10. The Subway Prank (Step Up 2 The Streets)
But that heist idea…? Step Up 2 The Streets did it first, with unexpected twists and an even bigger sense of danger. If this kind of dance routine happened on the subway more often, we would all of us sell our cars. This is classic Step Up.
9. The Sad, Sorry Fate of Skinny (Step Up)
Nora dances her pain out while Tyler’s teen sidekick gets shot down in the street. Damn, that’s dramatic. It’s almost as though Nora called forth the fury and God decided to take it all out on Skinny for being such an annoying little putz.
8. The Anderson Job, Part I (Step Up Revolution)
“Enough with performance art. It’s time for protest art!” (Yeah, because no one ever thought of that before.) But this is how you protest right, getting national attention for your sweet dance moves and disrupting the cynical political machine in the process.
7. The Museum Job (Step Up Revolution)
Step Up Revolution successfully shook up the hormone-fueled traditions of the franchise with this artful, colorful, breathtaking takeover of a fancy museum, turning The Mob into works of art that even the curator can’t bring herself to stop.
6. The Mob’s Last Stand (Step Up Revolution)
The cavalry arrives, sparks fly, trampolines shoot people into the air and bungee cords fling dancers back and forth in this epic finale to Step Up Revolution. This dance sequence is so amazing it even gets the stuffy mayor jiggy, and it also earns these anti-corporate protestors a sweet job working for Nike! Hurray! Wait… huh?
5. The World Jam (Step Up 3D)
Lasers, shorties, a flying Natalie and bad guys on leashes make the World Jam one of the most unforgettable moments in the Step Up franchise. It lasts for freaking ever and we wish it had been twice as long. Pure unbridled energy and sick dance moves from beginning to end.
4. Andie vs. Tyler (Step Up 2 The Streets)
Holy shit, Tyler Gage is in the house! And he just bet Andie’s future on a dance battle with trampolines! Andie gets her ass resoundingly kicked by Tyler (tough love, baby), who unleashes Channing Tatum’s best dance moves outside of Magic Mike, flying through the air on bouncy pads and culminating in the best sweatshirt removal procedure in the history of… well, ever, damn it.
3. The Battle of Gwai (Step Up 3D)
The best proper battle in the Step Up franchise is the one that actually makes the most amount of sense. The Pirates are fighting The House of Gwai, but Moose is late, finally bicycling onto the stage and unleashing a torrent of water. The House of Gwai can’t adapt to their new environment, sticking with old moves that don’t work in a newly hydrated arena. The Pirates adapt to a new stomping style that allows for proper mobility, now headlined by a dancer who previously leveled up his water dancing abilities in…
2. The Rain Dance (Step Up 2 The Streets)
Considered by many to be the best dance sequence in the whole series, and arguably it belongs at the top, but whether it’s #1 or #2 this knockout number still brought Step Up 2 The Streets to a glorious conclusion with sexy moves, an innovative presentation, and probably the most iconic moment the franchise had to offer.
1. Moose & Camille Won’t Dance (Step Up 3D)
But dang it, THIS is why we love Step Up. Moose and Camille dancing down a New York City street in a single uninterrupted take, with witty choreography, old-fashioned romance and the most flagrant hat-theft in the history of the series. (Seriously, Moose never gives that hat back. He just fucking STEALS it.) Plus, it’s the only time Camille gets the respect she deserves as an amazing dancer. It’s pure charm, lovely cinema, and the best damned Step Up dance sequence ever.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
