--- title: National Tap Dance Day: Best Movies Scenes From The Artist, Chicago description: A look at some of the best tap numbers throughout movie history, from the sweet and amateur to the polished and professional canonical: https://time.com/107712/best-movie-tap-dance-scenes/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-25T13:00:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:09:53.131Z og:title: The 10 Best Tap Dance Scenes In Film og:description: In honor of National Tap Dance Day og:url: https://time.com/107712/best-movie-tap-dance-scenes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 10 Best Tap Dance Scenes In Film twitter:description: In honor of National Tap Dance Day twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # The 10 Best Tap Dance Scenes In Film by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman May 25, 2014 1:00 PM UTC by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman May 25, 2014 1:00 PM UTC In 1989, George H.W. Bush officially declared May 25 National Tap Dance Day. (This date was chosen because it was the birthday of famous tapper Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.) So, 25 years later, we’d like to continue celebrating this art form with a look back at some of the best tap dance sequences in movies, from quiet, simple performances to grandiose, show-stopping numbers. ## 1\. _Tap_, 1989 It would be pretty disappointing if a movie called _Tap_ lacked some high-quality tap dancing scenes, wouldn’t it? Watch this “Challenge” scene to get a taste — the dialogue helps provide some context, but the actual dancing begins around a minute and 45 seconds in. ## 2\. _Stormy Weather_, 1943 Fred Astaire [once called ](http://mentalfloss.com/article/48581/greatest-dance-number-ever-filmed)this performance by the Nicholas brothers — which features their many impressive signature moves — “the greatest dance number ever filmed.” ## 3\. _Chicago_, 2002 To shoot this scene, Richard Gere took tap dance lessons for three months. ## 4\. _The Artist_, 2011 This spirited dance sequence became one of the most memorable scenes from the 2011 Best Picture winner. ## 5\. _The Little Colonel_, 1935 In this iconic staircase number, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson tutors Shirley Temple in the art of tap. ## 6\. _Blue Valentine_, 2010 This scene is less about showcasing tap dance as an art form, and more about showcasing two people falling in love. ## 7\. _Garden State_, 2004 This scene is also less about showcasing tap dance as an art form, and more about showcasing two people falling in love. ## 8\. _Swing Time_, 1936 In this musical film, Fred Astaire performed a tap sequence called “Bojangles of Harlem.” Though clearly an impressive dance number, it sparked controversy as it was the only scene in which Astaire[ appeared in blackface](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/arts/dance/30astaire.html?%5Fr=0). ## 9\. _Singin’ in the Rain_, 1952 You might notice that the sounds of Gene Kelly’s taps in this classic scene appear to be out of sync. That’s because the tap sounds [were dubbed](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/27/singin-in-the-rain-60th-anniversary%5Fn%5F1390079.html) in post-production. ## 10\. _Billy Elliot_, 2000 The titular character taps his way out of his house and out onto the street, using dance as a way to cope with his frustration and pain. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/107712/best-movie-tap-dance-scenes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/107712/best-movie-tap-dance-scenes/"},"headline":"The 10 Best Tap Dance Scenes In Film","datePublished":"2014-05-25T13:00:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:09:53.131Z","description":"In honor of National Tap Dance Day, a look at some of the best tap numbers throughout movie history, from the sweet and amateur to the polished and professional","url":"https://time.com/107712/best-movie-tap-dance-scenes/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Appreciation","Arts","dance"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Grossman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/107712/best-movie-tap-dance-scenes/","name":"The 10 Best Tap Dance Scenes In Film"}}]}] ```