Movie makers and TV reality creators have caught dance fever this summer, and it's no wonder. A history of success is on their side.

Pittsburgh's own Gene Kelly was a trailblazer in the 1950s, giving us a big dollop of American ingenuity as he not only swaggered like a sailor, but skipped between the rain drops. With Kelly, dance was a little more real, a little more muscular.

Jerome Robbins then took dance to the streets in 1961 for "West Side Story," for a dose of in-your-face Shakespeare, where a new Romeo and Juliet watched the mambo dance contest take place not in a ballroom, but in the local high school gym.

In the ensuing years, mass audiences didn't want to follow dance into palatial settings. For every balletic movie like "The Turning Point" or "Center Stage," with their sumptuous galas, there was John Travolta training to win his own contest in "Saturday Night Fever," the "Fame" kids of New York City's high school for the performing arts gyrating in the cafeteria, Jennifer Beals and her collection of body doubles moving from pole dancing to professional dancing in "Flashdance" and Jennifer Grey diligently learning her steps while gazing into Patrick Swayze's eyes in "Dirty Dancing."

We wanted to witness the struggle to overcome the technique. We wanted to see dance transformed as a metaphor for life. We wanted to feel the burn.

Here's a list of the movies that have given us that feeling since the '60s:

"West Side Story" (1961) Oscar-winning movie about New York City gangs could soon be regarded as a forerunner of krumping.

"Saturday Night Fever" (1977) Every guy wanted a white suit for a Saturday night hustle.

"The Turning Point" (1977) Ballet in a reality-based setting. Mikhail Baryshnikov was the dance interest, but who could forget the fight between Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft?

"Grease" (1978) A take on the '50s, but Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were the ones that we wanted.

"Fame" (1980) This movie tapped the fact that we all wanted a piece of "Fame."

"Flashdance" (1983) Pittsburgh's steel mills and South Side dance -- an unbeatable combination.

"Footloose" (1984) Choreographer Twyla Tharp took on Kevin Bacon, in a small Midwestern town where dance symbolized freedom.

"White Nights" (1985) Baryshnikov challenged Gregory Hines during a memorable moment in this Russian film.

"Dirty Dancing" (1987) This film has shown real staying power and seems to be king of the TV reruns .

"Tap" (1989) Hines made a valiant effort to bring tap to the masses.

"Strictly Ballroom" (1993) An Australian film notable for Baz Luhrmann's direction.

"Dance With Me" (1998) Vanessa Williams followed her heart in this ballroom duet with newcomer Chayanne.

"Billy Elliot" (2000) A British boy follows his dream of becoming a ballet dancer in this charmer that's now a stage musical in London.

"Center Stage" (2000) A young dancer (Amanda Schull) must decide between Ethan Stiefel (real-life star at American Ballet Theater) and Sascha Radetsky (real-life corps member at ABT).

"Save the Last Dance" (2001) Street-dance infused ballet in this duet with Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas.

"Shall We Dance" (2004) Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez came up a little short in this remake of the 1996 Japanese film of the same name.