Mueller examines the beauty and timelessness of Astaire's dancing and his distinctive, inimitable choreographic style. Combining stills and frame enlargements from Astaire's musical films between 1933 and 1968, the author describes what is being danced and how. He explains to what ends--musical, emotional, and narrative--each dance was choreographed, and how well it succeeds in achieving those ends, and how each dance relates to its music. He also...

A performer and gambler travels to New York City to raise the $25,000 he needs to marry his fiancée, only to become entangled with a beautiful aspiring dancer.