 The Wayans brothers made a parody movie for {{Creator/MTV}} called ''Dance Flick''. At least in the case of ''Take The Lead'', it was BasedOnATrueStory, though the real-life Pierre Dulaine [[HistoricalBeautyUpdate wishes he looked like Antonio Banderas]]. And the real kids were in many cases younger (see ''Mad Hot Ballroom'' for the real program.)
56[[/folder]]
57
58[[folder:Literature]]
59* Miss Price saves the children in ''Literature/BedknobAndBroomstick'' from a CannibalTribe by having a magic-infused dance-off against the tribe's shaman.
60* Abdul's salvation in ''Literature/TheKid''. His interest in dance seems to be the only thing keeping him from spiraling into violence, mental illness, and addiction.
61[[/folder]]
62
63[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
64* In ''Series/{{Bunheads}}'' dance, particularly ballet, is treated ''extremely'' seriously. Any of the main teenage girls possibly developing interests or friends outside of ballet is always treated as a major shock and betrayal. One of Michelle's major regrets is not having the discipline to continue her studies at American Ballet Theatre as a teenager.
65%%* As is ''Series/FleshAndBone''.
66* Cited in the ''Series/ColdCase'' episode "Shuffle, Ball Change'', about the murder of a young man who aspired to be a dancer. When Vera makes disparaging remarks about the profession to one of the suspects (the kid's rival), the guy hits back with a blistering description of how difficult dance is and the commitment it requires. Later, when they are interviewing another suspect (the kid's teacher), he gives a similar speech and a flashback shows that he gave yet another similar speech to the kid himself.
67* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode named, appropriately, ''The Doctor Dances''. In this case, the dancing subplot seems to be a veiled reference to sexuality.
68* Both seasons of ''Series/{{Fi}}'' feature significant subplots related to Duru's dancing career and Deniz's work as a composer, director, and teacher.
69** Season one focuses on Duru's ambitions as a lead performer and Deniz's struggle to open a performing arts center for his students.
70** The second season brings Duru and Deniz together again for the production of ''Afife'', a new musical.
71* ''Series/HomeImprovement''. After Tim takes one of the boys to both the ballet and a basketball game, he later admits to Jill that he was genuinely impressed by the skill and athleticism demonstrated by the dancers.
72* ''Series/FlightOfTheConchords'' parodies ''Film/{{Footloose}}'' with "Bret's Angry Dance." When the band breaks up, the only way to vent his frustrations is by dancing masculinely in a warehouse. Unlike Bacon, Bret [=McKenzie=] is a trained dancer, so he did the heavy lifting and heavier dancing himself.
73[[/folder]]
74
75[[folder:Music]]
76* Music/MenWithoutHats's "Safety Dance":
77-->We can dance if we want to\
78We can leave your friends behind\
79'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance\
80Well, '''they're no friends of mine'''
81* In the video for Music/MichaelJackson's "Music/BeatIt", Michael is able to ReconcileTheBitterFoes by intervening in their MobWar and getting both sides to join him in a dance in the street.
82* "Do the Strand", from Music/RoxyMusic's ''Music/ForYourPleasure'':
83-->''There's a new sensation''\
84''A fabulous creation''\
85''A danceable solution''\
86''To teenage revolution''
87[[/folder]]
88
89[[folder:Music Videos]]
90* Music/MichaelJackson was the king of this trope. It started when he was still a part of Music/TheJacksonFive with songs like "Dancing Machine", "Blame It On The Boogie" and "Shake Your Body Down To The Ground" and went on as an adult superstar on ''Music/OffTheWall'' with tracks like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Off The Wall" and "Burn This Disco Out". You might think a ZombieApocalypse horror movie might be the wrong time to suddenly break out into dance, but somehow he made it work in "[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Thriller]]". In "Beat It," he actually puts a stop to a gang-war through the power of dance. [[SerialEscalation Think that's enough]]? The film for "Smooth Criminal" boasted fantastic cinematography that accentuated the dancing to the max.
91* Music/PatBenatar's "Love Is A Battlefield." Pat and the other taxi-dancers horse the sleazy pimp-like Guido who runs the dance hall to back off through the power of dance. Or something...
92* The video for [[Music/SophieEllisBextor Sophie Ellis-Bextor]]'s "Murder On The Dance-Floor'' involves a dancing contest with an unscrupulously competitive contestant.
