Dance videos are a popular genre on YouTube. From dance challenges (like the neverending Git Up Challenge) to swing dance competitions and children’s performances, it appears the world is still willing to watch this art in all of its forms.

But while a lot has changed in the dance world since the mid-20th century, people’s love of the legendary dance pair Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers remains strong.

Their epic performance in the 1949 film “The Barkleys of Broadway” is extra special since it was not only their final on-screen pairing (and their only one in technicolor) but it took place after the pair had spent 10 years apart without performing together.

The fact that the magic is still there makes it even more impressive.

In fact, Ginger Rogers wasn’t even slated to appear in the film about a couple whose relationship is threatened when the wife decides to leave their musical comedy duo to pursue dramatic acting.

Rogers’ part was originally supposed to go to Judy Garland, but her reliance on prescription pain medication had begun to affect her career and Rogers was called in to replace her.

It was fitting since the duo had spent a decade apart after Rogers herself decided to go into acting and became such a big box office draw that her career took another path until their reunion. She even won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in “Kitty Foyle” (1940).

A short voiceover from Astaire in this version of the video calls the tap routine from “The Barkleys of Broadway” one of the best performances she ever gave – and it’s not hard to see why. The two are dynamic and their ability to synchronize has never been beaten.

The choreography itself is ultra-creative and seems quite modern despite the fact that it’s over 70 years old!

It’s a shame there aren’t more tap performances going viral these days, because this is one seriously entertaining art form – one that you can’t simply pick up but that requires years of training to make it look good.

And the joy the two give off while they’re dancing is surely part of their charm.

The song they dance to is an instrumental by American composer Harry Warren titled “Bouncin’ the Blues,” and it’s heavy on the drums and cymbals which the pair take advantage of to perform perfectly syncopated stop-and-go movements.

While some critics have criticized Rogers’ performance, noting that it had been 15 years since the height of the most athletic part of her dance career, for most of us, the performance looks flawless.

Most viewers were able to appreciate what the two veterans were able to accomplish:

“You have to realize how amazing this is when the two had not been making pictures together for 10 years before this point, and neither were at their peak anymore. But even knowing those factors, once they start dancing it’s like the two never parted,” said one fan.

The pair make it look so easy, thanks to both their chemistry and talent. And many agree that their dancing was the pinnacle of the genre.

“Simply wonderful. Such joy. The two of them seemed to enjoy themselves. Everything Mr Astaire did seemed effortless. Who will ever come near to his perfectionism? Nobody.”

Be sure to scroll down below to see their fun and footloose dance number.

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Source: ourmarvellousworld via YouTube, “The Barkleys of Broadway” via Wikipedia, Bright Lights Film Journal