From stage to screen, these legendary partnerships have left an indelible mark on dance history. Join us as we celebrate the most mesmerizing dance duos who've captivated audiences with their perfect synchronization, undeniable chemistry, and groundbreaking performances. From ballet to hip-hop, these pairs defined excellence in dance.
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00:00Right in the dot. Are you always this prompt?
00:02Yes, I'm just a machine.
00:04Good. I love to tinker with machinery.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:11for the most flawless pairings in the world of dance.
00:14I believe that our partnership wouldn't have been such a great success
00:18were it not for the difference in our ages.
00:22Number 10. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
00:25Is it taking you to the dance?
00:27Well, that all depends.
00:28On what?
00:29On you.
00:30When these two superstars matched their moves for the musical film Grease,
00:33they made cinematic history.
00:35With their electric chemistry, they had fans swooning left and right.
00:39Tell me about it.
00:42Olivia's irresistible charm during You're the One That I Want
00:44even gave Travolta heart palpitations in his own words.
00:47However, did you know that we almost didn't get this iconic duo?
00:51Newton-John joined the cast after being promised
00:53that she wouldn't have to dance much.
00:55As she got into the groove,
00:56she was the one who requested choreographer Patricia Birch teach her more steps.
01:00Thanks to the change of heart,
01:02we get to see her and John set the dance floor on fire during the hand jive contest,
01:06albeit briefly.
01:17Number 9. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
01:20There will never be another Johnny and Baby.
01:22Those two gave us the most classic enemies-to-lovers transition in Dirty Dancing.
01:27And it just so happens that Swayze and Grey had been clashing in real life,
01:31too, since working on Red Dawn.
01:33I can't even do the merengue.
01:34Johnny, you're a strong partner.
01:36You can lead anybody.
01:37But you heard her.
01:38She can't even do the merengue.
01:40She can't do it.
01:40She cannot do it.
01:43The tension was amplified because he grew up dancing and was serious about it like Johnny,
01:47whereas Jennifer was a newbie like her character.
01:50So in essence, their off-screen relationship was following their on-screen arc.
01:54By the second turn, you really had it.
01:56Yeah, but I didn't do the left.
01:58You did real good.
01:59Their dynamic translated into a deeply immersive performance,
02:03where their dance spoke louder than a thousand words.
02:06We needed no dialogue to convince us that these two were head-over-heels in love.
02:10When she jumped into his arms, which, by the way, was never rehearsed, we just knew.
02:20I've never felt this way before.
02:268.
02:27Les Twins
02:28These French brothers have been in sync since the day they were born.
02:31Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois, the youngest of nine siblings, discovered dance together.
02:36Their shared passion pushed them to explore the art form by themselves.
02:40I don't think I'm special.
02:41I just think that people are scared to be themselves.
02:43And this is what we're doing the best.
02:44I don't try to be Les Twins.
02:46I'm Les Twins.
02:46As they absorbed techniques from different styles like locking and popping, breakdance,
02:50hip-hop, and even ballet, they started creating their own signature infusion.
02:55As pre-teens, they were already choreographing moves and performing on stage.
02:59Competitions were the obvious next step,
03:01and they nailed every attempt, garnering global attention for winning World of Dance.
03:06This is our time to go, but at least we stole the show, at least we stole the show.
03:13Today, you'll see the twins dancing with the greats like Beyoncé and Jason Derulo.
03:18In fact, they are celebrities in their own right.
03:21Who is the most creative?
03:24No, Larry, you cannot say.
03:27I cannot say, but we got more ideas.
03:297.
03:30Michael Malatowski and Joanna Lunas
03:32Widely regarded as two of the top names in the history of professional Latin dance,
03:36this duo embodies the very essence of musicality.
03:39Although they've both had other collaborators in their careers,
03:42the equation they shared with each other was inimitable.
03:59When they moved, they appeared flawlessly intertwined,
04:02almost as if they were reading each other's minds.
04:05No wonder they swept titles like championships with ease.
04:12This partnership extended beyond the stage, and they welcomed a lovely daughter together.
04:25However, the two have since parted ways, both professionally and personally.
04:29Nevertheless, their legacy lives on.
04:396.
04:40George Balanchine and Suzanne Farrell
04:4249, 50 years older than I was.
04:46So I had the benefit of all his experience, all the ballets he did before I was even born,
04:54plus the ballets that he did when we were working together up until he died.
04:59So it was like I lived his lifetime in my short career as a dancer.
05:04The father of American ballet and his teenage prodigy reportedly had a problematic relationship.
05:09After Suzanne fell in love with and married Paul Mejia,
05:12she was apparently all but forced to leave the New York City ballet.