93* The video for "Dark Blue" by Music/JacksMannequin features a dance marathon. It lasts [[spoiler:over 47 days]] before [[spoiler: [[{{Tearjerker}} couple 55 loses.]] [[MindScrew And then]] [[DownerEnding they jump]] [[DramaBombFinale off the pier.]]]]
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
97* One of the most powerful and warlike gods in Myth/HinduMythology is Shiva, whose dancing is entropy personified. A common image of Shiva portrays him dancing in a circle of fire and ice to symbolize his mastery over all creation.
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
101* Wrestling/{{ECW}} had a lot of dancing. The 1998 feud between the team of Wrestling/TheBlueMeanie[=/=][[Wrestling/MikeBucci Super Nova]] vs. the FBI (Tracy Smothers, Wrestling/LittleGuidoMaritato and "The Big Don" Tommy Rich) was centered around it. A typical match between the two teams would start like this: Smothers would "dance" poorly and get booed. Meanie would dance and get cheered. Repeat until the FBI attacks.
102* After the Meanie [[BewareTheSillyOnes surprised everyone]] by defeating [[TheFightingNarcissist Jason "The Sexiest Man on Earth"]] at ''ECW Ultimate Jeopardy 97'', [[Music/VillagePeople "YMCA"]] started playing and the whole ECW Arena crowd, notorious for being tough to please, did the "YMCA" dance along with Meanie and Nova.
103* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}. Dance-offs between wrestlers could break out in the middle of matches, often started by Wrestling/TheOsirianPortal. Sometimes it wasn't even to see who was better, it was just for fun.
104* At ''Wrestling/{{CZW}} Last Team Standing'' 2006 the crowd demanded to see a dance-off between Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli and Human Tornado when Castagnoli and Wrestling/ChrisHero took on Tornado and Ruckus.
105* Before she managed to score victory in Wrestling/{{WSU}}, it was suggested [[Wrestling/EmberMoon Athena]] hadn't won yet because she wasn't doing spinaroonies like her school's [[Wrestling/BookerT namesake.]]
106* At the unauthorized ''Wrestling/{{R|ingOfHonor}}OH A Night Of Hoopla'', Davey Richards expressed his frustration with a "pants off dance off" being held between the "Hoopla Hotties" Wrestling/ScarlettBordeaux, Seleziya Sparx and Val Malone, talking about the promotion's efforts to present a quality wrestling product, before concluding the only proper way to defend the honor of all the great wrestlers that came before him was to enter the contest himself and out dance the House Of Truth's [[PerkyFemaleMinion minions]] while leaving his pants on!
107* Shane Strickland vs ACH at the International Wrestling Cartel. More people seem to remember their dance-off than any match they had. Neither winning the 2013 [[TournamentArc Super Indy]] probably doesn't help.
108* Hana Kimura and Kris Wolf tried to [[TheToothHurts pull out the teeth]] of Christi Jaynes in World Wonder Ring STARDOM for the crime of touching [[Wrestling/BlackRose La Rosa Negra]] while [[DanceOff trying to defeat]] the Oedo~tai dance.
109[[/folder]]
110
111[[folder:Radio]]
112* Spokane area radio personalities C. Foster Kane and Jim Arnold (the "Radio Men") often reduce summaries of upcoming movies to the conflict being resolved via a "secret underground dance competition".
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
116* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'':
117** Some Solar Exalted can dance so well that onlookers are brainwashed.
118** Ligier, the monstrous Green Sun who rules the realm of demons, ''loves'' to dance. (The many demons whose houses are crushed by the power of his dancing are less enthused.) One of the best ways to negotiate with him is to offer him a dance; the process will be extremely exhausting and difficult for whoever his partner is, but if Ligier is satisfied, he will grant almost any request they make.
119** There is a species of demon who exist solely to dance when called upon. Presumably their creators were into ConspicuousConsumption.
120* ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' has the spelldancers, who use dance-based magic rituals. In the 2nd Edition AD&D version, they are variant wizards unable to use Invocation/Evocation or Necromancy spells, but who are ''not'' bound by the {{Vancian|Magic}} rules that control all other magic in D&D. (This means such characters aren't much use in a dungeon crawl, but otherwise tend to be overpowered). In 3rd Edition, any spellcaster (arcane or divine) can become one, and they only use the dance to amplify the spells they can cast normally.
121* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'' battles have Woodelf Wardancers.
122* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' has Eldar Harlequins that use acrobatic dances amplified by mystical technology. They use this during wars as well.
