Line #72 Main/SummonBackupDancers


1	[[quoteright:227:[[VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/DancingZombies2_2442.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:227:TheDeadCanDance + MookMaker^''[[MichaelJacksonsThrillerParody Thriller]]'' = [[JustForFun/{{Troperithmetic}} You're]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck boned]].]]
3	Whenever it's time for a musical number, the lead dancer and singer (whether hero or villain) can usually pull any {{Innocent Bystander}}s into a CrowdSong, and thanks to SpontaneousChoreography have them all dance and sing in perfect sync.
4
5	Some leads can go a step further. Rather than make do with whoever is nearby, or go solo if there's no one else around, they can Summon Backup Dancers from out of sight, bringing a battalion of ballerinas to dance at their side. To make this more impressive, they'll usually be summoned directly from the [[AlternateUniverse Universe]] of [[CostumeTropes Wardrobe and Costuming]] after having been fitted in perfectly appropriate attire for the song in question.
6
7	This power seems to come integrated to characters who are DancingRoyalty. If this trope applies to an enemy, it's an EnemySummoner or MookMaker. [[ShootTheMageFirst Shoot it immediately]].
8
9	This trope isn't ''usually'' a magical spell that can summon dancers like a [[AWizardDidIt wizard]] can [[SummonMagic summon]] [[{{Mon}} monsters]] (though in a wacky enough series, it may well explicitly be one), more often it's an [[MusicalWorldHypotheses implicit rule of the cosmos]]. Anyone who goes into a musical number will get accompaniment, even if it requires the SpontaneousGeneration of said dancers from hard vacuum. Other times, it can be humorously {{justified\|Trope}} by the lead in question training friends, allies or [[{{Mooks}} subordinates]] beforehand and instructing them to hide out of sight and march out on cue for their big song.
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11	If this ''is'' a magical ability of some type, the backup dancers may help out by {{dance battl\|er}}ing alongside the summoner.
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Advertising]]
18
19	[[/folder]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22	* Extra ballerinas appear out of nowhere from time to time in ''Anime/PrincessTutu''.
23	* During the battle on Fishman Island in ''Manga/OnePiece,'' one of Brook's song-based attacks summons both backup dancers and a colorful DisneyAcidSequence. It still manages to [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass kick a lot of ass.]]
24	[[/folder]]
25
26	[[folder:Comic Books]]
27	* In ''Comicbook/ScottPilgrim'', Evil Ex #1 Matt Patel can summon Demon Hipster Chicks to help him cast his flaming hand attack. In the videogame, these attack the player.
28	[[/folder]]
29
30	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
31	* In ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'', the Fairy Godmother enchanted Fiona's furniture to sing along with her about giving Fiona a makeover.
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
35	* Giselle's Disney-Princess magic in ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' turns the jaded denizens of New York into her backup chorus, leaving her stodgy love-interest baffled that everyone seems to know the same song. "I've never heard this song!"
36	* In ''Film/TheMask'', the titular character does this to a SWAT team that is going after him.
37	* Just like in the series, Matthew Patel summons his demon hipster chicks in ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld''. Given that Patel is inspired by UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}}, it is quite appropriate.
38	* In ''Film/{{North}}'' during the Texas song a group of back up singers and dancers appear out of nowhere. This is justified [[spoiler: as it was AllJustADream]].
39	* In ''Film/LeprechaunInTheHood'', the Leprechaun uses his powers to make the people in a night club sing and dance for him.
40	* Happens during [[Creator/MadhuriDixit Janki's]] [[TheItemNumber Item Number]] "Badi Mushkil" in ''Film/{{Lajja}}''.
41	* In ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'', when Music/RayCharles plays "Shake a Tail Feather", passersby in the street start dancing, and the crowd quickly grows as people rush in from all sides. They proceed to demonstrate the different 1960s dance styles that are mentioned in the lyrics. You see those people on the elevated train station way in the back? They weren't involved in the shoot. They were waiting for a train, saw what was going on, and joined in.
