Dance numbers of the decade that rocked fans to the core

The sense of joy that a well choreographed dance number gives an audience is immeasurable. During the past decade, the kuthu songs, a trend in the noughties, made way for a new kind of dance number — the soup song! Courtesy, Kolaveri Di. Usually featuring a heartbroken hero, mostly in a drunken state, these songs had lyrics that were casual and conversational, often drawing upon pop cultural catchphrases (like Ennama Ippadi Panreengale Ma), and steps that were simple but appealing. The ‘North Madras song’ also became a popular trope (after Pa Ranjith’s Attakathi), featuring lyrics written in the Chennai dialect, mostly written by gana singers. And we also saw stars like performing backbreaking steps, which had the audience cheering endlessly in theatres.

Here are 10 dance numbers that defined their respective years and the decade..

Composed by: Anirudh

Choreographed by: Shobi

There is hardly another actor in Kollywood who can look as effortless as Vijay while dancing. In this incredibly peppy number, Vijay also had the gorgeous Samantha adding to the charm, and the two actors brought out the joy of a romantic couple in a terrific way.

Composed by: Anirudh

Choreographed by: Kalyan

This song is marana kuthu delivered Thala style. Rokesh’s raw Madras baashai lyrics and Anirudh’s power-packed vocals packed a punch, while Ajith gave proof of his dancing ability even while sporting a paunch. It definitely makes us question why the actor seems to have more or less stopped shaking a leg in his films.

Composed by: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Choreographed by: Prabhudheva and Jani

The only Tamil song to have crossed 1 billion views on YouTube (for comparison, the next highest is Kolaveri Di with 260 million), this one floored everyone, thanks to the amazing choreography. Sai Pallavi matched Dhanush step for step in this funkily shot number that features some jawdropping acrobatic moves from its lead pair.

Composed by: D Imman

Choreographed by: Jani

While Gaandhakannazhagi might be the official name of this song, it is more popular as Gummuru Tappara, that catchy hookline which is one helluva earworm. And the ‘horn step’, which Jani used here, has become a huge attraction for kids.

Composed by: D Imman

Choreographed by: Dinesh

If you were in Tamil Nadu in 2013-14, it was hard to escape this song. It was literally everywhere! The colourful costumes, the lively picturisation (which also had comic elements) and the fresh jodi of Sivakarthikeyan and Sridivya quickly made everyone fall in love with this number. The film took Sivakarthikeyan to the big league of superstars, and this song was one of the major contributing factors.

Composed by: Sam CS

Choreographed by: Kalyan

Kalyan’s choreography, full of simple moves that you might expect any drunkard to perform, and the free-flowing camera work (by PS Vinod) elevated this typical bar song with folksy beats into an unforgettable one. It is exactly the kind of song that suits the casual style of an actor like Vijay Sethupathi.

Composed by: Sajid-Wajid

Choreographed by: Prabhudheva

In his return to form as an actor, Prabhudheva gave us yet another glimpse of his nimble footwork in this catchy number. The icing was a nod to the actor-choreographer’s Chikku Bukku Rayile, with his brother, Raju Sundaram, joining him for a brief while.

Composed by: GV Prakash Kumar

Choreographed by: Dinesh

The OG ‘lungi dance’, this number captured the joy of a local paiyyan’s first brush with romance in the most boisterous way. All it took was Dhanush, in a blue checked lungi (which became quite a style statement), dancing without care on the streets of Madurai!

Composed by: Anirudh

Choreographed by: Baba Baskar

The first truly viral song from Kollywood, this foot-tapping number, with English lyrics sung in the most Tamil way, marked the arrival of a major musical talent in the form of Anirudh. And even though this soup song was picturised in a conventional kuthu paattu style, the choreography, which effectively captured the playful nature of the lyrics, and Dhanush ensured that it looked fresh on screen.

Composed by: Vivek-Mervin

Choreographed by: Jani

The Rowdy Baby combo of Dhanush and Jani returned for an encore in this energetic song, that once showed how choreography can lift a song to the next level. The lengthy shots helped showcase Dhanush’s footwork effectively and the signature ‘Winner Winner Chicken Dinner step’ turned out to be an instant attraction.

The decade was really good when it came to dance numbers. Though there were no new techniques or forms that we embraced, I think the audience liked dancing to folk melody. So many songs that went viral were a mix of gaana and folk, like Aalaporan Tamizhan, Rowdy Baby or the recent one from Master. - Kala Master