Dance in Film · 1985
White Nights (1985)
A defected Russian ballet star (Mikhail Baryshnikov) and an American tap dancer (Gregory Hines) are thrown together behind the Iron Curtain — a Cold War thriller built around two of the greatest dancers of their generation.
White Nights is a 1985 dance feature film centred on ballroom and social dance. For dancers, it's a chance to see the style performed on screen — the phrasing, partnering, and musicality that the same dances carry onto a real floor.
Jump to the 4 indexed dance sequences ↓
Where to watch: Streaming (various)
The dance sequences in White Nights
4 sequences — what is danced, by whom, and where to find it.
“Prove Me Wrong” competition duet
Tap–ballet–jazz fusionDanced by Mikhail Baryshnikov; Gregory Hines · Choreography Twyla Tharp
Hines and Baryshnikov matching cool for cool while Chaiko shadowboxes beneath the surveillance camera.
Tharp makes contrast the engine of the duet, allowing Hines’s rhythmic weight and Baryshnikov’s airborne line to challenge and absorb one another. Their side-by-side equality turns a guarded rehearsal into the film’s clearest argument that artistic exchange can outrun ideology.
Open the film at this point · Stream or rental only — the timestamp is for when you have it playing. No edition-specific timestamp used. Sony lists the 1985 Columbia film on Digital, and the opened U.S. Apple TV page identifies the 1985 film and 2h 17m runtime; availability checked 2026-08-12.
“There’s a Boat Dat’s Leavin’ Soon for New York”
Rhythm Tap (Hoofing)Danced by Gregory Hines · Choreography Gregory Hines
Hines turning a Porgy and Bess song into an effortless sung-and-tapped declaration of personality.
Hines makes the Sportin’ Life number simultaneously sung character work and rhythmic invention, letting his feet converse with Gershwin’s phrasing. The sequence establishes Raymond’s American performance identity before the film forces it against Soviet expectations.
Open the film at this point · Stream or rental only — the timestamp is for when you have it playing. No edition-specific timestamp used. Sony lists the 1985 Columbia film on Digital, and the opened U.S. Apple TV page identifies the 1985 film and 2h 17m runtime; availability checked 2026-08-12.
Eleven-pirouette wager
Classical BalletDanced by Mikhail Baryshnikov
Kolya completing eleven consecutive pirouettes and collecting Raymond’s eleven rubles.
The wager strips ballet technique down to control under pressure: repeated turns become both virtuoso display and a pointed answer to Raymond’s challenge. The unbroken accumulation lets precision, spotting and nerve carry the dramatic beat.
Open the film at this point · Stream or rental only — the timestamp is for when you have it playing. No edition-specific timestamp used. Sony lists the 1985 Columbia film on Digital, and the opened U.S. Apple TV page identifies the 1985 film and 2h 17m runtime; availability checked 2026-08-12.
Opening “Le Jeune Homme et la Mort”
Contemporary BalletDanced by Mikhail Baryshnikov; Florence Faure · Choreography Roland Petit
The Young Man and Death locked in a stark, physically charged encounter on the Bristol Hippodrome stage.
Petit’s death-haunted ballet turns pursuit, resistance and surrender into a concentrated theatrical duel. Baryshnikov’s athletic attack and Faure’s implacable presence make the opening function as character revelation before dialogue begins.
Open the film at this point · Stream or rental only — the timestamp is for when you have it playing. No edition-specific timestamp used. Sony lists the 1985 Columbia film on Digital, and the opened U.S. Apple TV page identifies the 1985 film and 2h 17m runtime; availability checked 2026-08-12.
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