123[[/folder]]
124
125[[folder:Theatre]]
126* The basic premise of ''Theatre/AChorusLine'' is dancers auditioning to be in the chorus of a new Broadway musical, so dancing is key to the livelihoods of all the characters. As we later find out [[spoiler: dance was also the way many of the characters were able to cope with or leave their dysfunctional home lives]].
127[[/folder]]
128
129[[folder:Video Games]]
130* ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'':
131** When trouble strikes (such as a prison-wide blackout), prison guard Bailey is compelled to do the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LBzcXCl-uE Panic Dance]] as passed down in his family for generations. Why? Because someone has to.
132** Inspector Cabanela also has a fondness for dancing everywhere, including up and down stairs. One of the officers is shown in the credits trying to copy that dance, in an attempt to get his power.
133* ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'' and its American counterpart ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents''. In EBA, only dancing can cure a sick athlete and stop an alien invasion.
134* ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5'' is all about a reporter fighting aliens with the power of dance. In fact, the ''entire galaxy'' is powered by dance.
135* In ''VideoGame/BrainDead13'', Lance has to do this to "[[{{Pun}} stay]] [[Music/TheBeeGees alive]]" while dodging [[MoreDakka a hail of bullets]] that TriggerHappy Fritz shoots at both our hero and Neurosis. And it all takes place entirely in the [[EvilIsNotWellLit darkness]], where the only tiny pillars of light are used as a {{disco}} dance floor.
136* {{Exaggerated|Trope}} in one of the {{Alternate Universe}}s in ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'''s Perpetual Testing Initiative, where the law apparently mandates dancing constantly.
137* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': The Vanu Vanu BirdPeople treat dance as a sacred matter of life and death. Their trademark dance in particular, the Sundrop Dance, is treated with with the utmost importance. The Sundrop Dance is a dance performed before battle that is a measure of the dancer's strength and can cow weaker opponents without any violence. To that end, the Vanu Vanu Beast Tribe questline involves getting the two tribes you're working with to do a Sundrop Dance against the more powerful and hostile Vundu tribe. It almost fails until the Warrior of Light steps in and joins in the dance, at which point the dancers develop a BattleAura and send the Vundu scurrying for their lives. The Allied Beast Tribe quest has one Linu Vali developing a new dance, later named the Moonlift Dance, that gets used against opponents who have been forced into an UnstoppableRage. It stops their enraged charge in its tracks with an even stronger BattleAura.
138* In ''Unison'' on [=PS2=], dancing has been ''[[CulturePolice outlawed]]'' by Emperor Ducker. Doctor Dance puts together a performance group comprised of three girls to hijack television broadcasts of Ducker's own singing to show Unison dancing, inspiring the people of Twin Ships to take back their right to dance.
139* ''VideoGame/DanceCentral 3's'' plot is to save the world through dancing. There's even DCI, a CIA-esque agency to protect the world from dance crimes.
140* Playing ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' might make you feel this way, especially with its oh-so-enthusiastic announcer.
141-->"Everybody's '''waiting''' for you!"
142* If the Investigation Team in ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' does not express their emotions through dance adequately, they will be defenseless against the Shadows.
143* In ''VideoGame/SidMeiersPirates'', formal balls are an integral component of the RomanceSidequest with Governors' daughters, and the player character needs to perform adequately on the dance floor in order to impress the daughter enough to develop their relationship.
144* In ''VideoGame/CultistSimulator'', Heart-aspect cults are all about dancing. Dancing to the eldritch, unceasing, sanity-destroying rhythm of [[EldritchAbomination the Thunderheart]], to be precise. Even moreso in the ''Dancer'' DLC and its "Change" desire, which sets the player on the path to becoming an immortal HumanoidAbomination via a path of ancient, mystic dances.
145* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', Primrose's attack spells are named things like "Moonlight Waltz" or "Night Ode". Apparently in Orsterra you can summon darkness to kill your enemies just by dancing real good.
146* Cool Cool Town, the setting of ''VideoGame/CoolCoolToon'', is a place where a person's worth is decided based on how well they can [[CallARabbitASmeerp flitz]].
147[[/folder]]
148
149[[folder:Visual Novels]]
150* On Becca’s romantic path in ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'', the protagonist takes Becca on a date to an Italian restaurant that (a pizza parlor, not a really nice place), he and Becca are having serious rapport-building talk, and he invites Becca to dance to a song that just came on.
151[[/folder]]
152
153[[folder:Webcomics]]
154* In ''Webcomic/BronzeSkinInc'' the client Dandara starts dancing wildly while listening to the legendary playlist while being tanned by Dante and Julia. It wouldn't be a problem if Dandara wasn't a giantess.
