Fred and Ginger: Making Movie Dance Magic

The dancing of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in their movies together enthrall audiences even today.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers have delighted movie fans for decades with their dancing charisma. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

In theater, there is no other relationship quite like that between dance partners. Whether it’s ballet, tap, contemporary, ballroom, or fusion, a bond forms between two people who dance together that nothing else can replicate.

A truly great dancer can dance with anyone, and do it well, but, in almost every dancer’s career, there’s one special partnership that can only be achieved with a particular person. Such a partnership existed in classic Hollywood between the couple affectionately called Fred and Ginger.

A Beautiful Partnership

In 1930, 19-year-old Ginger Rogers was cast in the Gershwin musical “Girl Crazy.” Stage veteran Fred Astaire, at 30 years old, was called in to help the dancers with their choreography. This was the first meeting of the couple who would dance their way into American’s hearts three years later.