La Mort Du Cygne—A young student at the Paris Royal Opera becomes angry when she thinks a new dancer is about to replace her favorite ballerina. In her anger, the young student plots revenge. How this story plays out is intense, astonishing and strangely beautiful. This black and white French movie stars Yvette Chauvire and Mia Slavenska, two famous dancers of the 30s and 40s, but the movie itself does not have that much dancing. It’s all the incredible story yet it’s also all ballet. Unfortunately, it’s not available on either DVD or VHS. It plays occasionally at art houses, colleges and museums. Watch for it.

Red Shoes—Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger this remarkable English film stars Moira Shearer and includes a lot of remarkable dancing, as well as an engrossing story. It’s in glorious Technicolor and is available in both VHS and DVD. Don’t worry what it’s about. It’s about the ballet. Just go see it.

Hans Christian Anderson—Danny Kaye stars as Hans Christian Andersen. While the movie has very little to do with the life of the real Hans Christian Andersen, it spins a charming tale of a writer/cobbler who falls in love with a beautiful ballerina. The movie includes wonderful songs, beautiful dance segments and ends with a seventeen minute ballet based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story, The Little Mermaid. Roland Petit both dances in and choreographs the movie. His wife, Zizi Jeanmarie, is the ballerina Kaye falls in love with. Available in VHS and DVD. A must see.

Invitation to the Dance—This is an odd but remarkable movie directed by Gene Kelly as his ode to ballet. It is not one of his usual musicals but rather a collection of three story ballets. The first two use professional ballet dancers with Kelly choreographing and taking small roles. The last story is part animation/part Kelly. If you are a fan of Gene Kelly you should check this movie out. It is definitely worth a view. At the moment, it is only available on VHS and even that is hard to find.

The Company—Robert Altman directed this movie starring Neve Campbell. It’s about a ballet company modeled after the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. It’s done in mock documentary style with actors playing the major roles and members of the ballet company playing the rest. The dance numbers are fantastic; the movie is far less so. The commentary on the DVD with Neve Campbell and Robert Altman is more interesting than the movie but if you like modern ballet this is a good movie to see.

Center Stage—Twelve dancers want to become professional dancers. Who’s going to make it? Who isn’t? It’s fun, there’s lot’s of great dancing and the DVD is full of interesting extras, most notably the complete dance numbers and a commentary by the director, Nicholas Hytner. It’s a very popular movie and deservedly so.

The Turning Point—A ballet teacher’s daughter becomes a professional dancer, reviving memories for the ballet teacher of her decision to end her dance career. The movie stars Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft with Leslie Browne as the daughter and Mikhail Baryshnikov as dancer/lothario who swoops in on the lovely Leslie Browne. Good story, good acting and great dance sequences with Baryshnikov and Browne. How can it miss? It doesn’t. Available in VHS and DVD.

Princess Tutu: Complete Collection - For those who like ballet and anime, this is for you. A dark, exciting, and funny series about a duck who magically turns into a ballerina and who throughout the episodes experiences a mix of passion, romance and adventure. For girls twelve and up.

Choreography by Balanchine / Tzigane, Adante from Divertimento No 15, The Four Temperaments, Selections from Jewels, Stravinski Violin Concerto~New York City Ballet, George Balanchine, and Suzanne Farrell

Choreography By Balanchine / Chaconne, Prodigal Son, Ballo Della Regina, Elegie, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux~New York City Ballet, George Balanchine, and Suzanne Farrell

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake / Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, John Lanchberry

Tchaikovsky - Petipa, Swan Lake / Kirov Ballet, Yulia Makhalina, Igor Zelensky (1990)

Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Baryshnikov, Kirkland, Charmoli (1977)

Balancine's: The Nutcracker - Darci Kistler, Damian Woetzel - Enter the world of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, featuring the New York City Ballet, narrated by Kevin Kline.

