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Friday, November 5, 2010

Dancing Cheek to Cheek - Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers



Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance in the 1935 RKO film 'Top Hat', music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.

In this scene, Ginger's friend Madge is trying to match Fred and Ginger romantically. Fred is trying to woo Ginger, who mistakenly thinks that he is married to Madge, hence her reluctance to dance with him, but she succumbs to his charm in the end.

Their dance shows the fabulous artistry of both stars in the expression of the tenderness between a man and a woman.

So many young people have commented favourably on this clip, expressing a longing for the romantic time of the 1930s. It was a hard time for many, the Great Depression. Films like this were a way for poor people to escape grim reality for a few hours inside the cinema, to catch a glimpse of the glamorous world of the rich and beautiful.
Today people long to escape the mediocrity and awfulness of modern taste - violent blockbuster movies, unintelligible actors, loud pointless soundtracks (you could hardly call it music). Artistry and talent has given way to mediocrity and the cult of celebrity.
Now is the time for young people to abandon crowded gigs and nightclubs where they prance aimlessly, waving their arms in the air, deafened by the noise. Go to an old fashioned ballroom dance, with a band that doesn't rely on amplification and plays real tunes. There you may meet the person of your dreams, to hold in your arms and talk to.