People are debating the best dance scene in a movie, and John Travolta is everyone's favorite
Don't sleep on Ginger Rogers, Patrick Swayze, and Pee-Wee Herman, though.

John Travolta at IIFA 2014.
One of the great things about the art of cinema is how it captures dancing in a way no other medium can. Sure, you can see people dancing in a theatrical production, but it's all from one vantage point, and you will never see epically-staged scenes such as Busby Berkeley's 42nd Street or close-ups on fantastic footwork like in Flashdance.
Dancing in films isn’t just about movement; great dance scenes capture emotion, help you understand the characters, and allow the actors to express themselves in ways you can’t capture with dialogue alone. From the golden age of Hollywood to today, filmmakers have used dance to inspire, dazzle, and surprise the audience.
But what is the greatest dance scene in film history? X user Emira Han, who calls himself a "film addict," asked fellow users on the platform to share the best dance scene ever, and over 1.6 million viewed the tweet and 2,100 people responded. Emir chose Jackrabbit Slim's twist contest from 1994's Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta and Uma Thurman danced to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" as his favorite.
The Pulp Fiction dance scene is memorable because it provides a wonderful playfulness in a gritty film—specifically, in a scene where Travolta is uncomfortable taking his crime boss’s wife out for a night on the town. Further, after making his career on the dancefloor in iconic films such as Saturday Night Fever and Grease, Travolta’s star had faded by 1994, and seeing him dancing again was a joyous and welcome return to form for the actor.
Name the best dance scene in movies.
I’ll start:
pic.twitter.com/7SsRYpw0vj
— Emir Han (@RealEmirHan) March 30, 2025
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were divine in Top Hat. His ceiling dance in Royal Wedding was a masterclass in footwork and special effects.
Unparalleled grace and movement. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers ‘Dancing Cheek to Cheek’ in ‘Top Hat’. pic.twitter.com/j5KqG8bFDL
— Philosopher King, Oracle (@signalborder) March 30, 2025
The Ceiling Dance de Gene Kelly pic.twitter.com/fLgcDCE0a5
— Pascal Gavillet (@PascalGavillet) March 30, 2025
Nobody puts Dirty Dancing in the corner.
I’m voting Dirty Dancing’s finale. pic.twitter.com/TGXIbBX6Ql
— JP (@newinattica) March 30, 2025
Kevin Bacon was electric as the boy who taught a sleepy small town to dance in Footloose.
pic.twitter.com/72zGWgclrr
— LANE_17 (@elaineakins449) March 31, 2025
Even though The Blues Brothers was a comedy, it had some great dance numbers with musical performances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and, of course, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues.
There's at least 3 in the Blues Brothers to choose from. pic.twitter.com/beSGFvlxKN
— West Coast Hockey Bias (@MarcelAndRogie) March 31, 2025
Vera-Ellen and John Bracisa's Tap number in White Christmas was incredible.
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Al Pacino's Tango with Gabrielle Anwar in Scent of a Woman helped earn him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
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Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather is known as one of the most incredible dance scenes ever.
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Napoleon Dynamite had the greatest moves of any millennial.
pic.twitter.com/FtwwB61Tth
— Raoul Duke (@batcountry1980) March 31, 2025
Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner were marvellous in The King and I.
Deborah Kerr & Yul Brynner
"Shall We Dance" in The King and I (1956)
That’s the tweet.pic.twitter.com/ax6bGUEDxd https://t.co/FpFOD8sg6r
— BUILD MORE HOUSING! (@Dartagan_Llore) March 30, 2025
Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) entertained a rowdy crowd of bikers while dancing to "Tequila" in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.
Not. Even. Close. pic.twitter.com/ioydGAIe7F
— Sean Whalen (@SeanType53) April 1, 2025
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James Cagney, known for starring in gangster films, rebranded himself as a song-and-dance man in Yankee Doodle Dandy, for which his performance earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
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By far, the most popular actor in the thread was John Travolta, who had memorable performances dancing in Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978), Urban Cowboy (1980), Pulp Fiction (1994), and Michael (1996). Where did Travolta get all of those moves? According to SlashFilm, he trained "like Rocky" to get in shape for Saturday Night Fever.
I don’t know which is the best, but I do know John Travolta owns 3 of top 5 out there.
Pulp Fiction
Urban Cowboy
Saturday Night Fever
— D (@dan636680) March 31, 2025
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.