Gene Kelly

This chapter explores the contemporary significance of Gene Kelly for street dance practitioners and cultural critics. Responses to a Volkswagen commercial remake of Kelly’s “Singin’ in the Rain” solo sequence raise questions about how creativity and originality are assessed in popular dance performances. By comparing the responses of film critics and hip-hop dance practitioners to both Gene Kelly’s performance in Singin’ in the Rain (Donen and Kelly 1952) and the commercial remake, a key theme emerges. Evaluations of creativity reveal how judgments about originality are as much a part of street dance practices as classic choreographic works. This chapter suggests that “remixes” of past popular dance performances reveal the pleasure created in aesthetic comparison. In fact, value judgments rooted in comparisons are a central component of popular dance assessment and appreciation.