For me, some of the most romantic moments on screen play out on the dance floor. Think Kim Novak and William Holden in Picnic, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun, or Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina (ok that’s tennis court) When you watch these scenes, it looks so effortless. They don’t seem choreographed or rehearsed; they’re just two people moving in time to the music, sharing something unspoken and intimate. It’s an experience once shared by people everywhere—a natural, universal ritual of connection.
It’s amazing to think of a time when dancing was woven into the fabric of daily life. Fox trots, waltzes, rumbas, cha-chas—if the steps didn’t come naturally, you could always take lessons, and those were popular too. It’s hard to imagine now, in an era where social dancing has all but disappeared.
Maybe that’s why modern historical films often miss the mark when portraying casual dance scenes. Despite the opulent settings, costumes, and period details, the actors and extras on the dance floor look awkward and unnatural. Perhaps life is lacking a certain musicality it once had.
Watching those classic clips, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic. For some, they spark a longing—not just for the romance of the movies but for the joy of moving in harmony with someone else, the way we once knew how.
Slow-slow-quick-quick-slow…
Cliff Robertson said the dance scene with Holden and Novak in, "Picnic" was one of the most intimate scenes ever made. You rarely hear or see the idea of intimate....sex, lust, urges maybe, but not intimate.
I always like the scene in, "Gun Crazy" with the Peggy Cummins says to John Dall while the're dancing in a ballroom, "I've waited all my life for this moment" and he replies, "Me too." Many have wanted that moment, (perhaps prompted by seeing movies) and some have been fortunate to have it.
I met my husband in salsa dance class. We're still madly in love, almost 20 years later, and go dancing almost every week. Romantic, good exercise and great for building strong relationships: dancing is excellent for so many things!