Sweet Charity
This scene is divided into three distinct movements: The Aloof, The Heavyweight, and The Big Finish. Bob Fosse didn't just choreograph steps; he choreographed attitude. In "The Rich Man's Frug," he wanted to satirize the high-society party scene. The dancers don't look at each other. They don't smile. They maintain a "dead face" while performing incredibly complex, high-energy isolations. This specific aesthetic—the "broken" wrists, the turned-in knees, the severe ponytails—became Fosse's signature. It proved that dance in film could be cynical and weird rather than just theatrical and pretty. Beyoncé recreated this routine almost shot-for-shot in her video for "Get Me Bodied," even using the same ponytail whipping choreography. The lead dancer in the "Aloof" section is Suzanne Charisse (niece of Cyd Charisse, another famous dancer on our list). Sweet Charity was Bob Fosse's directorial debut for a feature film, though he had already established himself on Broadway.