I didn't want to be a dancer... I just did it to work my way through college. But I was always an athlete and gymnast, so it came naturally. Gene Kelly More Quotes by Gene Kelly More Quotes From Gene Kelly You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams. And I know if I can make you smile by jumping over a couple of couches or running through a rainstorm, then I'll be very glad to be a song and dance man. Gene Kelly dream running song You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams. Gene Kelly dance-love dream joy I didn't want to move or act like a rich man. I wanted to dance in a pair of jeans. I wanted to dance like the man in the streets. Gene Kelly jeans men moving I got started dancing because I knew it was one way to meet girls. Gene Kelly girl dancing way In the 1930s there was this tendency in Hollywood to portray everyone as rich. Even if they were doing a poor man's dance, they were all so nicely clothed, gowned, coiffured. That's why I decided to wear white socks, loafers, T-shirts, and blue jeans. I had a sociopolitical context in front of me: I was a child of the Depression who danced in a way that would represent the common man. Gene Kelly blue men children Any man who looks like a sissy while dancing is just a lousy dancer. Gene Kelly dancer dancing men The way I look at a musical, you are commenting on the human condition no matter what you do. A musical may be light and frivolous, but by its very nature, it makes some kind of social comment. Gene Kelly musical light looks At 14 I discovered girls. At that time dancing was the only way you could put your arm around the girl. Dancing was courtship. Only later did I discover that you dance joy. You dance love. You dance dreams. Gene Kelly girl dream love-you Fred Astaire represented the aristocracy, I represented the proletariat. Gene Kelly proletariat aristocracy The future of dance will always be tied up with the public's acceptance of the star. If they accept the star, then they'll accept the dance. Gene Kelly accepting stars acceptance If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I'm the Marlon Brando. Gene Kelly brando grants ifs I miss the romance. I keep saying this over and over again, but dance follows music. And if the accent today is percussion and rhythm and loudness, then that is the way the dance numbers will be. But it is pretty hard on romance with seven guitars, three drums, and no melody instruments in the band. Gene Kelly romance guitar numbers When Ginger Rogers danced with Astaire, it was the only time in the movies when you looked at the man, not the woman. Gene Kelly dance motivational men Come on with the rain / I’ve a smile on my face. Gene Kelly smile-on-my-face faces rain I took it as it came and it happened to be very nice. Gene Kelly very-nice happened nice I never wanted to be a dancer. It's true! I wanted to be a shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gene Kelly pittsburgh dancer pirate Like an athlete, [dance] is an everyday job. You have to stay in shape - unless you just want to loaf through a couple of hoofing routines. But that just didn't satisfy me. Gene Kelly couple athlete jobs I wanted to invent some kind of American dance that was danced to the music that I grew up on: Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart and Irving Berlin. So I evolved a style that certainly didn't catch on right away - but I had some good mentors in New York who encouraged me. Gene Kelly good-man dance new-york The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with [women] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table or twist them all around. All I want to do is one-two, one-two-three - a simple fox trot. But they're shaking with anticipation at the thought that I'm about to whip them around and then toss them on the roof. Gene Kelly simple two thinking In film, a dancer should always be shot from head to toe, because that way you can see the whole body and that is the art of dancing. Nowadays they shoot the nose. Left nostril. Right nostril. Hand. Foot. Bust. Derrière. The film prevents you from determining who is a good dancer and who is not. Gene Kelly feet hands art
