There's something about a dance movie that's just so appealing. Between the music, the impressive skill, and the hope that most things in life can be fixed with the unifying power of movement, it's hard not to love one of those films. Work It, which premiered on Netflix on Aug, 7, is just the latest of a large group of dance-centered flicks that have been made over the years, and has likely reignited many people's interest in the genre. If you're in that boat and want more dance on your screen, here are 20 dance movies like Work It that'll get you on your feet.
If you like the romantic aspect of Work It, in which film lead Quinn gets together with her team's choreographer, you might like more relationship-focused movies like Save the Last Dance or Dance with Me. If you enjoyed Quinn's ambition and drive to get into the college of her dreams, you might enjoy the driven leads of Honey: Rise Up and Dance or Step Sisters, which feature similar plots about college aspirations. If you're just looking for an amazing mash-up of dance performances, you might want to check out the Step Up films (specifically the second and third installments), as they feature impressive numbers from dancers across genres.
Whatever draws you to dance films like Work It, you're sure to find something that stands out in the list below.
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01'Save The Last Dance'
In this classic, 17-year old Sara Johnson (Julia Stiles) is forced to move from suburbs to a south side Chicago neighborhood after her mother dies. She has hopes of being a professional ballerina, but the changes in her life threaten that reality. She goes to a local dance club, where she meets Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who helps her refine her dance style before a major dance-school audition. Along the way, they fall for each other, but face criticism for their interracial relationship that threatens to break them up.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase on Prime Video, iTunes, and Vudu.
02'Save The Last Dance 2'
Picking up where the first film left off, Save the Last Dance 2 follows Sara's new life as a Juilliard dance student. There, she struggles to balance her love of hip-hop and ballet, which is only complicated further by hip-hop musician and new love interest Miles.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Roku.
03'Step Up'
Tyler (Channing Tatum) is sentenced to do community service at a performing arts school and discovers he is talented at dance. He gets recruited for a show by school student Nora (Jenna Dewan), and they develop a romantic relationship while they work toward an epic show performance. It's the undeniably sweet teen romance that sparked the fascinating romance between now-exes Tatum and Dewan.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase on Prime Video and iTunes.
04'Step Up 2 The Streets'
Much like the first movie's premise, street dancer Briana must join an upscale school to stay in town, and gathers a group of misfit dancers to prove their unique styles have a place in the snooty school. Work It fans are sure to appreciate the ensemble of talented and eccentric dancers.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase on Prime Video and iTunes.
05'Step Up 3D'
After the events of the second movie, Moose (Adam G. Sevani) heads to New York City with his best friend Camille (Alyson Stoner), where he gets recruited by a league of dancers. The team must win a big underground competition in order to keep their lair, so they must work together to keep their group intact.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase on Prime Video and iTunes.
06'Take The Lead'
A ballroom dance teacher volunteers at a New York public school. At first, his background clashes with his students, but eventually they find common ground and create a new dance style as a team.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase from Prime Video and iTunes.
07'Center Stage'
This 2000 film may have had a tiny budget, but thanks to the film's dramatic dance-offs, rivalries, and banging soundtrack, it became a cult classic. The film documents a group of young dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at a fictitious ballet school in New York and each struggle with the stresses of school in a different way.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase from Prime Video and iTunes.
08'Footloose' (1984)
Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) moves to a small town and attempts to overturn the local ban on dancing and rock music. It's a classic film about dance, romance, and breaking barriers.
Where to watch: Available to stream with Amazon Prime and Hulu.
09'Footloose' (2011)
This remake is very similar to the original Footloose, but 2011 brings the story to modern times. It's a bit sexier, and the dance styles are slightly different, making it worth the watch even if you've already seen the original.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Amazon Prime.
10'Bring It On'
Sure, the Bring It On films are about cheerleading, but they definitely have the same vibe as a dance flick. In the inaugural film of the series, high school cheer captain (Kirsten Dunst) discovers their routines were stolen from another squad across town, threatening their shot at their sixth national championship.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase from Prime Video and iTunes.
11'Bring It On Again'
This is the second film of the series went straight to video, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a watch. In this sequel, a band of cheerleaders who don't make their college team form their own squad and attempt to win the championship.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase from Prime Video and Google Play.
12'Bring It On: All Or Nothing'
Preppy cheerleader Britney Allen (Hayden Panettiere) changes schools and finds herself at odds with the athletes on the new squad. She finally wins a spot on their cheer team, faces her old teammates in a cheer off, and finds love along the way.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase from Prime Video and Vudu.
13'Honey'
Aspiring dancer Honey Daniels (Jessica Alba) holds down many jobs to make ends meet. Her dream, however, is to make it as a hip-hop choreographer in the entertainment industry, which she gets a shot at after getting attention of a big music director. For there, she must figure out how to navigate a new career, creepy bosses, and her community obligations with friends and mentees throughout the film.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu, or to rent or purchase from Prime Video.
14'Honey: Rise Up & Dance'
This sequel to the original film came 15 years after the original and stars Teyana Taylor. Her character — who is not named Honey, by the way — enters a dance competition to win a college scholarship. Work It fans will appreciate the similarity between films about the protagonist's post-grad fate depending on a dance competition.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix.
15'Another Cinderella Story'
Mary Santiago (Selena Gomez) is a high school senior with ambitions of becoming a dancer. She gets to dance with her pop idol, Joey, at a school dance, but must run home to her evil stepmom and sisters before midnight and loses touch with him. As Mary practices for her audition for a Manhattan dance school, Joey continue to search for his dream girl from their fateful night together.
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase on Vudu and iTunes.
16'Fame'
A group of talented students try to graduate from New York's prestigious High School for the Performing Arts in the 1980s. This film birthed a hit soundtrack and TV series, received six Academy Award nominations, and won Oscars for Best Score and Best Song for its title song, "Fame."
Where to watch: Available to rent or purchase on Vudu and iTunes.
17'Feel The Beat'
April Dibrina (Sofia Carson) fails a Broadway audition and is forced to return to her hometown. Reluctantly, she accepts an opportunity to train a group of young dancers for a big competition in the hopes it will also provide her an opportunity to put her dance dreams back on track.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix.
18'Step Sisters'
Ambitious college student Jamilah is president of her sorority and captain of her step team, and has plans to attend Harvard Law School. When she's tasked by the college admissions dean to teach a misbehaving sorority how to step, she's faced with a major challenge she must overcome in order to achieve her dreams.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix.
19'Dance With Me'
In this film, a man with a passion for Latin dance comes to work at a Houston dance studio, where he connects with the local dance instructor. She fights her attraction toward him in order to focus on her dancing and upcoming competitions, but comes to realize technique alone won't make her the person — or dancer — she wants to me. This 1998 film may be over 20 years old, but it still has the good vibes Work It fans will appreciate.
Where to watch: Available for rent or purchase on Vudu and Prime Video.
20'Yeh Ballet'
This Indian film follows two teens in Mumbai, Asif (Achintya Bose) and Nishu (Manish Chauhan), who train under a strict ballet teacher, but drama comes when their families don't approve of their desire to become professional ballet dancers.
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix.