Balanchine - Jewels / Aurelie Dupont, Alessio Carbone, Marie-Agnes Gillot, Agnes Letestu, Jean-Guillaume Bart, Clairemarie Osta, Kader Belarbi, Paris Opera Ballet (2000)

Romeo and Juliet (Royal Ballet)- Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn (1966)

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake / Makarova, Dowell, Royal Ballet Covent Garden (1982)

Tchaikovsky, Petipa - Swan Lake / Kirov Ballet, Yulia Makhalina, Igor Zelensky (1990)

Tchaikovsky - The Sleeping Beauty / Aurelie Dupont, Manuel Legris, Vincent Cordier, Nathalie Quernet, Laurent Queval, Paris Opera Ballet

Sleeping Beauty: The Classic Motion Picture With The Kirov Ballet / Alla Sizova, Natalia Dudinskaya, Natalia Makarova (1964)

An Evening with the Royal Ballet / Nureyev, Fonteyn (1965)

Prokofiev - Cinderella / Sibley, Dowell, Royal Ballet (1969)

Prokofiev - Cinderella / Lyon National Opera Ballet / Orchestra

Le Corsaire (1993) - Kirov Ballet

Adam - Giselle / Svetlana Zakharova, Roberto Bolle, Vittorio d'Amato, La Scala Ballet (2005)

Don Quixote / Baryshnikov, Harvey, American Ballet Theatre (1984)

Nureyev's Don Quixote / Lanchbery, Nureyev, Helpmann, Aldous, Australian Ballet (1973)

The Kirov Celebrates Nijinsky / Sheherazade, La Spectre de la Rose, The Polovtsian Dances, The Firebird

Glory of the Kirov / Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, Natalia Dudinskaya, more (1995)

Paul Czinner: The Bolshoi Ballet [DVD Video] (1956)

Glazunov - Raymonda / Bolshoi Ballet, Ludmila Semenyaka, Irek Moukhamedov (1982)

The Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet - Kevin McKenzie and Georgina Parkinson - The essential video dictionary of all classical ballet movements. 4 1/2 hours on two DVDs shows over 800 variations in Russian, French, and Cecchetti styles, many in slow motion with multiple camera angles and voice-over narrative description. The complete language of ballet positions—Barre, Linking Steps, Center Practice, Pirouettes, Adage, Allegro, Batterie, Pointe, and Musical Enchainements.

New York City Ballet: The Complete Workout, Vol. 1 and 2 - Fitness videos from the New York City Ballet Workout Volumes 1 and 2 designed to help develop the strength, grace and poise of a dancer. The videos try to strike a balance between art and fitness in creating a workout for any age or fitness level. Good luck....

Ballet Class for Beginners - David Howard and Lee Kraft - introduces the beginning dance student to the technique and vocabulary of classical ballet with the emphasis on posture, placement, and movement potential.

Ballet 101 - A Beginner's Class - Jennifer Nunes and Angela Russ - a simple beginners video that challenges both adults and children who wish an introduction to ballet. Dancers are taken on a step-by-step journey that begins with preparation and warm-up, and paces them through easy ballet moves that focus on the barre.

Baby Ballet - Rosemary Boross - for ages four through six. The video contains all aspects of a formal ballet class including a barre warm-up, stretches, center practice and across the floor combinations. The movements are explained step-by-step, followed by a performance of the steps by Rosemary Boross and her beginning pre-school students.

Simply Ballet: A Master Ballet Class For Beginners - American Ballet Theatre ballerina Michelle Benash instructs young students in this easy to follow along master class. Progresses from barre, chasse` to center combinations and a variety of leaps and turns. For those who already know the basics.

The Ballet Workout - Melissa Lowe - Floor work, barre work and center work to help condition the body. Level I is designed for those with little or no previous ballet experience. Previous ballet experience is helpful but not necessary for level II.

Element: Ballet Conditioning - Elise Gulan - Ballet Dancers always have slender bodies that are both strong and lean with lovely proportion and gorgeous body lines. In this unique program your muscles will work smoothly in unison to create a long streamlined silhouette with flat abs a lean lower body and beautifully defined curves.

Pure Barre: Ballet, Dance & Pilates Fusion - Carrie Rezabek - The Pure Barre Technique (PBT) is the fastest, yet safest way to change your body. PBT fuses dance, Pilates and Lotte Berk exercises while utilizing the ballet barre to create the most intense and effective 55-minute workout that exists.

Suzanne Farrell - Elusive Muse - Jacques d’Amboise, Jorge Dunn, Paul Mejia and George Balanchine - the life of Suzanne Farrell as told by those who know her. Lengthy film excerpts of her in many ballets created for her by Balanchine.

Balanchine - Through rare archival audio and video footage, interviews, film, and photographs, this program traces Balanchine's life from his youth at the Maryinsky Theater, through his work for Hollywood and Broadway, to his ultimate creation of the New York City Ballet. Interviews with the choreographer himself and selections from many of his ballets such as Chaconne, Agon, Symphony in C, Serenade, Apollo, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The Dancer - Erland Josephson, Katja Bjorner, and Anneli Alhanko. A brilliant documentary about the Royal Swedish Ballet which focuses in on one young dancer, Katja Bjoerner. It is an intimate look at a ballet company that is very well done. Some of it is with subtitles; some of it is in English. It's good!