155[[/folder]]
156
157[[folder:Web Original]]
158* Parodied by Website/TheOnion: [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/dancer-risks-everything,2416/ "Dancer Risks Everything"]]
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Western Animation]]
162
163%%* Also parodied in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' by Gazorpazorp.
164* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' parodied this in [[Recap/SouthParkS8E4YouGotFdInTheA "You got F'd in the A!"]]. The adults act like "getting served" by a dance crew like is a horribly traumatic event or a serious injury while the boys are just confused as to what everyone's talking about.
165* Parodied in a ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' sketch that was a pastiche of "dance movies".
166-->WE DRESS LIKE THUGS BUT WE KEEPING IT CLEAN\
167YOUNG BLACK PEOPLE ON A RHYTHM TEAM!
168* The ''WesternAnimation/WeBareBears'' short "Panda's Dream" features a series of [[ImagineSpot increasingly bizarre daydreams]] by Panda about dealing with a guy who cut in line at the game store, which culminates in a K-Pop dance-off.
169* In the ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Party Animal", Emperor Awesome tries to literally party a planet to pieces, but gives up on his scheme when he's bested in a dance-off by Wander.
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Real Life]]
173* Many cultures' ritual dances were this because they were, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin ritual dances.]] To make a mistake was to show disrespect, incur the wrath of ThePowersThatBe, etc.
174** This is why, for example, novice hula dancers were secluded until they learned the moves correctly and could perform the ritual dances perfectly.
175** In a modern version, the New Zealand national rugby team performs a Maori ''haka'' dance before each of their games. [[BerserkButton Don't tell them that they look silly]]. Also, because it looks as intimidating as hell.
176** The Fiji and Samoan teams also have their own, based on their respective tribal dances: the Cibi and the Siva Tau respectively. See this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osu-UpecXWU video]] for a comparison of the three.
177** During the 2005 Lions tour, Brian O'Driscoll was believed to have disrespected the haka by picking up a blade of grass and throwing it away. He was spear tackled in the 90 seconds of play, rushed to hospital with a dislocated shoulder, and didn't play again for five months. Much controversy ensued in rugby circles, but suffice it to say that the haka is taken very seriously.
178* Male animals (such as certain birds) that use a mating dance to woo a female. She's judging the way he dances; if he does it right, she will allow him to mate with her. But if she doesn't like what she sees (for whatever reason), she will judge him as unsuitable. In certain species of spiders, failing to dance impressively enough is grounds for being eaten by the female.
179* The Wagah border ceremony on the India/Pakistan border is a daily military practice which involves dance-like aggressive walks from both sides, almost like a dance battle. It was so aggressive that in 2010 Major General Yaqub Ali Khan of the Pakistan Rangers decided that the aggressive aspect of the ceremonial theatrics should be toned down. It was described by Michael Palin as "carefully choreographed contempt."
180* After a terrible Philadelphia Eagles game, a Website/{{Facebook}} member snidely commented that "the Eagles played like they were wearing tutus." Incensed at this, a member of the Pennsylvania Ballet offered up a [[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.upworthy.com/amp/a-ballet-companys-response-to-one-football-fans-sexist-insult-on-facebook-was-epic-rp2-2637342678 blistering editorial]] that described how difficult the life of a ballerina was and suggested that the comment was an insult to the dancers rather than the football players, capping it off with this gem: "So no, the Eagles have not played like they were wearing tutus. If they had, Chip Kelly would still be a head coach and we'd all be looking forward to the playoffs."
181* The Norwegian folk dance movement is rigidly working for the preservation of the "correct" traditional dance modes, including details like when and where to "bounce" in a 3/4 dance (often called a "springar" or "pols"). Woe betide those who screw this up. The fact that the dancers enter a number of contests each year may heaten this tension many notches. To list a couple of examples: Early in TheNewTens, a fistfight nearly broke out over which dancer ''should'' have won the traditional male dance "halling". In 1992, an ''entire valley'' ended up in a severe FlameWar over how to dance the 3/4 dance correctly. It involved, among other things, exclusion, threatening letters, a lot of mental bruises, and a number of performers just up and quitting for ''years''. Norwegian folk dancing is ''definitely'' serious business.
182* Legend has it that as a young ballet trainee in UsefulNotes/TheNetherlands during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, Creator/AudreyHepburn, danced in silent performances to raise money for the [[LaResistance Dutch Resistance]] effort.
183[[/folder]]

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