Breaking Down the Tension with Dance
A few months ago on Twitter, I set up a poll asking if the dance scene in Beetlejuice is better than the dance scene in Ex Machina. I was frankly upset to discover that most people believed that the classic Beetlejuice scene was better. My feet are firmly planted in the Ex Machina camp, but who am I to bash on other people’s opinions? The more I thought about it, I realized that there is an art when it comes to unexpected dance scenes. I don’t want to call it random dancing, but more so they’re the dances that break the tension of the movie.
As Caleb’s (Domhnall Gleeson) starts to grow and more suspicious of Nathan (Oscar Isaac), and starts to investigate Nathan’s isolated laboratory, Caleb realizes that Ava (Alicia Vikander) isn’t the robot Nathan assumes he has made. There are a few robots that walk around the facility, like Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno). Kyoko cannot speak and is predominately used as a pleasure-centric robot. Kyoko is apparently used for one other thing, dancing. At this point, as Caleb is rushing to find out what’s really happening behind closed doors, the atmosphere is dark and foreboding. As the music starts, the viewer instantly feels a moment of release, breaking the mounting tension to properly adjust, so the tension can grow in even more volume at the end of the movie. When Nathan shouts “I’m gonna tear up the fucking dance floor, dude. Check it out,” the audience is encouraged to dance, but even those words show what darkness lies ahead, especially with the tone that he says it.
This scene in itself is almost jarring for we didn’t expect it. In general, Ex Machina uses its atmosphere to its advantage, lulling the viewer into false hopes and uneasiness. The dance scene gives dimension to the movie and the characters, making it even more enjoyable.
I have some beef with Tim Burton, everybody does. But what I don’t have beef with is the classic Day-o dinner party scene in Beetlejuice. Like I mentioned, a lot of people say that the scene is the better of the two, but in reality, both have their own unique and interesting vibe to them. In Beetlejuice there is mounting pressure when the dance scene finally happens, but it’s a much different suspense in comparison to Ex Machina.
At this point in the movie, Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) (oh shit, that was the third time, it’s showtime) is proving that he is the ghost with the most, with a little bit of fun demonic possession. There is a very real fear in two different ways. For the ones being controlled during the dance, there is a legitimate haunting, finally knowing Lydia (Winona Rider) was not joking around. For Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis), it’s the pressure of making sure their possessions and worldly attachments are not completely destroyed. Not only does this moment prove that these two families finally understand what pressures the others are facing, also, how much of a low-key dick this Betelgeuse guy kind of is. It’s the beginning of the end and using a choreographed number gives the audience the mindset for how the rest of the movie is going to go. It’s a suspense creator and a tension breaker all in one.
Finally, the dance seen in Little Miss Sunshine is more of a release than a builder. Through out the whole entire movie, worse and worse shit happens to Olive (Abigail Breslin) and the gang. Finally, after her grandpa dying, and their Volkswagen deteriorating as they drive to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, Olive proudly shows off her dance moves. When asked where her grandpa is, she proudly answers, “In the trunk of our car.”
As the dance is about to begin, we can’t help but pray that for once, something goes right for the Hoover family. The tension being broken here is finally knowing exactly what dance moves Olive has been practicing this whole time. My God, it is a train wreck and none of us can look away. After more and more bad things happen, this is the moment of release both for the Hoover family, and for the audience. We finally know what Olive is dancing to. The Hoovers are so tired of what has been happening to them, the straw that breaks the camel’s back is their innocent daughter doing something she loves and that’s just really great. Instead of the tension breaking to heighten the atmosphere, this dance is used to create the climax. A twisted feel-good moment we all needed. Similar to Beetlejuice, the dance scene signifies the beginning of the end. For the Hoovers, it’s the beginning of the journey to home, the beginning of their recovery. For the Deetz family, it’s the beginning of the most exhausting night of their life.
Of course there are other classic dance scenes like the one in Napoleon Dynamite, or Pulp Fiction, but they don’t really add to the plot, or add to the experience. Yes, these scenes bring depth to their world, but besides that, there’s nothing really special. Each time I watch the dance scenes of Ex Machina, Beetlejuice, and Little Miss Sunshine, I can’t help but think, “Damn, this really made the movie.”
