9 Hottest Dance Scenes on TV, Ranked
Call it the Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn) and Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) effect. After watching — and promptly fixating on — the Off Campus duo’s steamy “On the Floor” dance scene in Season 1, it got us thinking about all the other TV couples that have shown off their moves. Some of our favorite romantic moments on TV have taken place on the dance floor. With the right buildup, song choice, and palpable chemistry between the leads, a dance scene has the power to transfix us just as much as a passionate love confession.
As Dean and Allie prove, the characters don’t even need to be together yet for a dance scene to stand out. In fact, we’d even say that dance scenes hit harder before two people have realized or admitted how they feel about each other. The tension is created without words. Their bodies (and the music) do all the talking. As a result, dance moments have become a staple of the romance genre, whether in a supernatural or a period drama.
Scroll to find out which TV couple earned the top spot in Swooon‘s ranking of the hottest dance scenes, and let us know your thoughts via the comments section at the end of the page!
9. Mary & Tom, The Other Bennet Sister
The Other Bennet Sister may have zero spice, but that doesn’t mean there’s no heat. Tom (Dónal Finn) may not be the smoothest of gents, as proven by his squeaky shoes when he takes Mary (Ella Bruccoleri) for a spin. But as the dance goes on, his desire for Mary — which is forbidden since he’s engaged to someone else — creates so much delicious tension. He’s so down bad for Mary that he literally sniffs her mid-dance! And then he proceeds to seeth with jealousy from across the ballroom when Ryder (Laurie Davidson) takes the floor with Mary. All in all, it’s one of the most romantic scenes of the year overall, so it’s definitely one of the best dance scenes we’ve seen, too. — Morgan Pryor
8. Francis & Mary, Reign
You know we couldn’t talk about TV dance scenes without looking back at the Queen and King of Dance — ahem, Scotland and France — Mary (Adelaide Kane) and Francis (Toby Regbo). While they share plenty of steamy ballroom dance scenes, in my opinion, the most chaste is by far the hottest. During the pilot, Mary catches Francis’ eye while dancing with her ladies, and it’s somehow the closest thing I’ve seen to love at first sight, even though they’ve known each other forever. As feathers fall to Twin Forks’ “Back to You,” an underrated banger, by the way, it’s like they’re truly seeing each other for the first time. They don’t need to touch for their chemistry to be off the charts. — Rebecca Perlmutter
7. Rupert & Taggie, Rivals
The moment everything changed for Rupert (Alex Hassell) and Taggie (Bella Maclean). These two didn’t get off to the best start on Rivals, but Rupert was determined to make amends. At Patrick’s hybrid birthday/New Year’s Eve party, Rupert noticed Taggie in the shadows and brought her into the (red) light on the dance floor. The longer Chris de Burgh’s “Lady in Red” played, the closer Rupert and Taggie got. Even though they were in a room full of people, witnessing the intimacy between Rupert and Taggie as they stared into each other’s eyes made it feel like they were the only two people on The Priory dance floor. The heat was palpable. This moment truly was the first chapter in Rupert and Taggie’s love story. — Avery Thompson
6. Damon & Elena, The Vampire Diaries
Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) dance at Miss Mystic Falls in Season 1 will go down in teen drama history, but if we’re talking about the hottest dance scene in The Vampire Diaries, it has to be that club scene in Season 4. (Which is also history-making, mind you.) In Episode 4, Damon teaches baby vamp Elena how to feed at a frat party. She lets loose and gets high off the blood. Damon watches her dance from across the room while Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close” — which we’ll never not associate with this scene — plays. Damon looks hungry for her as they dance together. If only Bonnie (Kat Graham) hadn’t come in and cut the party short. Would someone have noticed the blood all over Damon and Elena’s mouths and clothes? Probably, but we needed this scene to be at least twice as long. It’s that good. — Morgan Pryor
5. Molly & Dro, Insecure
When “Slow Motion” started playing in this scene, you knew something was about to go down. As the song went on, Molly (Yvonne Orji) and Dro (Sarunas J. Jackson) inched closer and closer together. The hand on her waist? So hot. The height difference? Even hotter. When they were flush against each other, grinding to the song, the chemistry simmering between them felt like a pressure cooker. Molly cooled things down before they went too far, only for Dro to confess that he’s in an open marriage with Candace (Gabrielle Dennis). — Avery Thompson
4. Ruby & James, Maxton Hall
Maxton Hall Seasons 1 does enemies-to-lovers right — and that transition in James (Damian Hardung) and Ruby’s (Harriet Herbig-Matten) relationship is marked by a truly transfixing dance scene. In Episode 3, James and Ruby finally let go of their tension on the dance floor, completely focused on each other in their own little bubble. During the first half, which is set to The Weeknd’s “Moth to a Flame,” Ruby and James silly moves feel remarkably natural. (That’s not always the case with dance scenes in general.) Then, the song changes to a slower one, and the heat is cranked up. Seriously, James spinning Ruby around so her back is to his front made us scream. He’s so smooth with it. It’s no wonder that the sequence went mega-viral online. Every rewatch hits just as hard as it did the first watch. — Morgan Pryor
3. Jonathan, Roxana & Teddy, The Night Manager
What’s sexier than Tom Hiddleston, Diego Calva, and Camila Morrone proving it may take more than two to tango? Not much. In Season 2 of The Night Manager, Hiddleston’s operative, Jonathan Pine, goes undercover as Matthew Ellis to learn more about Calva’s Teddy Dos Santos, with Morrone’s Roxana Bolaños playing a vital role in the scheme. When Roxana begins to dance with Teddy, Jonathan is inclined to cut in, but what seems like a simple two-person affair quickly turns into a threesome on the dance floor, even putting the men nose to nose in a way that would leave any invested viewer on the edge of their seat. Needless to say, they all brought the heat, and we’re still not over it. — Meaghan Darwish
2. Anthony & Kate, Bridgerton
When it comes to Bridgerton couples, Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony’s (Jonathan Bailey) enemies-to-lovers arc lent itself to plenty of intense will-they-won’t-they moments, one of which unfolded in the ballroom at Aubrey Hall. Following a tension-filled hunting excursion, Kate was meant to confer with Anthony about his intentions to marry her sister, Edwina (Charithra Chandran), but their mutual attraction was so strong, it left them in a haze as a classical version of Robyn‘s “Dancing On My Own” played. After Kate casually let it slip that she’d return to India when Edwina married, Anthony exploded, the tension coming to a head as he realized he could lose the real thing he was after… her. Be careful: One revisit of this dance scene could very well lead to a season rewatch. — Meaghan Darwish
1. Allie & Dean, Off Campus
The DeanAllie dance scene truly altered our brain chemistry. When it comes to how many times we’ve rewatched this moment, we’re going to refrain from commenting. The moment Dean saw Allie dancing in her JLo costume, it was game over for him. He was immediately diagnosed with a lifelong case of Down Bad. The way he looks at her like he is worshipping her? Get you a man who looks at you like that. The way he practically inhales her because she’s everything he could ever want and more? We’re still screaming. This dance scene truly changed lives, and we’re all just living in the DeanAllie world now. Louisa Levy, you NEED to give us another one in Season 2. — Avery Thompson