42	* In ''Film/Ghostbusters2016'', the background imagery of the credits indicate the Big Bad literally has the magic power to summon backup dancers.
43
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
47	* Nicely played with in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'''s MusicalEpisode, "Once More With Feeling", as Buffy's confronting, via a musical number, the demon responsible for the whole mess...
48	-->'''Giles:''' She needs backup! Anya, Tara!
49	-->''(Anya and Tara take [[{{Pun}} backup dancer positions]] and join in)''
50	** Played straight earlier when Tara is singing her love song to Willow "Under Your Spell". While dancing through the park she passes near two other girls resting by the pond who are magically compelled to rise to their feet and start dancing behind her.
51	** Giles also mentions, almost inaudibly under something Anya is saying, the synchronised dancing from the room service chappies, so clearly something was going on there.
52	* Ryutaros from ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'' not only has a summonable group of breakdancers (one of whom was the VictimOfTheWeek for Ryuta's spotlight arc), but his powers include the ability to make '''everyone''' nearby dance along with his theme music. In TheMovie (the first one), he even summons a kick line of chorus girls.
53	* Multiple times in ''Series/AvataroSentaiDonbrothers'', when Momotaros transforms into his red ranger form, out of nowhere he's carried out sitting on his motorcycle the Enya Rideon while 2 women dance in front of him and a third throws confetti everywhere to announce his arrival.
54	* Almost too obvious an example is ''Series/{{Glee}}''. They don't do it all the time, since they actually have cast that are backup dancers, but there was a scene in the outdoor cafeteria that did that, and one in a mall, where bystanders joined in the action. Most notable are the Troubletones dancers who appeared in Chicago without riding in the team bus (which had plenty of room to spare for them).
55	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d in one RobertTownsend HBO special where they did a parody cop show with Prince and Michael Jackson as partners. When outnumbered by criminals, Michael summoned his backup dancers. They got shot and proceeded to give him a WhatTheHellHero.
56	* In the game show Series/PakDePoenDeShowVan1Miljoen the game show host is constantly announcing when a dancer/singer is about to perform.
57	* The backup dancers on ''Series/KidsIncorporated'' mainly appeared in ImagineSpot numbers and[=/=]or playing instruments on stage and rarely appeared outside of performances or got any significant focus in an episode[[note]]among the few exceptions were Season 1's "She's So Shy"; in which dancer Wendy Brainard got to sing on 2 of the songs, and Season 6's "Magic Toy Shoppe"; which had dancer Joseph Conrad play the toy soldier who falls in love with a ballerina played by a young Creator/JenniferLoveHewitt[[/note]]
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Music Video]]
61	* A very, ''very'' big chunk.
62	* In the music video of Sara Bareilles' "Gonna Get Over You," she doesn't so much as summon her backup dancers as more [[TheVirus infect the shoppers of a Mexican supermarket]], turning them into her leather jacket-clad minions.
63	** Also done, violently, in Lordi's Hard Rock Hallelulaj.
64	* Music/BubbleButt: One of [[GiantWoman Buttzilla's]] apparent powers is to blow bubbles that unleash a whole troupe of female backup dancers to do ThreeMinutesOfWrithing. [[spoiler: She also eats one of these dancers at the end.]]
65	* Music/RebaMcEntire: PlayedForLaughs in "Take it Back." Reba puts her cheating boyfriend on trial for his infidelity, and the entire thing turns into a KangarooCourt as she charms ''the jury and bailiffs'' into being her back-up dancers and the judge takes the bridge on saxophone that was ''entered into evidence.'' The boyfriend's defense attorney can only bury his face in his hands in defeat.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Pinball]]
69	* As with the {{Trope Namer\|s}}, ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesPinball'' has this during the "Gotta Dance" multiball mode.
70	* In ''Pinball/NoGoodGofers'', the "Dance Party" mode features additional gofers appearing to dance in sync with Bud and Buzz.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
74	* The Osirian Portal can cause temporary partners, random bystanders and even opponents to join in their dances through mass hypnosis.
