I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Selena is a sultry maiden who appears in Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility and Harvest Moon: Animal Parade. She’s one of many eligible bachelorettes that players can choose to marry in the games, and she’s arguably the most interesting girl of the bunch. The prospect of a farmer marrying an exotic belly dancer is somehow more interesting than a farmer marrying another farmer would be. Most of the other bachelorettes are polite and traditional, but Selena has big dreams of becoming a dancing star. She hails from a remote tropical village, but she’s ambitious enough to travel far and wide for the sake of furthering her career. She initially comes across as selfish, but this is only because she’s so driven. Selena clearly enjoys the spotlight, but she will come down to earth if you take the time to befriend her.

Pullum Purna is an energetic young girl and the daughter of a wealthy Saudi Arabian man. When her grandfather is found in a hypnotic state, Pullum seeks vengeance against an international crime syndicate for their apparent role in the incident. Pullum begins travelling the globe to search for clues and hires a bodyguard for assistant. The bodyguard is just a formality, since Pullum is clearly able to handle herself. Her distinct fighting style showcases spectacular somersaults and graceful pirouettes, and she’s also the only character in Street Fighter EX who has the ability to perform a double jump. Many of her movements seem to have been inspired by ballet, but her midriff-revealing outfit and excessive jewelry are more akin to what you’d expect from a belly dancer. She even manages to work a tambourine into her fighting routine.

The premise of Suikoden involves people from different walks of life coming together to work toward a common goal. The idea is that everyone can contribute in their own way, and the entire group benefits as a result. Soldiers protect their interests on the battlefield, cooks keep people fed, and dancers like Karen help boost morale. Karen comes across as a mild-mannered and withdrawn teenage girl when you first meet her, so it’s surprising to learn that she’s a dancer. Her personality changes completely when she starts dancing, however, and the shy girl disappears. The change is radical enough that some people openly wonder if she has an identical twin that no one else knows about. Karen learned her craft from a famous dancer named Mina who appeared in the first Suikoden, but Karen is much more desirable than her teacher ever was.

When Aisha’s record sales began to plummet, she was stripped of her humility and forced to find a new career. Shortly thereafter, she landed a gig as a professional wrestler under the guise of Sister A. She wasn’t especially interested in wrestling, but it provided a way for her to fulfill her lifelong desire to dance on stage. Sista A acts and dresses like a trashy stripper and even pole dances during her ring entrance. Her sexually-charged performances could be described as shameless, but the attention she gets from her fans helps feed her inflated ego. Sista A is initially known as “The Harlem Nightmare,” but she adopts the persona of “The Arabian Nightmare” after she wins enough matches. The Arabian Nightmare dresses like a stereotypical Harem girl and ditches the raunchy pole dancing routine in favor of a more exotic entrance.

Although Jean initially gets attention for her dancing skills, she turns out to be an impossibly badass street fighter and a martial arts master. Jean was raised by a mysterious masked man to be an assassin for his cult, but she escaped at a young age and was able to survive on the mean streets by dancing. She later combined her knowledge of martial arts and dancing to create a unique fighting style. Her enchanted dances can summon poisonous butterflies, create living illustrations, or call forth swarms of bees (beads?) to attack her opponents. She can also charm her enemies with kisses, but that probably goes without saying. Jean eventually enters a martial arts tournament and defeats all of her opponents with the help of her friends before facing her old master one-on-one and forcing him to change his evil ways.

There are enough dancers in Fire Emblem to fill this entire list, so it was difficult to choose just one. Sylivia and Leen are probably the most helpful dancers in the series and Tethys seems like a really rad chick in her own right, but Olivia’s withdrawn personality makes her stand out as a character. She’s the only dancer in Fire Emblem: Awakening and the only character in the game to have an exclusive skill. When she uses her “Special Dance” routine for an ally, she will increase their strength, magic, defense, and resistance. Olivia travels the continent with a theatre troupe, but she struggles with stage fright despite her growing fame. She’s shy to the point of feeling inadequate even though she has legions of fans. At one point, Olivia reveals that she put together edgier dance routines but was too embarrassed to show anyone.

Rouge is an exotic fortuneteller who travels the world in search for the famed power stones. She’s known for her graceful and refined presence, and her mesmerizing fighting techniques look more like dancing than fighting. Her appearance and “Gypsy Dancing” fighting style both seem to draw influence from Pullum Purna, but Rouge kicks things up a notch after she collects enough magical power stones to change her form. When in “Power Change” mode, Rouge is known as the Scorching Beauty and wields flames as effortlessly as she moves her body. Her fire-based attacks have long range and inflict severe damage, so they are a perfect way for her to put the heat on her opponents. Rouge also can also summon giants, fly around on magic carpets, and dizzy up her opponents by showering them with tokens of her love.

Octopath Traveler features eight protagonists that each have their own ways of interacting with the world. Standard RPG classes are represented – including the warrior and the merchant – and Primrose Azelhart is your archetypal dancer. Primrose was born into a noble house, but she lost everything after her father was murdered. She then found employ dancing in a tavern and endured years of abuse before embarking on a quest for vengeance. Her vocational training gave her an uncanny ability to manipulate others, and she frequently uses her sex appeal to advance her goals. She also knows how to handle herself in battle, and she’s somehow able to make her allies stronger by dancing for them. Whether she’s strutting around like a peacock or charming the pants of the townsfolk, it’s hard to deny her charisma.

In a town populated almost entirely by tourists, Maya makes a living by dancing for adoring audiences while her sister Meena finds employ as a fortune teller. The sisters use their business as a cover while they investigate their father’s death, but Maya remains upbeat and outgoing throughout the entire grieving process. Dancing is a perfect way for Maya to express her energy and freedom, and these qualities define every aspect of her character. Her younger sister is reserved and conservative, but Maya is a thrill seeker who dances without any inhibitions. She clearly understands her craft and wisely wears as little clothing as possible in order to show off her dancing. Maya could be described as immature and impulsive, but at least she doesn’t squander her youth like her prude sister.

Shantae struggles with insecurity over the fact that she’s only a half genie, but she has nothing to be ashamed about as far as I’m concerned. After all, she has protected her village from pirates on numerous occasions and has been the focus of several games. More to the point, she is able to perform a wide variety of magical belly dances. These dances are not only enticing, but they also serve a practical purpose and allow her to transform into a variety of different animals. The monkey form allows her to climb walls, the elephant can smash through boulders, the harpy has the power of flight, and the mermaid can swim under water. Many of the ladies on this list dance for fun, but Shantae dances out of necessity. The abilities she gains when she transforms are required in order to progress through her games.