Movies like Dancing Country (1981)
The best movies like Dancing Country (1981) are Take the Lead (2006), Footloose (1984) and Step Up (2006). If Dancing Country hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWork It (2020)7.5/10 from 1,235 votes
- NewestThe Map That Leads to You (2025)Released 2025
Take the Lead (2006)
A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulane.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFootloose (1984)
When teenager Ren and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he's in for a real case of culture shock after discovering he's living in a place where music and dancing are illegal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStep Up (2006)
Delinquent Tyler Gage receives the opportunity of a lifetime after vandalizing a performing arts school, gaining him the chance to earn a scholarship and dance with up-and-coming dancer Nora.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlamingo Road (1949)
A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGrudge Match (2013)
A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout -- 30 years after their last match.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCrossing Delancey (1988)
Thirty-something Isabelle spends her time going from her tiny, solitary West Side apartment to that of her grandmother on the Lower East Side. While her grandmother plots to find her a romantic match, Isabelle is courted by a married, worldly author, Anton, yet can't seem to shake the down-to-earth appeal of Sam, a pickle vendor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisStrictly Ballroom (1992)
Brave new steps put Scott's career in jeopardy. With a new partner and determination, can he still succeed?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBarbie and the Three Musketeers (2009)
Corinne is a young country girl who heads to Paris to pursue her big dream – to become a female musketeer! Never could she imagine she would meet three other girls who secretly share the same dream! Using their special talents, the girls work together as a team to foil a plot and save the prince. It's all for one and one for all!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBarbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure (2023)
When her babysitting business takes a hit, Skipper takes a summer job at the water park. Here she can quickly put her skills as a nanny to good use.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlashdance (1983)
Alex Owens, a young woman juggling between two odd jobs, aspires to become a successful ballet dancer. Nick, who is her boss and lover, supports and encourages her to fulfil her dream.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMao’s Last Dancer (2009)
At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he falls in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove at First Dance (2018)
Hope is tasked with teaching Manhattan's former "Most Eligible Bachelor" how to dance for his extravagant, society wedding. But as the dance lessons progress, complications ensue when feelings begin to develop between student and instructor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Map That Leads to You (2025)
Heather is a young woman traveling Europe with friends before starting her perfectly planned life. A chance meeting with Jack sparks an unexpected romance that leads to deep emotional discovery. As secrets and life choices test their bond, her path changes forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Farmer's Daughter (1947)
After leaving her family's farm to study nursing in the city, a young woman finds herself on an unexpected path towards politics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPride (2007)
Coach Jim Ellis shocks the community and changes lives when, aided by a local janitor, he sets out to form Philadelphia's first black swim team. But the odds are against them as they battle rigid rules, racism and more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWork It (2020)
A brilliant but clumsy high school senior vows to get into her late father's alma mater by transforming herself and a misfit squad into dance champions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Greening of Whitney Brown (2011)
Whitney, a spoiled pre-teen from Philadelphia, is forced to move to the country when her parents feel the squeeze of economic hard times. A fish out of water, far from her comfort zone, she befriends an amazing horse, and undertakes a misguided journey back to her old life, only to discover that her family is her home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisParis Christmas Waltz (2023)
Emma relinquishes her job so a colleague with a family will keep his. Contemplating life’s next steps, Emma meets a professional dancer, Leo whose love for competitive dancing is waning, until a once in a lifetime opportunity arises for the novice to join the pro and sweep all of Paris off its feet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShall We Dance? (2004)
A bored estate lawyer spots a beautiful woman in the window of a ballroom dance studio. He secretly starts taking dancing lessons to be near her, and then over time discovers how much he loves dancing. His wife, meanwhile, has hired a private detective to find out why he has started coming home late smelling of perfume.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEat Pray Love (2010)
A married woman realizes how unhappy her marriage really is, and that her life needs to go in a different direction. After a painful divorce, she takes off on a round-the-world journey to "find herself".
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
Like Dancing Country and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Dancing Country?
The closest matches to Dancing Country are Take the Lead (2006), Footloose (1984) and Step Up (2006). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Dancing Country?
Start with Take the Lead (2006), the closest match to Dancing Country.
What is the highest-rated movie like Dancing Country?
Work It (2020), rated 7.5/10 by 1,235 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Dancing Country?
The Map That Leads to You (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Dancing Country?
Yes: Take the Lead (2006), Footloose (1984) and Step Up (2006).
How are movies similar to Dancing Country chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dancing Country, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.