75	* Syuri can literally summon backup dances in the form of Apple Tale.[[/folder]]
76
77	[[folder:Theatre]]
78	* Happens twice in ''Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'', a musical about Cesare Borgia when he was 16 and in school:
79	** First, when Archbishop Raffaele Riario sings about how much he loves beautiful art, and how Cesare's black hair is so beautiful and how he looks like Donatello's David, he is accompanied by five androgynous dancers out of the aether.
80	** Later, when Cesare sings about Creator/SandroBotticelli's Art/{{Primavera}}, three dancers styled like the painting dance around him, and the painting is projected onto the scenery. This is a more solemn song, as it alludes to what Italy, and the world, stand to lose with the death of Lorenzo de'Medici, who is very ill.
81	* In the filmed performance of the second ''Anime/HighSchoolStarMusical'' stage musical ([=StarMyuMyu=]), During the first adlib portion when Tengenji is looking for his cat, when he finds her, he begins singing his love song to her (yes, the cat) from the first musical. The backup dancers quickly respond, with the dance that goes to the song. Hoshitani comes in as scripted... and they just keep dancing. He has to shoo them offstage, but the last one really didn't want to go.
82	* Peter Townshend tried to make this {{Averted\|Trope}} in the 1993 Broadway version of ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' (in his words: "no fucking dancing"). Yet, dancing there was.
83	* ''Theatre/{{Pippin}}'' does this most obviously in "Kind of Woman," which brings a bunch of adoring backup singers over to Catherine's side. They disappear right after the song finishes, leaving her alone with Pippin as before (but not really, since the show has NoFourthWall).
84	* In ''Theatre/ShrekTheMusical'', Fiona usually summons the dancing rats with the Pied Piper's flute in "Morning Person".
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Videogames]]
88	* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' is the {{Trope Namer\|s}}. The lead Dancing Zombie does this, summoning four backup dancer zombies.
89	* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' has the Disco-Tron 3000 which summons Jetpack Dancing Zombies, which appropriately enough is a robot that resembles Dancing Zombie's head. Fortunately, the dancers don't summon anything.
90	* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesHeroes'' has the Disco Zombie (same as Dancing Zombie from the original) and Disco-Tron 3000 as playable Zombie teammates. Since only 5 zombies can be on the board at a time, the Disco Zombie will only summon one Backup Dancer. The Disco-Tron 3000 takes this even further by summoning a Dancing Zombie which then summons a Backup Dancer, giving the Zombie Hero three teammates for the price of one. Finally, the "Dance-Off" superpower summons two backup dancers on random lanes.
91	* In ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal'', evil robot pop diva Courtney Gears does this during her boss battle.
92	* In ''VideoGame/GuildWars'', the collector edition of the expansion ''Factions'' comes with a bonus that, among other things, gives Ritualist and Assassin characters ghostly backup dancers with the /dance command.
93	* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'', the ultimate Luminary skill, [[ShoutOut Disco]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Stew]] has your guy doing a dance routine while a bunch of backup dancers appear behind him/her. [[ItRunsOnNonsensoleum Somehow, this does damage]].
94	* A spell in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' called "Raise Backup Dancer" lets you [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin raise backup dancers from the dead]].
95	* In ''VideoGame/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasOogiesRevenge'', gaining enough musical notes in a boss battle sends you into a RhythmGame [[UnexpectedGenreChange section]]. Doing well summons skeletal backup dancers.
96	* ''VideoGame/SpaceChannel5'' has any hostages you rescue join you in dance. The hostage ''takers'' in the games are reported as also making their hostages dance... badly. This setting is explicitly powered by dance to the point where anybody in it can be assumed to be prepared to function as a backup dancer whenever there's a call for them.
97	* In most ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' platformers, Kirby clones himself and performs a HappyDance whenever he clears a level.
98	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' features a quest where [[http://www.wowwiki.com/Lament_of_the_Highborne Sylvanas gets nostalgic and summons a backup choir of banshees]].
99	* When Edgeworth is introduced in the first Creator/TakarazukaRevue musical adaptation of the ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' series he immediately summons a group of backup dancer clones for his intro song.
