Animes that throw you off with explosive action elements often end up becoming the most-watched anime. Animes that make you swoon with their romantic characters hardly fail to capture the audience. And the animes that make you sway with its dancing divas manage to establish a special place in our hearts. Be it Princess Tutu’s soulful and heartfelt approach to dancing or Tribal Cool Crew’s unabashed manner of bouncing to the beats, these anime are indeed captivating.
The popularity of the dancing theme-based anime has certainly skyrocketed over the past few years. These days, this anime genre is perceived to be one of the most soothing genres and it is evident with the increasing number of views. So, to help you find the best dancing anime out there, here is a curated list! Dive in to find out about the most-popular dancing animes and start bouncing!
Best Dancing Anime
12. Brave Beats
While dancing is mostly a reprieve and a pastime to non-dancers, the people who brave stepping into the world of professional dancing have a contrasting experience. They have endured everything from rejection to competence and yet they stand firm in their positions and stay loyal to their dedication. Brave Beat is a tale of one such devoted dancer who has been exiled from the world of dancing. The crux here is the said dancer is a robot, Breakin, who resides in the Dance World. In this universe, robots hold a special power in the form of Dance Stones.
These stones let them sway to the beats of music but the competition is ripe between these dancing robots. Breakin loses one such competition and ends up being exiled from Dance World. He takes refuge in the human world and befriends a naive yet notorious sixth-grader, Hibiki Kazaguruma and they both embark on a journey to retrieve the Dance Stones for Breakin. Brimming with passion and magic, Brave Beats is a tale of dancing, friendship and optimistic hopes that no dancing anime fan should miss.
11. Aikatsu Stars
This anime is the journey of Yume Nijino, a seemingly simple girl with a dream to own the stage once. Though she has always aspired to be a member of the Yotsuboshi Gakuen aka the Four Star Academy, Yume never believed there would arrive a day when she’ll be able to get into it. However, as luck has it, Nijino garners the chance to be a part of the academy. She’s soaring in the sky, bouncing with deliriousness on the prospect of becoming a star.
But once Nijino enters the academy, she realizes success isn’t just about passion and the academy has more layers to it than it appears. Yotsuboshi Gakuen isn’t just about dancers and dancing, several other contests and troops hold the foundation of the academy. While Yume is overwhelmed, she also realizes it is an opportunity not everyone gets. And when she meets someone who throws her off-kilter, Aikatsu Stars becomes more about the tale of dancing.
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10. Love Live! School Idol Project
Be it a dancer, a writer or a painter, every artist needs a muse. It could be anyone or anything as long as it serves a purpose and helps the artists derive inspiration. However, Love Live! School Idol Project isn’t centred on dancers searching for a muse but vice versa. When Honoka Kosaka’s high school undergoes issues of low student enrolment rate, she decides to help. Being a teenager with no concrete resources, Honoka finds it tough to figure out ways of helping her school. The gravity of her situation becomes her muse and she decides to form a dance club to garner popularity for her high school.
The newfound club entitled Muse helps her high school garner tremendous popularity and leads Honoka and her team to become idols. Not only do these teenagers delight in helping their high school but also get an opportunity to participate in one of the most reputed school idol competitions, Love Live.
9. Tribal Cool Crew
In the era of social media, the paradigm of the world has shifted from offline mode to online. There is hardly anyone that hasn’t been captivated by social media. Swaying to the moves of rocking beats and recording it has become quite popular, isn’t it? Rhythm is one such online dancer who has quickly become a dancing legend but in real life, is quite a shy person. On the other hand, Haneru Tobitayu is quite the opposite. He is a rookie street dancer with hip-hop moves that could compete against the professionals.
When Haneru comes across Kanon Otosaki and discovers that she is the infamous dancer, Rhythm, they immediately connect. The next thing you know Haneru and Kanon have decided to form a band of their own entitled Tribal Cool Crew along with a few other hip-hop dancers. Tribal Cool Crew is a rocking anime brimming with rock music and hip-hop dances along with a fascinating story of Kanon and Haneru.
8. Idolish7
Though the name hints at an anime centred around idols and idols, Idolish7 is way too complex to be stuffed into one category. The world of stars and stardom might be fascinating to people who haven’t stepped in the shoes of the idol. In reality, though, it is more prickly than prestigious. Idolish7 revolves around an idol manager, Tsumugi Takanashi. She has a pristine reputation of leading several stars to the top of the ladder but then she stumbles across a group of 7 dancers. These dancers are more broken than passionate and bear the stamp of failure every day.
Tsumugi doesn’t believe that they are failures, though. According to her, these boys are just lost and need a guiding hand. So, she decides to lend her hand to them and help these dancers become idols. It is easier said than done though. Moving past the hurdles thrown at her by the rest of her colleagues and restrictions imposed by these boys, Tsumugi embarks on a rather crucial journey that holds the potential to change her life.
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7. Hanayamata
Dreams and reality often run parallel to each other, moving together but not intersecting. Naru Sekiya doesn’t believe that though. This teenager has put her trust in her dream of becoming a princess and having a magical fairytale. As time flies by, her perception starts to become a problem for her. High school turns out to be a nightmare with Naru not being able to achieve her dream. But before she could lose her trust, entirely, Sekiya comes across an American transfer student, Hana.
Their interactions slowly start transforming from awkward small talks to intense conversations. And before we know it, Hana and Sekiya have become close friends. Soon, Naru discovers that Hana is passionate about Yosakoi–a Japanese dance form–and that she wants to establish a Yosakoi club. Hanayamata is a breath of fresh air in the animes brimming with rock music and ballet moves since it revolves around a unique dance form and a compelling storyline.
