History Main / BallroomBlitz

* PlayedForLaughs in a SuperBowlSpecial ad [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjiIuH1VnY celebrating 100 years]] of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball National Football League]]. It starts with a stodgy, dignified celebration with tuxedo-wearing players listening to the commissioner's speech while a ''huge'' cake, topped with a golden football, is wheeled in. The cake comes just out of reach of Marshawn Lynch, a (now retired) running back known for his SweetTooth. Lynch makes a grab for the cake, causing the football to tumble to the floor. This sets off a Pavlovian reaction among the current and former players who immediately make a dive for it. A crazed and very messy pick up game of football follows with {{ShoutOut}}s to everything from Tom Brady's collection of Super Bowl rings to Peyton Manning's tendency for injuries to an improbable catch known as the "Immaculate reception." Meanwhile the three old men from the 1972 Dolphins (the only undefeated team in {{UsefulNotes/NFL}} history) are [[PassThePopcorn sipping champagne and laughing at the show]].

* PlayedForLaughs in a SuperBowlSpecial ad [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjiIuH1VnY celebrating 100 years]] of the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball National Football League]]. It starts with a stodgy, dignified celebration with tuxedo-wearing players listening to the commissioner's speech while a *huge* cake, topped with a golden football, is wheeled in. The cake comes just out of reach of Marshawn Lynch, a (now retired) running back known for his SweetTooth. Lynch tries to make a grab for the cake, causing the football to tumble to the floor. This sets off a Pavlovian reaction among the current and former players who immediately make a dive for it. A crazed and very messy pick up game of football follows with {{ShoutOut}}s to everything from Tom Brady's collection of Super Bowl rings to Peyton Manning's tendency for injuries to an improbable catch known as the "Immaculate reception." Meanwhile the three old men from the 1972 Dolphins (the only undefeated team in {{NFL}} history) are sipping champagne and laughing at the show.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* Of course, Bill and Fleur's wedding in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. Even more so in the film, as in the book our three heroes manage to escape within a very short time after the villains' interrupt.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'', Zoisite interrupts a masquerade ball.

* In the manga version of ''Manga/NeigmaMagisterNegiMagi'', [[spoiler:Ala Alba kicks off the blitz during Negi's escape from the governor's office. Unfortunately this coincides with the arrival of Cosmo Entelecheia… IN FORCE. Looks like that's it for tonight's [[DanceOfRomance dances of romances]].]]

%%* ''Manga/VampireKnight''

* In the HalloweenEpisode of ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHologramsIDW'' The Misfits decide to crash The Holograms halloween party. They get in but fail at doing anything malicious.
* Franchise/WonderWoman:
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': The Holliday Girls get in a brawl with Draska Nishki's spies at a fancy masquerade party.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Medusa crashes a fancy state dinner at the White House, slaughtering dozens of security personnel on her way through the building before running into the Amazon contingent attending the dinner.
* ''ComicBook/AdventureTimeGraphicNovels'': The sixth volume "Masked Mayhem" is based around a series of prank attacks against fancy dress parties thrown on Ooo's "Masquerade Day".

* Subverted in the ''The Game of Three Generals,'' the third part of the ''Fanfic/ElementalChessTrilogy''. Grumman and the allies throw a ball ''hoping'' to lure Acheron into attacking, but nothing happens, making them even more anxious.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12042218/1/The-Dragon-King The Dragon King]]'', Stoick invites all of the other tribes in the archipelago to Berk where they have a meeting on how they would deal with the ever elusive "Dragon King." What happens? A masked stranger lets himself in and tells everybody that ''he'' is the Dragon King and that he had arrived to explain himself and what he wants from all of them.
* In ''Fanfic/DanceWithTheDemons'', Buce Wayne and Selina Kyle's wedding gets interrupted when Selina gets shot with a poisoned dart.

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', Loki disrupts a very formal party in Germany in order to use one of the guests' eyeballs to allow the corrupted Barton to break in and steal something.
** In ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', the Avengers have a little party at Avengers Tower, drinking and playing games like [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield trying to lift Thor's hammer]], when Ultron and his drones attack. However the trope is downplayed as most of the guests have left before the action happens.

* This happens in an early scene from ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. During the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Battle of Berlin]], Nazi officials and their staff are [[ScrewTheWarWerePartying throwing a party]] inside the Reich Chancellery, which is abruptly ended due to a Soviet artillery strike, forcing all the guests to evacuate.
* ''Film/MidwinterNightsDream'': During Lazar's time in the army, he looked through the window of a house and saw a group of civilians gathered around a table, singing and celebrating. He and his fellow soldiers smashed the windows with their Kalashnikovs and killed everyone in ten seconds. Lazar defected that night.