100	* Demyx from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''. [[TimedMission Kill them all in 10 seconds]] [[ThatOneBoss or you die.]]
101	* This makes up the first phase of the fight with Armaros in ''VideoGame/{{El Shaddai\|AscensionOfTheMetatron}}''.
102	* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' the first cinematic is of a concert with back-up dancers that appear via magic/hologram/goons.
103	* Any dance number Phantom R has in ''VideoGame/RhythmThiefAndTheEmperorsTreasure'' will feature two clones of Phantom R in all-black clothing dancing behind him, which the game never explains. Bizarrely, Jerome, an impostor Phantom R, also receives two such clones.
104	* In ''VideoGame/CryptOfTheNecrodancer'', the Necrodancer himself summons minions while you fight him. Considering everything in this game [[MickeyMousing is constantly dancing]], it fits this trope.
105	* While she can't do it during the game proper, the titular witch of ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' pulls this off repeatedly during the post-credit DancePartyEnding - summoning a succession of different backup-dancers as the tune goes on, starting with a full row of generic Shadow Witches.
106	* ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheGatheringStorm'' has a move with this exact name. It's used by a hidden [[DanceBattler Dance Battling]] miniboss called the Funky Infoshade, and summons a quartet of regular Infoshades to fight by his side.
107	* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Hestu now summons three koroks when dancing to upgrade your inventory.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Web Comics]]
111	* There was a ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'' strip where Slick and Co. tried to face off against a G-Man in a dance-battle - but when they were done, he just snapped his fingers to summon two other, similarly-dressed guys to act as his backup-dancers for a modified rendition of [[http://www.sinfest.net/view.php?date=2008-02-17 Here Come The Men In Black]].
112	[[/folder]]
113
114	[[folder:Web Original]]
115	* ''Roleplay/InkCity'': When [[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Yakko]] and [[WesternAnimation/RegularShow Rigby]] break into their TheVillainSucksSong "Pretty Fly (For a Toon Guy)", the first thing Yakko does is summon some random backup singers/dancers. ([[WesternAnimation/AeonFlux Trevor]] is completely distracted by this, and tries to charm the girls into defecting to his side, to no avail.)
116	* On ''[[Series/LegionOfExtraordinaryDancers The LXD]]'', [=Sp3cimen=] has this power. When fighting other dancers, he can summon around four backup dancers who help him power up his Ra blasts and provide cool visual effects.
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Western Animation]]
120	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb''
121	** {{Invoked\|Trope}} in the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW-O0kFsJHU Rubber Bands, Rubber Balls]] as Baljeet's uncle, Sabu, summons his factory workers as backup dancers.
122	** Backup dancers sometimes appear if Doofenshirmitz tells Perry this week's {{backstory}} in song; he explicitly hired them at least twice. The trope is sometimes justified only by {{Rule Of\|Cool}} [[MST3KMantra Don't Be So Pedantic, It's A Cartoon]], such as when Baljeet sings about his fear a bad grade if he fails to make a portal to Mars - he summons not just backup dancers, but scenery and elephants too!
123	* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' shows us Tom pining over Sara after she throws him out of the house. He then breaks into an Usher-style love song in the middle of the street, complete with back-up dancers who appear to be just neighborhood guys in their robes and pajamas. They perform perfectly until they are almost hit by a car.
124	* TheMusicMeister's superpower in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' is to hypnotize people with this singing. He thus makes backup dancers out of a horde of supervillains and superheroes.
125	* The ''WesternAnimation/WeBareBears'' short "Panda's Dream" involves Panda having a series of {{Imagine Spot}}s about confronting a guy who cut in line at the video game store. The third and final one leads to a K-pop dance-off where two girls appear out of nowhere to dance with Panda, and then a few more bystanders randomly join in.
126	* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' MusicalEpisode's final song, "Morning in the 'Burbs (Reprise)," most of the show's secondary characters, as well as some {{Recurring Extra}}s, inexplicably show up in front of Daria's house to turn it into a MassiveMultiplayerEnsembleNumber.
127	[[/folder]]
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Context Main / SummonBackupDancers