6. Dance Dance Danseur
If we haven’t yet normalized male ballet dancing, we still have a mile-long way to span before we call ourselves just. Thankfully, we have covered a massive portion of that journey and are way too close to the destination. Dance Dance Danseur explores the themes of injustice faced by male ballet dancers and the psychological impact of it on them. No, it is not a psychological anime centred around a male ballet dancer. It is a high school-style, friendship-driven, dancing-based anime revolving around Junpei Murao.
Junpei has always held ballet close to his heart but his fear of being mocked by his friends always gets the better of him. When his classmate, Miyako Godai observes Murao, she is quick to discover his ballet interest given that she is a ballet dancer herself. Her mother owns a ballet dancing club and Godai is more than happy to welcome Murao. Both of them embark on a sweet journey of acceptance in Dance Dance Danseur.
5. Welcome To The Ballroom
Welcoming you to the world of ballroom dancing and the journey of a student to becoming a sensation, this anime possesses all the hooks to keep you trapped. Tatara Fujita is just another high school student with a knack for dancing but his artistic talent has caught the eye of a well-renowned dancer, Sengoku. He decides to help Tatara realize his unique abilities and make him a ballroom dancer. Only, he doesn’t realize Fujita’s awkwardness is his greatest weakness.
As the anime progresses further, Sengoku and Tatara become a team and stand against all odds firmly. Starting with small tournaments, Sengoky leads Fujita to the competitive universe of ballroom dancing. It isn’t just an anime centred around the dancing themes but also boasts friendship values and highlights the significance of self-belief and self-motivation.
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4. Princess Tutu
Okay, here is a warning: Princess Tutu is going to make you spiral down memory lane and it wouldn’t be a leisurely walk!
Remember the story that impacted our childhoods the most? The Ugly Duckling? Well, Princess Tutu is your anime adaptation of that heart-warming, fairytale-style romance story. Jinxed with heartbreak, ballet dancing, a sadistic villain and two star-crossed lovers, Princess Tutu doesn’t miss a beat. It follows a naive duckling, Ahiru, who longs to be able to dance like a ballerina. Her wish comes true eventually but it isn’t without its impediments. Ahiru doesn’t only get the opportunity to own the dance stage but has to bear the responsibility of resurrecting Prince Seigfried, too.
There is a villain looming over her head, a secret she’s clutching tight and a prince Ahiru is slowly inching closer. Amid this mess, Ahiru’s ballet moves mesmerize the world and her natural grace makes her fellow competitors envious. Princess Tutu has all the elements to deserve a place on your watchlist!
3. The Idolmaster
Being a sensation and an idol is no doubt, the dream of many. Especially dancers who compete with thousands of competitors with bright smiles on their faces. They are fulfilling their dream, living a life thousands of people aspire to. But the spotlight eventually starts to become daunting and the smiles turn fake. These idols hardly have time to focus on anything else but their fame and fandom and that is not a life anyone would want to sign up for. Many people willingly step into the world of glitz and glamour though. A few of those are the protagonists of The Idolmaster and work for the well-recognized Studio–765 Production.
When these 13 girls embraced dancing as their career, they never imagined how complicated their lives could get. Fake friends, doting fans and distant family–just a few complaints they have. Trying to balance their career and relationships, these 13 idols are walking on eggshells or more like they are dancing. The Idolmaster should be your go-to stop if you’re looking to binge on an emotion-laden, celebrity-style dancing anime!
2. Dance In The Vampire Bund
While the title of the anime is self-explanatory, those four words simply cannot entail the plethora of genres Dance In The Vampire Bund explores. At the heart of it is the vampire princess, Mina Tepes. She possesses a sense of responsibility towards her people and it isn’t a positive trait. It is due to this character trait of Mina that she proposes a deal between vampires and humans. According to this deal, in exchange for peace between humans and vampires, she’d help pay the debt humans have surrounded themselves with.
Mina’s proposal was intended to serve as the bridge between the two species. However, its impact is completely opposite. Now, on a quest to help her community, Tepes stumbles across a human, Akira Kaburagi, and immediately forms a bonding. Dance becomes their reprieve while secrets serve as the platform. Dance In The Vampire Bund warrants a position in this listicle and your watchlist!
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1. Wake Up, Girls!
Though highly similar to The Idolmaster, Wake Up, Girls! Doesn’t only walk in the footsteps laid by the former anime. It is mostly centred around idols and sheds light on the cut-throat competition that has taken the front seat in the lives of dancers. However, Wake Up, Girls isn’t centred around well-established dancers. Rather, it revolves around a group of rookie dancers who have formed a small group amongst themselves and the name of their little band is Wake Up, Girls.
Though glamour and gruesome is still the theme of the anime, it isn’t just limited to that. When Wake Up, Girls are offered an opportunity to become the face of a dance-based agency, their deliriousness is beyond measurable. The curve of their ecstasies suddenly undergoes a nasty fall when they discover that the agency is bankrupt and its future now lies in their hands–or in this case, their bouncing feet. Wake Up, Girls is truly an enigmatic and realistic anime that would make you fall for dancing animes.
12 Best Dancing Anime: FAQs
Wake Up, Girls, Dance In The Vampire Bund and The Idolmaster are a few of the best dancing anime you can binge on!
Yes, it is a dancing-based anime centred around a duckling turned-human, Ahiru who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer.
If you are into rock animes, you must give Tribal Cool Crew a chance!
It is centred around two high school students, Naru Sekiya and Hana. The latter is an American transfer student who aspires to establish a dance club entitled Yosakoi Club with the help of Naru.
Yes, there are trailers available for all of these animes.
Yes, these animes are available on Crunchyroll and HiDive for you to stream!
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