How to Dance Like Gene Kelly

Gene Kelly is an American legend in the world of entertainment. He danced gracefully on the screen and into the hearts of all the movie going audiences for generations. He danced like a dream. His first break was in the film "For Me and My Gal" in 1942. He became a star early in his career, and he went on entertaining well into the 1980's. He starred opposite Olivia Newton-John in "Xanadu" in 1980. While it may have been a seemingly stumbling block at the time, that movie still lives on as a cult classic and newly revived Broadway show that is both a send up and tribute to the classic film. Here's how you can dance like Gene Kelly, no matter what dance period you like from his career.

Instructions

1. Watch Gene Kelly dance on film. If you have not seen it or paid attention to his dance moves, you are in for a great awakening. Get "Singin' In The Rain," "An American In Paris," and "Xanadu," for starters. Have a movie night by yourself or with your dancer friends. Watching him will give you a new respect for the entertainer. His dance moves are intricately practiced, yet seemingly effortless. That's his talent.

2. Set several of the films right to the dance scenes. Play them like an exercise tape, taking out one at a time. Dance along and imitate each of the dance numbers. This will help give you a feel for how complicated some of the numbers truly are. This may be easier if you are a trained dancer, but even many professional dancers struggle with all of his moves that he makes so gracefully.

3. Take a tap dance class. As the tap number in "Xanadu" shows, Gene Kelly was a phenomenal tap dancer. Learning this basic skill will help you more easily take on some of Gene Kelly's dance moves. There are even some schools in the country that offer a Gene Kelly dance class. This will be a fun one to take, but there is more to his moves than can be found in the dance classroom.

4. Choreograph your own dance moves in the jazz and tap tradition. Although many don't realize this, Gene Kelly was also a choreographer from the beginning to the end of his career, including in the film "Xanadu."

5. Enlist the advice and help of those who know the dancing of Gene Kelly well. Talk to dance instructors at your school and in your area. Perform your moves in order to get feedback, critique and help with improving your dance moves. This will add a lot to your growth as a dancer.

Tips & Warnings

• Gene Kelly was mentioned on "The Soup" by Chloe Lattanzi in a spoof of her experience on the show "Rock the Cradle." She claims to have danced with Gene Kelly on the set of "Xanadu" as part of the joke. In reality, dancing with Gene Kelly is where her parents met. Matt Lattanzi was a dancer portraying the young Gene Kelly, and Olivia Newton-John was the lead, Kira, opposite Gene Kelly.

• Don't be too hard on yourself. Remember that dancing is a skill that takes a while to learn, and Gene Kelly was a master of dance. You won't learn his moves overnight, but you can learn them.