Kid friendly music videos with great dancing.
October 29, 2014 5:00 PM   Subscribe

I'm looking for music videos that feature amazing dancing in any style. Must be kid friendly/G rated, fun and engaging.

I work with children in a before and after school program and my group (mostly ages 9-11) is interested in gymnastics and dance right now. I'd love to find some fun and interesting music videos that show any style of dance or gymnastics type moves. Non music videos that are fun and engaging and show great dancing/movement would be appreciated too.

Must be clean and kid friendly. So far we've watched Man on Fire by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros which they really enjoyed. I'm also planning to show them the first minute of Shake it Off by Taylor Swift (can't watch the rest due to booty shaking).

Thanks!
posted by Lay Off The Books to Media & Arts (24 answers total) 26 users marked this as a favorite
 
OK Go's Here It Goes Again features some dang impressive treadmill choreography.

Michael Jackson, for all his faults, was a spectacular dancer.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:36 PM on October 29, 2014


Here are a few on my list:

Postino, I LOVE IT

PONPONPON , Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Polysics, I My Me Mine

Cosmic Kids Yoga

Adventure to Fitness

CORNELIUS, Fit Song

Also, lots of dance-y stuff under Wii Dance Kids.
posted by rada at 5:38 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]


Oh, I do love to watch the Cups Tap Dance, by Christopher Rice, to the song by Anna Kendrick.
posted by Glinn at 5:48 PM on October 29, 2014 [2 favorites]


(not technically a music video. Also pretty short. But still!)
posted by Glinn at 5:51 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]


So You Think You Can Dance has tons of clips you could use, sorting through them for content would be the hard part. Here's a few that could be appropriate:

Sasha & Mel, contemporary jazz
Valerie & Zack, tap
Robert & Dominic, lyrical hip hop
Alex & Twitch, hop hop
posted by Requiax at 6:02 PM on October 29, 2014


Donald O'Connor!
posted by fings at 6:17 PM on October 29, 2014


REM Stand.
posted by asockpuppet at 6:17 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]


Not the most complicated dance moves, but Madonna's True Blue is so much fun!

Even less contemporary than the above is Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights. I'm not sure if most kids would find it "fun", but it's beautiful and maybe a weirdo kid in your group will appreciate it.
posted by Blitz at 6:40 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]


You will absolutely have to vet the music for unsuitable lyrics, but I expect that some parts of Girl Walk // All Day will work.

(Also on youtube for quicker loading. Stupid Vimeo)
posted by Lemurrhea at 7:04 PM on October 29, 2014


Dancing like a Boss/Tom Hiddlestong and The Best 60s Dancer Boy Ever (I hope he's still dancing).
posted by she's not there at 8:10 PM on October 29, 2014


Best answer: Feist 1234
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - on roller skates may contain old timey smoking
Fat Boy Slim Weapon of Choice
posted by fiercekitten at 8:14 PM on October 29, 2014 [1 favorite]


Also Bob Fosse inKiss me Kate. Sort of the middle-end part.
posted by fiercekitten at 8:28 PM on October 29, 2014




Soul Train

In the Mood, Robert Plant, 1983, early break dancing, especially at the 3:00 mark.
posted by at at 2:39 AM on October 30, 2014


If you have the budget, I'd highly recommend That's Entertainment: The Complete Collection, which is 4 DVDs of the best musical numbers from MGM musicals. Lots of amazing dance in it, and you can be pretty sure it will mostly be kid-friendly, since it had to pass the film censors of the era. (Although sometimes you will encounter potentially offensive outdated attitudes, such as Shipoopi from The Music Man, which is an absolutely joyful song, full of wonderful choreography, that uses the word "hussy" to describe "a girl who'll kiss on the very first date." Ugh.)

One of my favorite sequences from That's Entertainment is Bobby Van jumping to music. (Sorry, I can't find a higher-quality upload.) Recently, the video for Goldfrapp's Happiness was basically an extended tribute to that scene.

Here's are some hiphop and contemporary dance videos I love. I am trying to just give you the ones without obscenities in the lyrics but apologies if any inappropriate ones have snuck in:

Mind Shift (and any other video by New Order -- you can find a bunch on YouTube)
Big City Brains
British dance crew Diversity
Skyline
Any of the many videos by Non Stop
A Samsung ad with some cool finger dancing
Dog does meringue. (Low quality video, but I had to include it, because it is A DOG DANCING MERINGUE!!!)
Highlight reel from B-Boy competitions, 2012
Wrecking Crew Orchestra dances in Tron suits on a dark stage
iGlide dances about his baptism
posted by yankeefog at 5:24 AM on October 30, 2014 [1 favorite]


> Mind Shift (and any other video by New Order -- you can find a bunch on YouTube)

I think you mean World Order, and their stuff is fantastic.

New Order's great too, but I don't think any of their videos have dancing.
posted by Gev at 5:38 AM on October 30, 2014


Best answer: All of OKGo's videos would suit you.

The Raconteers Steady as She Goes (the milk car race version) made my children very happy.

The White Stripes Seven Nation Army

The All American Rejects have several really great ones that are kid friendly

Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family - She Painted Pictures

R.E.M. - Furry Happy Monsters

Deep Blue Something - Breakfast At Tiffany's

INGRID MICHAELSON - "The Way I Am" - (official music video)

New Order - True Faith

Blind Melon - No Rain

Ylvis - What Does the Fox Say

There are so many to choose from. I would always make a playlist. Start them out kind of wild and then slow them down. End with a few calmer songs.
posted by myselfasme at 6:17 AM on October 30, 2014


Can you try googling the terms/groups that were in that Man on Fire video?

That's how I found will.i.am - that POWER with some break dancers.

I was also thinking similar to So You Think You Can Dance, there was the show Step It Up And Dance that was on Bravo. Looks like their episodes are all on YouTube...

And, the tumbling aspect makes me think of a lot of cheerleader routines. Here's the 2013 UCA College Cheerleading Championship.

Which leads me to university marching bands. Usually the band leader can get really gymnastic!
posted by jillithd at 7:13 AM on October 30, 2014


You really can't beat Nathan Barnatt dancing to Yelle - Que Veux-tu (Madeon Remix). Safari Disco!
posted by thirteenthletter at 7:18 AM on October 30, 2014 [1 favorite]


Can't locate the 'videos' on YouTube now but seek out anything with Nicholas Brothers, for example their sequence in "The Big Broadcast of 1936" is amazing.
posted by Rash at 8:56 AM on October 30, 2014


For something a little different, I'd also recommend Sia - Chandelier. The whole video is an 11 year old girl named Maddie Zieglier (sp?) doing modern dance, all taken in one single shot. It might be a good video for discussion about whether they like that dance style, what it would be like to be Maddie etc. There may also be some interviews online.
posted by valoius at 10:27 AM on October 30, 2014


Oh, I thought of one more:

Tightrope by Janelle MonĂ¡e (some mild swearing in the original version of the song; this video blanks out the swear words so it's entirely school-safe).


PS: Oops, Gev, you're right. I always say "New Order" when I mean "World Order." Stupid brain.
posted by yankeefog at 3:55 AM on October 31, 2014


Response by poster: You guys are amazing! I have so many awesome videos to show them now, thanks everyone!
posted by Lay Off The Books at 10:14 AM on November 1, 2014


(Dropped back by to add Dragon House.)
posted by wintersweet at 8:59 PM on November 7, 2014


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