Somebody remind me again why I’m sitting at a desk on the ‘puter instead of dancing all day, every day? Oh yeah, because this is the best toy ever made (and pays the bills). Anyhoo… recently came across this dance scene below, which sent me down a path of Cyd Charisse, Fred Astaire, Bob Fosse, Michael Jackson and all the outrageous artistry and interconnectedness of it all. Cyd’s ferocity absolutely slays me in this — there’s actually a lot of flamenco footwork, arms, duende in there, which resonates deeply with me. If I had the time I’d lay a rapid-fire Spanish guitar and cajón track over it:

It’s no accident that Michael’s Smooth Criminal looks quite a lot like this. (There’s a cool scene-based comparison here: Michael Jackson & Fred Astaire: The Master & His Teacher.) Or that Beyoncé’s “Naughty” dance scene with Usher takes a page from it too.

And from the amazing, liquid Fosse in the 1974 movie The Little Prince, playing the snake. Set to “Billie Jean”, well, because, evidently it was the main inspiration for it:

Alright alright! One more. This is a great montage / homage — I found it (ahem) thrilling …

I could watch this stuff forever. If you need me I’ll be over here watching West Side Story…