05:15Yet some of her most dazzling moments professionally were when she danced
05:18to Balanchine's choreography, or better yet, shared the stage with him.
05:22In 1965, when Mr. Balanchine said he wanted to do Don Quixote for me, a big full evening ballet,
05:28that was probably the turning point of my life as a professional dancer.
05:36Balanchine himself was a master of his craft,
05:38but he also had a way of putting Farrell in her element,
05:41allowing her strengths to truly shine.
05:43Together, they were a vision to behold.
05:46There's just no end to how hard someone's willing to work when you have their belief in you.
05:52It's where technique doesn't really play as big a part as how you look at the picture,
05:59the part that you play in the picture.
06:015.
06:01Mikhail Baryshnikov
06:03and Gelsi Kirkland
06:25These two ballet artists created a most ethereal blend of technical perfection
06:29and emotional nuance.
06:31They joined forces during their time at the American Ballet Theatre in the 70s
06:35and soared to prominence hand in hand.
06:53Their performance of The Nutcracker was met with a wide audience,
06:57thanks to being aired on TV, and remains a tour de force to this day.
07:01With their palpable chemistry, the lines between art and life were often blurred,
07:05as the two shared a passionate love affair.
07:08However, when they slipped into character, it was a metamorphosis worthy of infinite applause.
07:13One may argue Baryshnikov had a more creative and groundbreaking turn
07:16working with Twyla Tharp.
07:18Still, Mikhail and Gelsi will never go out of style.
07:274.
07:35Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev
07:38The prima ballerina assoluta of the Royal Ballet met one of her most brilliant partners
07:42when she was well on her way to retirement.
07:57Dame Fonteyn was in her 40s, and Nureyev was fresh-faced and in his 20s,
08:05yet they clicked like artistic soulmates.
08:08We moved in one way where it was very complementary, every arm movement,
08:14every head movement. There were no more cultural gaps, age difference
08:23would have been absorbed in characterization.
08:27Choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton, who originally created Marguerite and Armand
08:31exclusively for the pair, said theirs was, quote,
08:33the world's most exciting dance partnership. When they took to the stage as Romeo and Juliet
08:38in Sir Kenneth Macmillan's production, they gave the audience a taste of heaven.
08:42Understandably, people went gaga over the two and their praises spread far and wide.
08:47Even today, there is no other duo in the history of ballet that can top Fonteyn and Nureyev.
08:53Public was enthralled. I think only because we were enthralled with each other and with
08:59what we did with the role.
09:013.
09:02Gene Kelly and Sid Cherice
09:03I had a crazy notion you and I should get better acquainted.
09:07I see.
09:08Besides, I think you're about the prettiest program coordinator I've ever seen.
09:13One is a legend from the golden age of Hollywood, and the other had her legs insured for $5 million
09:19U.S. dollars. When Gene Kelly danced with Sid Cherice, it was impossible to take one's eyes
09:24off them. They first rose to prominence when Sid joined Gene as a stand-in for Debbie Reynolds in
09:42Singing in the Rain. That sparked a solid partnership, with the pair coming together
09:46again for Brigadoon. Although Kelly was hard on Cherice, often leaving her, quote,
09:50black and blue, their on-screen dynamic was simply addictive.
09:542. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
10:21If there's any dance duo that can be called truly generation-defining,
10:25it's this one. Classic Hollywood mainstays, Fred and Ginger created magic on screen.
10:43Their long-term collaboration birthed ten timeless films, including The Gay Divorcee,
10:48Top Hat, Swing Time, and Shall We Dance? The twosome was commercially successful,
10:52played off of each other's artistic genius, and reflected one another's shine. They adored each
10:57other offscreen and constantly denied rumors of conflict, which they claimed were fabricated
11:02for the press. After a long and fruitful
11:18partnership, Fred and Ginger went their separate ways when their artistic ambitions pulled them
11:21in different directions. That said, their impact remains unbeatable.
11:481. The Nicholas Brothers
12:06Any number of superlatives would fall short for this fantastic duo. The Nicholas Brothers grew
12:11up surrounded by music. Their parents were musicians, and Philadelphia, where they were
12:16raised, had a bustling vaudeville and jazz scene. With culture as their only teacher,
12:36Fayard and Harold combined acrobatics and tap, reimagining their own version of flash dance.
12:42Their vibrant creativity was unlike anything people had seen, and the brothers were booked
12:46and busy. They quickly became Tinseltown favorites, and as the good times rolled,
12:51their style continued to evolve with novelty. Suffice it to say, they were the GOAT.
13:022. Miss Mojo
13:09If you could get front row tickets to watch any of these duos live,
13:13who would you go for? Tell us in the comments.
13:21Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Miss Mojo,
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