Let's dive into the 5 best street dance films and why they are the best right here. We LOVE a dance movie, how can anyone resist a screen full of feel-good vibes, jaw dropping skill and meaty soundtracks that will give you neck ache while you groove your head along to every track!
Here's a quick look at the 5 best street dance films:
>> Keep reading to the end, for a special bonus! <<
Which movie should you check out next: Throw it back, or try something newer? We can help, we surveyed 25 of the most popular street dance movies amongst a large group of dancers aged 11 to 60 here at Hip Hop Pop Dance Company and the votes speak for themselves!
Let's take a look at the contenders. Note: We appreciate some of these are sketchy in the category of street dance, and there may be some others that could go on this list, yet here are the 25 we surveyed which are the most popular according to Google...
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List Of 25 Best Street Dance Films We Surveyed:
Beat Street
Breakin'
Kickin It Old Skool
Go For It
Let's get some perspective, who voted for the best street dance films?
Here's the % of each age groups who took part in the study (see pie chart). When you see the TOP 5 list of best street dance films below, it is probable that age has a direct correlation on taste of dance movie era! Test that theory: How old are you? Are you in your 30s ? Is your favourite perhaps an early 2000's classic like You Got Served, Honey, or Save The Last Dance?
How many of the list of best street dance films have you seen?
I've personally seen 13, what about you? Not every survey participant had seen every street dance film, therefore the unseen movies would get less votes of popularity (we feel sorry for Breakin' 2 - a personal fav), but at least the votes are relative to what movies entice a viewer to watch them. Here's the amount of survey participants who had watched each of the street dance movies in the list:
Here it is, the TOP 5 best street dance films
The top 5 films in this list took up a whopping 83% of the total votes, proving them to be true winners, separating themselves by leaps and bounds from the rest of the pack above!
>> Keep reading to the end, for a special bonus! <<
No. 5 - BEST STREET DANCE FILM:
HONEY (2003) (PG)
FILM SUMMARY: Honey Daniels is a 22-year-old, tough-minded, hip-hop dancer in New York's East Harlem who dreams of making it big as a music video choreographer. She teaches hip-hop dancing at a local youth center helping to keep them off the streets and out of trouble.
BEST SONG OF THE MOVIE: The whole Honey movie soundtrack is awesome and I Believe by Yolonda Adams may be the cheesiest on the album, but if you've seen the movie, you'll likely love it - it's a heart-string-puller!
No. 4 - BEST STREET DANCE FILM:
STREET DANCE 3D (2010) (PG) (UK FILM)
FILM SUMMARY: With the UK Dance Championships approaching, one London troupe's hopes of victory hang by a thread. Their leader Jay has quit and they've just lost their rehearsal space, but, desperate to put in a good performance at the prestigious competition, Carley and her crew are thrown a lifeline. Ballet teacher Helena grants them a space to practise at her academy - but with one important condition.
CHECK THIS OUT: We asked Marlon AKA Swoosh, CEO of Flawless Dance Group and cast member of Street Dance 3D ('Surge' in the movie) these questions about the movie:
Do you think it was important for the UK to have a slice of the Street Dance Movie pie?
Marlon: "Yes the UK dance scene deserves a piece of the movie-pie 1000% and I also think there should be much more opportunities like that for the UK dance scene."
Can you share a funny moment or a memory of filming the movie with us?
Marlon: "One of the Flawless boys had to do a scene which involved tricks/flips and it requires repeating the trick/flips over and over again for the FX they were testing to create, and after a while their legs just went jelly and we’re just shaking, even when standing still! Had to be there to see it of course 😎"
No. 3
- BEST STREET DANCE FILM:
STEP UP (2006) (PG)
FILM SUMMARY: Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum) has been in and out of trouble for most of his life and after finding himself before the judge again, he is sentenced to 200 hours of community service mopping floors at the Maryland School of the Arts. He quickly catches the eye of Nora (Jenna Dewan), a gifted ballet student, who is trying to use hip-hop moves with her classical routines. After some initial hesitation, Nora convinces Tyler to help her with her dance routines and the sparks fly.
DID YOU KNOW: Step Up is listed as number 8 on the Top 25 grossing dance movies of all time! What Step up movie songs are your favourites? Bout It - The 'final performance' track has to be my favourite!
No. 2 - BEST STREET DANCE FILM:
YOU GOT SERVED (2004) (PG)
FILM SUMMARY: David (Omarion Grandberry) and Elgin (Marques Houston) helm a talented street-dancing crew that engages in dance battles in a Los Angeles warehouse belonging to local club owner Mr. Rad (Steve Harvey). When Orange County rich kid Wade (Christopher Jones) challenges David and Elgin to compete against his dancers for $5,000, they accept. As David and Elgin labor to perfect their moves for the competition, tensions within the crew threaten their chances at success.
BEST SONG OF THE MOVIE: Tough one! So many great tracks on the You Got Served soundtrack, especially from B2K, but 'Take It To The Floor' has to be one of the best from them
No. 1 - BEST STREET DANCE FILM:
SAVE THE LAST DANCE (2001) (12)
FILM SUMMARY: Sara (Julia Stiles) is moved from a small Midwestern town to the south side of Chicago when her mother dies in a car accident, and must live with her father. She soon falls for teenager (Sean Patrick Thomas) at her new high school and he has less than an idyllic past. They share a love for dance (ballet and hip hop ) and the rest of the story you'll just have to see for your self, it's too good not to see!
WHAT THE PARTICIPANTS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE WINNING MOVIE:
'A compelling story line"
"It's a classic"
"Love the fusion of dance styles"
"The music and dancing make me want to watch it over and over again"
HERE'S HOW THE PARTICIPANTS VOTED ON THE DANCE, MUSIC AND ACTING CATEGORIES OF 'SAVE THE LAST DANCE':
>> Here's a special bonus for you (below) <<
Want access to some of the best street dance movie songs, all in one place?
You're in luck, we've put together a Spotify playlist of the best street dance movie songs and some of our personal favourites, especially for you! Have a scroll! (Warning - Potential explicit lyrics - youngsters to get parents permission to listen)
What are the best street dance movies on Netflix?
Sadly Netflix doesn't have a big selection (at time of writing), you'll be lucky if you find the whole series of Step Up movies! Yet Amazon Prime has them all, yay! They certainly have the top 5 best street dance films in this list and even have most of the others on the full list of movies in this survey too - happy viewing!
Check out our article on the top 25 dance films on Netflix
Do you agree with our our top 5 best street dance films? Share this post and tag us with your comments on: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter
Thanks for reading
Jenny Bater -Sinclair
Director - Hip Hop Pop
P.S.You might also like to watch some of our top 10 famous street dancers perform here.
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