Shall We Dance? (1951 song)

"Shall We Dance?"
Song from The King and I
Published	1951
Songwriter(s)	Oscar Hammerstein II
Composer(s)	Richard Rodgers

"Shall We Dance?" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I.^[1] It is sung by Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam, played by Gertrude Lawrence (in the original Broadway production) and Yul Brynner respectively.^[2] In addition, it was sung by Valerie Hobson in the original London West End production, and Marni Nixon (who only voiced-over songs while Deborah Kerr acted) in the 1956 film of The King and I.^[2] The song is about Anna reminiscing over the idea of finding love at an English dance. The song comes about after a conflict of love's meaning between Anna and the King;^[3] the King believes that love is a "silly complication of a pleasant simplicity" and a "fairy tale" while Anna believes that love is real and is natural. They sing the song "The Song of the King" which expresses predominantly the viewpoint of the King. After the song, Anna is trying to explain the idea of love in a simple way to the King and becomes caught up in her own experience of love at first sight which is told in the song "Shall We Dance?".

The song is most famous for the polka style dance between Anna and the King. The King, however, exaggerates the movements of the dance with more leaps than strides. The dance usually takes up a large part of the stage.

Reception

The movie version of the song finished at #54 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

Legacy

The movie, Sharu wi Dansu (1995), from Japan, was named after the song.

References

↑ Fuld, James J. (2000). The Book of World Famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk. Courier Dover Publications. p. 494. ISBN 9780486414751.
1 2 Hischak, Thomas S. (2007). The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 242. ISBN 9780313341403.
↑ Pymm, John (2005). A Student's Guide to A2 Performance Studies for the OCR Specification. Rhinegold Publishing Ltd. p. 108. ISBN 9781904226499.

Rodgers and Hammerstein
Stage musicals	Oklahoma! Carousel Allegro South Pacific The King and I Me and Juliet Pipe Dream Flower Drum Song The Sound of Music A Grand Night for Singing State Fair Cinderella
Productions	I Remember Mama Annie Get Your Gun Happy Birthday John Loves Mary Show Boat The Happy Time Burning Bright
Films	State Fair Oklahoma! Carousel The King and I South Pacific Flower Drum Song State Fair The Sound of Music Cinderella
Television	Cinderella The Sound of Music Live!
Songs	"Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" "Kansas City" "I Cain't Say No" "Many a New Day" "It's a Scandal! It's a Outrage!" "People Will Say We're in Love" "Lonely Room" "The Farmer and the Cowman" "All Er Nuthin'" "Oklahoma" "If I Loved You" "Soliloquy" "You'll Never Walk Alone" "It Might as Well Be Spring" "That's for Me" "A Fellow Needs a Girl" "So Far" "Some Enchanted Evening" "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" "Bali Ha'i" "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" "Younger Than Springtime" "Happy Talk" "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" "I Whistle a Happy Tune" "Hello, Young Lovers" "Getting to Know You" "We Kiss in a Shadow" "Something Wonderful" "I Have Dreamed" "Shall We Dance?" "No Other Love" "I Enjoy Being a Girl" "The Sound of Music" "Maria" "My Favorite Things" "Do-Re-Mi" "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" "The Lonely Goatherd" "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" "So Long, Farewell" "No Way to Stop It" "Edelweiss"
Related articles	"Something Good" The Sound of Music The Sound of Music: Music from the NBC Television Event

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