Ballets Russes - By following the history of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the early 1930s, this brilliant documentary reveals the roots of every modern dance company in the world. Film clips and interviews with dancers from the original company. Includes an interview with Dame Alicia Markova, who was a prima ballerina with the original Ballet Russe under impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Definitely worth watching.

Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet - Another well-done European documentary, this one about the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet. In the interviews, the dancers really talk straight. It's definitely worth seeing.

Paul Taylor: Dancemaker - Excellent documentary about modern dancer and choreographer, Paul Taylor. Great camera work on the dances and the dancers and informative interviews. If you like modern dance, this is a must-see.

The Children of Theatre Street - The Story of the Kirov Ballet School - This academy award-nominated documentary about the Kirov Ballet and its school, the Vaganova Choreographic Institute, is narrated by the late Princess Grace of Monaco. There are no subtitles--all translations are done by voice-over. Theatre Street is the popular name for Rossi Street, on which the entrance to the Kirov's school is located. Entrance exams are held annually. Thousands of children, aged 10-12, apply; only 20 are selected.

Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake - The fairy ballerina, Prima Princessa, transports a group of pre-school girls to see the ballet, Swan Lake, performed by the Paris Opera Ballet. Prima Princessa narrates the story of Swan Lake to the girls. In between each act, the children return home and learn a simple ballet step. The young dancers are from the School of American Ballet.

Amazon's Best Selling Ballet and Dance DVDsClicking here brings you to Amazon's best selling DVDs in ballet and dance. Browse through. The DVDs cover a wide range of dance subjects and are suitable for a variety of ages but there's usually something interesting. The list is updated hourly.

Singin' in the Rain—Great dancing, great music, great acting, great directing, great script, great fun. In Technicolor. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for?

Top Hat—This movie has the most romantic dance number ever put on film: Cheek to Cheek with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. If the entire movie was bad except for that dance number, it would be worth watching but the movie is fun throughout, filled with great dance sequences and a wonderful supporting cast. It is all ably directed by Mark Sandrich, the most underrated director in Hollywood. It’s a pure delight from beginning to end.

Swing Time—Another Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers vehicle, this time directed by George Stevens who was early in his directing career. Near the end of his career, Stevens directed the greatest western movie of all time: Shane. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies all follow a similar pattern. They usually start out hating each other, fall in love, due to some confusion fall out of love, and by the end of the picture, straighten everything out and fall back in love. Swing Time follows this pattern but spices it with great dance numbers and great songs.

Shall We Dance—It’s Fred and Ginger again, and as mentioned above, it’s practically the same story except they’re so much fun to watch, who cares.

The Gay Divorcee—Ditto. Just be happy they made four great movies.

An American in Paris—Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron fall in love in Paris. It’s all done to a Gershwin score and has a long ballet dance sequence at the end which is worth watching the movie for. In glorious Technicolor.

The Bandwagon—Fred Astaire with Cyd Charisse instead of Ginger Rogers. It’s a very clever movie with lots of good dance numbers and two very funny supporting actors in Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray. However, the gem of the movie is a brilliant dance sequence in Central Park between Astaire and Charisse. The movie’s directed by Vincente Minelli (Yes, he’s Liza Minelli’s father and Judy Garland’s husband). In color.

Holiday Inn—This movie probably has more hit songs in it than any other movie ever made, including the largest selling single of all time: White Christmas. It stars Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds. The plot basically revolves around who will marry Marjorie Reynolds: Bing Crosby, the singer, or Fred Astaire, the dancer. It’s also directed by Mark Sandrich. The score is by Irving Berlin. If you don’t recognize any of these names, you’d better rent the movie and find out what a great musical is all about. In Black and White.

Brigadoon—OK. There’s this little village in Scotland and the people in it are awake for one day every hundred years. Gene Kelly has to decide whether he will give up his modern life in New York or live with Cyd Charisse in the little village in Scotland. Guess which he chooses. It’s musical; it’s mystical and the wonderful songs are by Lerner and Loewe. In color.

