By Shivani Patel, Staff Writer
@shizupates

This week, I rediscovered a dance from a movie that I’m sure you’ve all heard of, if not watched – Step Up.

The Step Up franchise began back in 2006, with the first movie starring Channing Tatum and his now wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum. Backed up by a tale of forbidden love, the movie’s main gimmick was its dance routines, which at the time was a relatively new concept in movies.

With the success following the launch of the first movie, the creators wrote and produced three additional sequels. Each movie presents a host of new characters mixed in with previous characters. The consistent theme, of course, is dance. The most recent sequel, Step Up Revolution, was released in 2012.

The scene I wanted to highlight was from the second sequel, Step Up 3D.

This movie marks the return of Moose, played by Adam Sevani, and Camille, played by Alyson Stoner. Both are featured in the Step Up movies as secondary characters.

The movie itself focuses on the two moving to New York in order to attend New York University. Moose faces the dilemma of juggling a passion for dance and studying electrical engineering to appease his father. Camille, on the other hand, struggles with dealing with a widening hole in her friendship with Moose while her feelings for him as more than friends grow.

In this particular scene, Moose and Camille finally come together to do what they do best – dance.

The song, “I Won’t Dance” by Fred Astaire, is particularly fitting. Fred Astaire, along with his on-screen dance partner, Ginger Rogers, were famous for their dancing in cinema during the age of classical Hollywood. Seems appropriate for a dance dedicating to showing off dancing.

The pair dance down the street, utilizing their surroundings to make the dance come alive.

The most creative use of props, in my opinion, is the use of the trashcan lids. They hook the handle of the lid onto their shoe and begin to tap dance along to the beat of the music. Despite the size and clunkiness of the lid, they make it work musically while managing to stay light on their feet.

Another aspect I find interesting is their back-and-forth interaction. At certain points, Moose dances and lets Camille come up with a move in response. The best example of their competitive dance dynamic is when they are dancing in front of two doors. This sort of playful interaction makes the dance more personal, and better as a result.

My personal favorite, however, is the ending where Moose turns her in for a dip. In a move reminiscent of “Flashdance,” he grabs the branch above him and shakes it, showering the duo in leaves. Cue romantic sigh at how cute Moose and Camille are together.

If you haven’t gotten the chance, I definitely suggest that you watch the Step Up movies.