6 Best Tap Dance Movies of All Time

By Vlad Zakh · June 2, 2026

Tap dancing is rhythmic, exuberant and joyful. Tap has an ex-con torn between crime and dance, The Cotton Club has a musician and a tap dancer navigating gangster violence in Harlem, and Stormy Weather follows a dancer’s rise to stardom. White Nights, Shall We Dance and The Little Colonel round out the six.

Tap (1989)

TMDB ★ 6.1

A talented ex-con torn between crime and dance has to choose between the streets and his tap-dancing legacy.

Directed by Nick Castle · 1h 51m

Where to watch

Stream: Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

White Nights (1985)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A Soviet ballet defector is forced into a dangerous reunion with his homeland after an emergency plane landing.

Directed by Taylor Hackford · 2h 16m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Cotton Club (1984)

TMDB ★ 6.2

A jazz musician and a tap dancer navigate ambition, romance and gangster violence at Harlem's famous club.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · 2h 10m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Stormy Weather (1943)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A talented dancer's rise to stardom is intertwined with his complicated romance with a beautiful singer.

Directed by Andrew L. Stone · 1h 18m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shall We Dance (1937)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A ballet dancer and a Broadway star pose as a married couple to escape a persistent rumour.

Directed by Mark Sandrich · 1h 49m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: TCM · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Little Colonel (1935)

TMDB ★ 6.4

A young girl tries to reconcile her feuding mother and grandfather in the post-Civil War South.

Directed by David Butler · 1h 20m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Tap Dance Movies of All Time

Tap (1989)

White Nights (1985)

The Cotton Club (1984)

Stormy Weather (1943)

Shall We Dance (1937)

The Little Colonel (1935)

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