Footlight Parade—James Cagney, Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. This black and white musical was made at Warner Brothers which was a studio not known for its musicals. However, they had Busby Berkeley to direct the dance numbers and the dance numbers in Footlight Parade are incredible. The movie ends with three long dance numbers: Honeymoon Hotel, By a Waterfall and Shanghai Lil which are all great, particularly the number By a Waterfall. Busby Berkeley pioneered the overhead shot where the dancers move in patterns like a kaleidoscope. Let me be clear, the number, By a Waterfall is ASTONISHING! In Black and White.

42nd Street—Another vehicle to spotlight Busby Berkeley’s dance direction with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. The plot is about putting on a Broadway show but that doesn’t really matter. It’s fast paced and entertaining and this movie pretty much started it all in terms of dance musicals. Ginger Rogers has a small part in the movie. Black and white.

Anchors Away—Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra star in this movie about a couple of sailors trying to get dates. There’s lots of good dance numbers and it includes the famous duo with Gene Kelly dancing with Jerry Mouse of Tom and Jerry cartoon fame. It’s a fantastic number and worth getting the movie for. In color.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers—This movie probably couldn’t get made today since the plot concerns seven brothers in an old western town who decide to get over their loneliness by kidnapping seven girls. Of course, it ends with everyone getting married but the seven brothers really can dance. One of the brothers-Ephriam- is Jacques D’Amboise who was a famous ballet dancer with the New York City Ballet. The choreography is by Michael Kidd. The movie is directed by Stanley Donen who also directed Singin’ in the Rain. In color.

Easter Parade - This is the only movie Fred Astaire and Judy Garland made together which makes it worth watching just for that. As it also includes 17 Irving Berlin tunes, it’s a must see.

A Chorus Line - A Chorus Line was a great Broadway show. The movie isn’t so good. But it has the dancing and the songs.

All That Jazz - This well-done movie is an autobiography of Bob Fosse directed by Bob Fosse and starring Roy Scheider. It has some nice dance sequences in it but it's more a drama about the life of a dancer/choreographer than a dance movie. However, it's definitely worth seeing.

White Nights - This movie stars Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines and like All That Jazz is more a drama about dancers than a dance movie, however, it does have some good dance sequences in it and the movie is pretty well done--it takes place in the days of the iron curtain when Mikhail Baryshnikov plays a Russian dancer who wants to escape from the Soviet Union. For Baryshnikov fans, it's a must see.

Shall We Dance? - This Japanese movie is a brilliant movie about a shy Japanese businessman who takes ballroom lessons when he observes the pretty dance instructor through the window. The movie develops slowly but it's an emotional ringer as you follow the lives of the students in the dance class. Not much dancing but a great movie. Don't bother with the Richard Gere Hollywood remake and definitely see the movie they borrowed the title from, Fred Astaire's Shall We Dance which is a completely different movie but is one of the greatest dance movies ever made.

Billy Elliot - A boy in England realizes he wants to be a ballet dancer and suffers through hazing from friends and family. Naturally, the kid triumphs in the end and everyone learns something about tolerance and being yourself. Still, it's a nice movie and worth seeing, if the plot appeals. Not a lot of dancing but some.

Bootmen - A bunch of Australian steelworkers also happen to tap dance, fight, drink a lot of beer, drive fast motorcycles and, of course, chase women. It's not your usual dance movie but it works. Worth watching.

Take the Lead - Antonio Banderas stars as dance teacher who takes on a class of delinquents, and through dance, helps them become better citizens. It's a hokey but heartwarming movie and it does have a couple of great dance sequences, however, it is very loosely based on a real dance teacher who has worked to incorporate dance instruction in New York City public schools with great results.

Shag: The Movie - Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda and Annabeth Gish star in this movie which makes it worth watching without having to say more. The three play high school friends in circa 1963 who want to spend a final weekend together before they go off their separate ways. They head to Myrtle Beach and then the fun begins. The "shag" referred to in the title is a style of dance. Not a lot of dancing in this movie but the little there is is good and the dance band is absolutely amazing. A not to miss fun movie.

Dirty Dancing - OK. Girls love this movie. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey have touched something very deep in the female psyche, so if you happen to be a woman of any age and for some reason you haven't seen this movie yet, don't ask why, just watch it.

Step Up - A ballet dancer and a street kid join forces together in a plot you can see all the way from the popcorn stand but this movie does have a lot of good dancing and it has proved its popularity among the teen set.

Save The Last Dance - The ballet dancer and the street kid meet again only this time with Julia Stiles as the ballet dancer. If you liked Step Up, here's your chance to see it again slightly differently (or vice versa).

