real men tap dance

So I've never been a big fan of the whole art of 'dancing'. I preferred cleats to ballet slippers as well as hand-me-down Ninja Turtle shirts over leotards every day of the week. As I grew older, the word 'dance' conveyed images of my high school's skanky dance line or gatherings of Mormon adolescents awkwardly doing the deacon two-step. And then there are the movies today that revolve around dancing and scandalamity, crap like Step Up 3D (which I have not seen, but I sure am tired of the ads for it online. This was the least offensive poster I could find) and Center Stage (I did like this movie when I first saw it but the dancing...not so much). So you can see why I've never been a fan of this expressive art form. But somebody has helped me to see the light, and his name is President Val Dean Riggs. He is my stake president/Institute teacher/adoptive uncle and we are real tight. So tight that we give each other movie recommendations, and let each other borrow our favorites from the silver screen. A few months ago I let him borrow one that is close to my heart, Iron Man, and he and Sister Riggs loved it. So when he found out that I had never seen Singin' in the Rain, he lent me his copy immediately. I must admit that it sat on my bookshelf for two and a half months, and I kind of forgot about it until a few weeks ago at Institute he told me that he had had a hunkering to watch it but realized that he had loaned it out to me. I promised to watch it within the next week and then return it to him, but I didn't really have the time so I figured I'd just give it back without watching it. Fortuitously I had a free afternoon last week and it just so happened to be pouring down buckets outside. I considered snuggling up with a book but decided I might as well watch the movie then and there and get it over with, as if it were some homework assignment I'd been given. Well let me tell you I was mesmerized from the beginning! I really hadn't known what to expect, except for maybe some singing...in the rain, but surprisingly there's only one scene where someone actually sings in the rain. And that someone is the one and only Gene Kelly. Such a classy fella; he's my new favorite movie star (actually he's probably tied with Paul Newman). And the way he dances is just wonderful. He's so athletic in his movements yet just plain goofy and I love it! The way he expresses that carefree giddiness of the beginnings of love just makes me smile.



There were so many other songs in this movie that I loved as well, especially the peppy ones. Donald O'Connor, the supporting actor, is also an excellent dancer and entertainer and I loved his performances, too - ESPECIALLY when he and Mr. Kelly did a little number together that I have watched multiple times every day since I've seen the movie. Youtube won't let me embed it so here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlub5vB9z8
So anyways the long and the short of it is that this movie has made me appreciate dance more and start to actually kind of enjoy watching it, as long as it's stuff like this. I've come to realize that dance is like any other form of art, and just because some paintings or songs are trashy doesn't mean they all are. Man they just don't make 'em like they used to. Please let me know if you have any recommendations for any other great dancing movies!