* About halfway through ''[[Literature/WaxAndWayne The Alloy Of Law]]'', Wax and Wayne are attending a ball when 40 heavily armed thugs burst in through the door and kidnap Wax's fiancée. Luckily, Wax had brought his guns.
* A reception for the visiting king and queen of France quickly devolves into this, in the first book of the ''Literature/DawnOfSteam'' series, once a group anti-monarchy assassins reveal themselves.
* In ''Literature/SleepingBeauty'', Maleficent, [[RevengeSVP upset that she wasn't invited to the party celebrating a princess's birth]], crashes it and curses the girl to one day prick her finger on a spindle and die.

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', the senior prom is threatened by devil-dogs (the demonic kind, ''not'' the [[SemperFi USMC]]). Buffy stops the baddies before they can crash the party, and even finds the time to attend the prom herself.

* In ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' the two-part finale of series four begins when Morgana and her mercenary army attacks Camelot during the Beltane celebrations.
* ''Film/{{Minutemen}}'' has a dance interrupted by a black hole.
* In an episode of ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus,'' a bunch of nobles at a fancy ball are consistently interrupted by highwayman Dennis Moore.
* ''Series/Supergirl2015'':
** In episode "Fight or Flight", Reactron literally crashes Cat's party.
** In "Crossfire", a gang of criminals armed with alien-tech guns who have been terrorizing the city storm into a charity party being hosted by Lena Luthor. [[spoiler: Turns out, [[BatmanGambit Lena was counting on this]], and she had a device prepared to destroy their weapons so Supergirl can take them down.]]

* ''Series/{{CSINY}}'':
** In season 1's "The Dove Commission," the author of the titular report, and the woman he's dancing with at a party, are taken out by a sniper using an armed drone-like device belonging to the TARU (Technical Assistance Response Unit).
** The sniper in "Hide Sight" (season 7) takes out a woman at an office celebration, complete with cake and party hats, in a high rise.
* ''Series/HartToHart'': As befits [[MysteryMagnet a couple with a curious capacity for coming across corpses,]] not to mention [[AmateurSleuth a propensity for pursuing the perpetrator]] and [[RichPeople the money to enmesh the murderer,]] Jonathan and Jennifer's society soirees have this unfortunate interruption more than once.

* The [[TropeNamers Trope Namer]] is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN9jTnxv0RU "Ballroom Blitz"]] by Music/{{Sweet}}. It is a surreal and lighthearted description of such an event. Covered by lots of people: Krokus, The Rezillos, The Damned, and by Creator/TiaCarrere on the ''Film/WaynesWorld'' soundtrack. It was inspired by a gig gone wrong in Scotland in 1973, when the band was showered by bottles from the audience and had to leave before finishing the set ("And the band started leavin'/'Cause they all stopped breathin'").

* The Irish folk song "Lanigan's Ball" (given a Boston twist by the Dropkick Murphys as "Flannigan's Ball") is about one of these.

* In the beginning of Ride/FastAndFuriousSupercharged, the tram stops at a holographic party where the tour guide decides to lay low until the villains interrupt the party and attack the tram, leading to a high speed getaway.

* A minor example in ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' when the Thenardiers crash Marius and Cosette's wedding to bribe Marius for their secrecy about the fact that his father-in-law, Jean Valjean, was supposedly robbing corpses (actually saving Marius's life) when the barricades fell. It's rather subdued, with Marius taking care of the problem as discreetly as possible — until Marius punches Thenardier out.

* The boss fight of your first visit to the ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' level of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' takes place in the iconic ballroom. By your second visit, they've got around to the actual dance scene — but it's interrupted by Xaldin, who kidnaps Belle and lures everyone outside.

* The JustifiedTutorial of the ''VideoGame/DoubleOhSevenFromRussiaWithLove'' game is a cocktail party variant.

* The final stage of the first ''VideoGame/DeathSmiles'', complete with killing dozens of dancing ghosts.
* In ''VideoGame/NieR'', you fight Shades in a ballroom in the Shadowlord's Castle

* ''Webcomic/RPGWorld'' contains one of these in [[spoiler: the Elven village, Chery's hometown.]]
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': Numerous hostile forces converge on a masquerade ball being held in Paris.