The Forbidden Dance Is Lambada - The Forbidden Dance is the story of Nisa (Laura Herring), a beautiful princess from Brazil, who comes to America to halt the destruction of the rain forests by a giant multinational corporation. In America, she falls in love with Jason (Jeff James) and teaches him the passionate and erotic dance of her home—Lambada. They decide the way to deliver their ecological message to the American people is to enter a Lambada dance contest. Al Gore should watch this.

Dirty Dancing - Havana Nights - On the eve of Cuba's revolution, a young American woman discovers a passion for dance and for her sultry Cuban partner Javier. Dance! Politics! Revolution!. The DVD includes some great dance features and good music videos.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt star in this high school teen movie. The two friends scheme to get on television's biggest after-school dance show. Lot’s of 80’s style dancing and typical teen movie fun. A really good cast which includes Shannon Doherty and Jonathan Silverman makes this movie very watchable.

Saturday Night Fever - John Travolta and the Bee Gees’ top 10 soundtrack, as well as unforgettable dancing, make this movie worth viewing. See what all the disco fuss was about.

Honey - Jessica Alba stars in the hip-hop dance flick Honey. Honey Daniels (Alba) dances in nightclubs. She accidentally is videotaped and a hip-hop video director spots her and hires her first as a dancer, then as a choreographer. No surprise, he wants her body as much as her dance talent. What will Honey do? What will happen to her dream of creating a dance studio for the local street kids? Honey is standard Hollywood fare but it’s fun to watch if you like beautiful bodies and hip-hop.

You Got Served - Another hip-hop movie with great dancing and a terrible plot. There is a romance, but mostly the movie’s about a showdown between B2K (as Orange County white boys) and their black L.A. competitors, including members of the hip-hop group IMx.

Stomp the Yard - DJ (Columbus Short) is a troubled teen from Los Angeles who is accepted by Atlanta's Truth University. DJ thinks he’s escaped gang life, but in school finds himself in the middle of a "battle" between two fraternities where stepping (a popular dance form) is how they compete. Complicating matters, DJ falls for the girlfriend of the school's champion stepper. This movie has great dancing and the acting isn’t bad either. The romance generates some onscreen sparks which makes the whole movie fun.

Dance With Me - Robby Rosa, former lead singer of the super group Menudo, stars in this story of romance and dance-floor fireworks. It includes performances by Salsa legends Celia Cruzand and Tito Puente. Another movie with great dancing mixed into an OK plot.

Flash Dance - A hit movie that stars Jennifer Beals as Alex Owens, a determined 18-year-old with one all-consuming dream: to study at the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Dance. T make her dream come true, she works during the day as a welder and at night as an exotic dancer. The movie features the Oscar winning song "Flashdance—What a Feeling,"

Footloose - Director Herbert Ross (The Turning Point) pulled a winning movie out of this trite tale of teenage rock rebellion. Kevin Bacon stars as a hip city kid who ends up in a Bible-belt town where rock is frowned upon and dancing is forbidden, Bacon's character rallies the kids and takes on the establishment with the help of Kenny Loggins's hit song, “Footloose.”

Strictly Ballroom - Baz Lurhrmann, the director of the award-winning ROMEO & JULIET and MOULIN ROUGE!, also directed STRICTLY BALLROOM. It's the story of a championship ballroom dancer who takes on an ugly duckling dancing partner. Together they make their dreams come true! There’s a surprise. But it’s a good movie.

Fame - Seven classes a day and a hot lunch. That's what New York City's High School for the Performing Arts guarantees. Stardom? That's something the school's teenage musicians actors dancers and dreamers strive for. This movie packs the same kind of energy and excitement as Center Stage. Good actors, good songs and a good director make for a fun film.

Moulin Rouge! - Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor sing and dance in this far from typical movie from director Baz Luhrmann. You either love it or hate it due to the movie’s highly stylized mode of direction.

Fosse - Fosse is a tribute movie to a guy who deserves a lot of tribute. Bob Fosse's approach to theater revolutionized how we experience music and dance. One of Fosse's most gifted collaborators, Ann Reinking, and a talented cast take you through such memorable standards as "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries," "Steam Heat," "Mein Herr," and "Big Spender." Plus, lot’s more.

Stomp Out Loud - Michael Bove, Raquel Horsford - A rhythmic, musical extravaganza. "It's comedy, it's theater, it's very physical, it's energetic, it's occasionally quite terrifying," says one performer.