SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
Dancing Stars: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds,
Cyd Charisse & Donald O' Connor
The gold standard of dance movies. Sure, Gene Kelly's umbrella-twirling, puddle-splashing routine is one of the most iconic images in cinema (performed when he had a 103 degree fever). And first-time dancer Debbie Reynolds more than holds her own in "Good Morning," but it's Donald O'Connor's jaw-dropping, wall-climbing performance in "Make 'Em Laugh" that still makes audiences break into applause over 50 years later.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
Dancing Stars: John Travolta & Karen Lynn Gorney
It's difficult to remember now, but when this movie hit theaters, disco as a fad was already on its way out. All it took was John Travolta, a white suit, and some expert hairstyling to not only revive disco, but then turn it into a worldwide craze. Watch it today and you might be surprised by the dark subject matter of the story. But you're also guaranteed to strut down the street with Staying Alive in your head for weeks afterwards.

DIRTY DANCING
Dancing Stars: Patrick Swayze & Jennifer Grey
How did a low-budget period movie spark a global dance pheonomenon? Two words: The Swayze!!
Dirty Dancing has it all: forbidden romance, a killer soundtrack of 1960s pop tunes, and everyone's ideal dance instructor: Johnny Castle. It's hard to say which is more fun: watching the pros bump and grind, or seeing Jennifer Grey go from bumbling "Baby" to a graceful young woman who nobody puts in a corner.

CHICAGO
Dancing Stars: Catherine Zeta-Jones & Richard Gere
This cynically funny musical took decades to get from the stage to the screen. So when award-winning choreographer Rob Marshall was picked to direct it, he made sure to pack the screen with lavish dance sequences. Yes, Marshall did use some clever editing to give Richard Gere's tap dance number a little more zing, but Catherine Zeta-Jones' show-stopping solo performance in "I Can't Do It Alone" is all her.

WEST SIDE STORY
Dancing Stars: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer,
Rita Moreno & George Chakiris
When you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way, and that means singing, dancing and snapping through the mean streets of New York. You wouldn't think that ballet-inspired dance would get across the danger of a gang rumble, but Jerome Robbins' athletic choreo- graphy against Leonard Bernstein's ground- breaking score made this "Romeo & Juliet" story a film classic.

ALL THAT JAZZ
Dancing Stars: Ann Reiking & Ben Vereen
Letting an egomaniacal choreographer make a movie about his own life could be a recipe for disaster. But Bob Fosse was a legendary Broadway innovator - he was responsible for "jazz hands," after all - so it's worth embracing this sometimes self-indulgent flick. The standouts in the stellar cast include Fosse's real-life paramour Ann Reinking, and Ben Vereen, who hoofs it in the film's signature number "On Broadway."

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT
Dancing Stars: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers,
Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney
Is it cheating to include a film that compiles 30 years of numbers from MGM's classic library of musicals on a list like this? Why, yes, it is cheating. But like any good mix tape, it cuts out all the filler and delivers hit after hit. The high point (literally): Fred Astaire dancing around a room - from floor to ceiling - in 1951's Royal Wedding. If that's not enough, see That's Entertainment Part 2.

WHITE NIGHTS
Dancing Stars: Mikhail Baryshnikov & Gregory Hines
Here's a rare case of two dancers who became stars. Real-life Soviet defector Baryshnikov plays a ballet dancer dropped back in the USSR. He teams up with American tap dancer Hines to grand jeté and soft-shoe their way out from behind the Iron Curtain. The celebrated Twyla Tharp created the outstanding choreography for the film, and Lionel Richie won an Oscar for the unforgettable Say You, Say Me.

MOULIN ROUGE!
Dancing Stars: Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor
There's a reason they put an exclamation point in the title. Moulin Rouge! has a melodramatic turn-of-the-century story, wall-to-wall modern pop songs, and editing so frenetic it could give Jason Bourne motion sickness. But if you can focus your attention on the dancing, you'll see some of the best work in recent memory. Check out the special-edition DVD for extended versions of the three best dance scenes.