* Lampshaded in the ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' DC Superheroes Special. The MC at a museum gala unveils a massive gem as the centerpiece of the exhibit, then observes that everyone gathered knows what's going to come next, hoping they can at least get through the first round of hors d'oeuvres before the first supervillain shows up. Sure enough, he's barely finished speaking before Mr. Freeze bursts through a wall. Seconds later, Captain Cold does the same thing. While the two of them bicker over scheduling issues, [[RuleOfThree Icicle bursts through another wall.]] As the three of them ponder the problems of having multiple villains with the same gimmick, [[OverlyLongGag Chillblain crashes the party too]], even though all of the guests have long since evacuated. [[ShaggyDogStory And then the building collapses on them because they destroyed too many load-bearing walls.]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* When [[SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace people objected to weddings]] in the Middle Ages, it was not unusual for it to end violently. Hence, the title of "Best Man" usually referred not only to trust or friendship, but fighting ability as well.
** In certain remote rural districts, this tradition has allegedly persisted into the modern age.
** It's also said that the groom stands on the right so that he could reach for his sword to fight off a vengeful family, either because of disapproval over the match or because the bride was kidnapped.
[[/folder]]

* The [[TropeNamers Trope Namer]] is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN9jTnxv0RU "Ballroom Blitz"]] by Music/{{Sweet}}. It is a surreal and lighthearted description of such an event. Covered by lots of people: Krokus, The Rezillos, The Damned, and by Creator/TiaCarrere on the ''Film/WaynesWorld'' soundtrack.
** It was inspired by a gig gone wrong in Scotland in 1973, when the band was showered by bottles from the audience and had to leave before finishing the set ("And the band started leavin'/'Cause they all stopped breathin'").

->''"And the man at the back said\\
"Everyone attack" and it turned into a ballroom blitz\\
And the girl in the corner said\\
Boy, I wanna warn ya, it'll turn into a ballroom blitz"''
-->-- '''Sweet''', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPQPdYttl7U "Ballroom]] [[TropeNamers Blitz"]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Comicbook/BatmanEarthOne https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2013-08-14_at_2_46_51_pm_9029.jpg]]]]

* Averted in ''Film/WestSideStory'', where there is racial tension at the dance, but the gangs wait till afterward to rumble.

* Same as the film entry, ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' subverts this by waiting until post-dance for the rumble.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Medusa crashes a fancy state dinner at the White House, slaughtering dozens of security personnel on her way through the building before running into the Amazon contingent attending the dinner.

* In [[https://e-vay.tumblr.com/tagged/FPS+comic this]] ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' fancomic by Creator/{{Evay}}, Tails reluctantly attempts to host a charity event. It quickly turns into this trope -- Sticks attacks the attendees while declaring that they "must be cleansed of [their] hoity-toity facade", Rouge robs most of the attendants, her and Knuckles' adopted sons get attacked by the resident RobotGirl after the younger one steals her leg, Sonic and Shadow get drunk and start doing karaoke, and the AuthorAvatar is set on fire. Amusingly, [[ArchEnemy Eggman]] is also attending the party in a PaperThinDisguise, and he comments on the chaos.

* The [[TropeNamers Trope Namer]] is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN9jTnxv0RU "Ballroom Blitz"]] by Music/{{Sweet}}. It is a surreal and lighthearted description of such an event. Covered by lots of people: The Rezillos, The Damned, and by Creator/TiaCarrere on the ''Film/WaynesWorld'' soundtrack.

** In the first arc of ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman, ''Batman and Son'', a bunch of ninja Man-Bats attack a charity ball in London.

* In ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman1961'', ComicBook/LexLuthor is throwing a party to celebrate he's finally killed off Franchise/{{Superman}} for good, when ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} smashes through a wall, grabs Luthor and takes him away to be trialed, as warning the crooks attending the crashed party that they are next.

* ''Series/{{Minutemen}}'' has a dance interrupted by a black hole.

Everyone attack and it turned into a ballroom blitz\\

-->-- '''Sweet''', "Ballroom Blitz"

For whatever reason there's a dance or a dinner, or a party of ''some'' kind, going on -- be it a snooty royal or noble ball, a school dance or a [[WeddingSmashers wedding]], or maybe a particularly large birthday party. If it's a more formal occasion, pretty much everyone is dressed up. There's a fairly good chance that if our heroes have been invited, the BigBad or his {{mooks}} are quite likely to invite themselves; be assured something catastrophic and violent is going to occur, usually in the vicinity of either the entrance or the dance floor. Conversely, the hero may break into the bad guy's party; a party after some evil action done before would prove their LackOfEmpathy.

May overlap with AFeteWorseThanDeath -- or, in a comedy, HilarityEnsues. The subtrope WeddingSmashers is for fights happening during a wedding party specifically. If the hero is wealthy enough, he may end up PayingForTheActionScene out of generosity. See ExcuseMeComingThrough for the general trope of shootouts occurring in a public space.

Incidentally, while there can be '''blood on the dance floor''' here, that term will take you to VampireDance instead.

* In ''Anime/TheBigO'', Roger gets invited to a masquerade ball and is given a mask to wear. Roger chooses not to put it on--good thing too, because Schwartzwald had booby-trapped the masks to spontaneously combust, turning all of the other attendants' faces, all of them high society people, into charred messes.

