A lot of things can be said about Todd Phillips’ Joker, both good and bad, but something many viewers will agree on is that the staircase dance scene is the film’s defining moment, and marks a turning point in the protagonist’s journey. Joker took some inspiration from Alan Moore’s graphic novel The Killing Joke, as well as the moves of Martin Scorsese, but it’s mostly an original story that provides a different origin for the Clown Prince of Crime. The film follows Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a failed stand-up comedian who turns to a life of crime after being constantly neglected by society.
Although it’s a story about Batman’s most famous enemy, the film addressed other topics besides violence, such as mental health and the influence the media has on society. Joker was met with a lot of controversy prior to its release, mostly concerning the levels of violence depicted in the film, prompting many theater chains to take special measures to ensure all attendees were safe. Of course, the controversy continued once the film was released, with critics divided on the quality of the story and some viewers expressing their concern on how Phillips’ and company glorified a murderer like the Joker.
One of the scenes that has been constantly analyzed and criticized (both positively and negatively) is the staircase dance scene, in which Arthur Fleck, in full Joker makeup and attire, dances to his own tune on a set of stairs that was shown a couple of times prior to that moment. The scene was even part of the promotional posters for the film and with good reason: it’s the moment that defines the film and its titular character.
The Staircase Dance Is The Moment Arthur Fleck Becomes Joker
Joker followed Arthur Fleck’s descent into a life of crime, triggered by untreated mental health issues, family secrets, and society’s constant neglect in many aspects of his life. Arthur was attacked by a gang during work early in the film, tricked by a co-worker and fired from his job, left without medication after the social service program was shut down due to funding cuts, lied to by his mother, and on top of all that, his plans of becoming a stand-up comedian weren’t going as he wanted. Arthur’s definitive shift was triggered by discovering the truth about his mother, his encounter with Thomas Wayne, and how he was mocked by his favorite talk show host, Murray Franklin, and later invited to that same show.
But Arthur doesn’t fully become the Joker until he reaches the staircase and begins to dance. Arthur was previously shown dancing at home and at a restroom (after shooting the Wayne Enterprises businessmen that attacked him on the subway), but none of those moments showed Arthur as free as in the staircase scene. The dance represented Arthur’s change from failed stand-up comedian with a disorder that caused him to laugh at inappropriate moments, to the Joker, a man with unfinished business with society and with a very clear objective against it – and interestingly enough, without the aforementioned disorder. The scene also comes after Arthur kills his mother and the former co-worker that contributed to his firing from the clown agency, and right before he blends in with the crowd of rioters wearing clown masks. For the first time in the film, Arthur is fully in charge of his life, and he celebrates with a dance.
Joker’s Staircase Dance Has Dominated Discussion
The scene is considered by many as one of the Joker’s best moments for many reasons besides its meaning within the narrative: the photography, the editing, and Phoenix’s performance all add up to make it one of the film’s most unforgettable moments. But as it happens with many other films, the best moments are usually the ones that are constantly mocked and turned into various memes, and the same happened to the staircase dance scene. Fans have compared it to other dance scenes in film and TV, especially the one from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, and some others have recreated it themselves, with a lot of mocking on Twitter and other social media platforms. No one said all talk about the scene was serious business.
Some fans have taken it as far as to going to the actual staircase to either have a photoshoot or recreate the scene right where it happened. It wouldn’t be a problem if the number of tourists wasn’t such that Bronx residents have complained about Joker fans' presence, saying they have trouble using the stairs because they're so crammed with tourists. Some residents even shared they hoped all those visitors would contribute to local businesses while there, or that all the attention brought to the area would prompt efforts to clean them up, but it hasn’t been that way.
The Dance Scene Is One Of Joker’s Most Controversial Moments
As mentioned above, Joker was met with controversy mostly for its violence, to the point where some people were concerned it would trigger more mass shootings. Another concern was that it would glorify the actions of the Joker, justifying them by making him a victim, and turning him into a character to root for – and the staircase dance scene is the one moment used to represent that. The dance is seen by many as a celebration of Arthur’s new persona, one that isn’t a role model at all, as his main goal was to get revenge on those in a position of power for neglecting those below them, and of the riots and crime wave that his actions triggered.
The scene is also at the core of a different type of controversy. The team behind Joker decided to use Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2” in that particular scene, which was a problem of its own given that Glitter is a convicted pedophile. Many viewers pointed out that, by using the song, Glitter would get royalties as many other artists do. However, it was later reported that Glitter won’t get any money from the film. That’s one less controversy to worry about, but given the impact that Joker and the staircase dance scene have had, this will definitely won’t be the last time the world hears about them.