* In the manga version of ''Manga/NeigmaMagisterNegiMagi'', [[spoiler:Ala Alba kicks off the blitz during Negi's escape from the governor's office. Unfortunately this coincides with the arrival of Cosmo Entelecheia...IN FORCE. Looks like that's it for tonight's [[DanceOfRomance dances of romances]].]]
* ''Manga/SoulEater'' has this in an episode when Death City is attacked and [[spoiler: [[BigBad The Kishin]] is [[SealedEvilInACan released]]]] during a party celebrating the [[ExtranormalInstitute DWMA]]'s anniversary.

* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode [[Recap/CommunityS1E25PascalsTriangleRevisited Pascal's Triangle Revisited]] an end of the year school dance turns into one of these when Chang attacks Duncan.

* In ''Roleplay/DestineEnormity'', the [[StateSec Elite]] and their supporters throw a [[http://s13.zetaboards.com/DestineEnormity/topic/6998354/1 Grand Ball]] - only to have the rebels show up and break up the party.

* A minor example in ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' when the Thenardiers crash Marius and Cosette's wedding to bribe Marius for their secrecy about the fact that his father-in-law, Jean Valjean, was supposedly robbing corpses (actually saving Marius's life) when the barricades fell. It's rather subdued, with Marius taking care of the problem as discreetly as possible - until Marius punches Thenardier out.

* The boss fight of your first visit to the ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' level of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' takes place in the iconic ballroom. By your second visit, they've got around to the actual dance scene - but it's interrupted by Xaldin, who kidnaps Belle and lures everyone outside.

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Reboot}}''. For Enzo's birthday, a surprise party/talent show is planned. Villain Megabyte keeps menacing Bob during the preparations. At the actual party, after the comedy acts, Dot singing a torch song, and other festivities, Megabyte barges onstage -- with an electric guitar. He plays power chords while his dimwit sidekicks Hack and Slash back him up on drums. Bob pulls out HIS guitar, and the two jam with each other! Megabyte's actual plan? [[AffablyEvil "I've always wanted to do that!"]] He gives his guitar to the birthday boy, gets in his limo, and leaves.

* When people objected to weddings in the Middle Ages, it was not unusual for it to end violently. Hence, the title of "Best Man" usually referred not only to trust or friendship, but fighting ability as well.

[[Music/{{Sweet}} It's, it's a ballroom blitz! It's, it's a ballroom blitz! It's, it's, a ballroom blitz! ]][[TheStinger Yeah! It's a ballroom blitz!]]

* In ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'', Zoiste interrupts a masquerade ball.

** In ''ComicBook/BatgirlRebirth'' "Art of the Crime", villain Grotesque attempts to bomb an art exhibit hosted by the Gotham City Museum of Antiquities.

* In ''Franchise/{{Superman}} (Vol 1) #149: The Death of Superman!", ComicBook/LexLuthor is throwing a party to celebrate he's finally killed off the Man of Steel for good, when ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} smashes through a wall, grabs Luthor and takes him away to be trialed, as warning the crooks attending the crashed party that they are next.

* ''Series/HartToHart'': As befits [[MysteryMagnet a couple with a curious capacity for coming across corpses,]] not to mention [[AmateurSleuth a propensity for pursuing the perpetrator]] and [[RichPeople the money to enmesh the murderer,]] [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal Jonathan and Jennifer's society soirees]] have this unfortunate interruption more than once.

* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' [[TrueCompanions the gang]] go to see [[TheChick Farnese]] while she was at a ball. This being [[CrapsackWorld Berserk]] though [[BlatantLies hilarity]] [[{{Gorn}} ensued]]. [[OurMonstersAreWeird Cute]] [[MegaNeko little kitties]] break into the Ballroom filled with nobles fighting against Emperor Ganishka, finally allowing Farnese to display some combat ability (and giving her a much-needed confidence boost).

* In the HalloweenEpisode of ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHolograms'' The Misfits decide to crash The Holograms halloween party. They get in but fail at doing anything malicious.

** Averted again in ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', where Bruce infiltrates Lex Luthor's party but uses stealth to steal encrypted informations.

* In both ''Film/ThePoseidonAdventure'' and the 2006 remake ''Film/{{Poseidon}}'': The new year's eve is celebrated on a luxury cruise ship when a enormous waive hits the ship, causing the ship to capsize.

For whatever reason there's a dance or a dinner, or a party of ''some'' kind, going on -- be it a snooty royal or noble ball, a school dance or a [[WeddingSmashers wedding]], or maybe a particularly large birthday party. If it's a more formal occasion, pretty much everyone is dressed up. There's a fairly good chance that if our heroes have been invited, the BigBad or his {{mooks}} are quite likely to invite themselves; be assured something catastrophic and violent is going to occur, usually in the vicinity of either the entrance or the dance floor.

** The wedding of [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards and Sue Storm]].