Taylor Swift
Before they were famous, many celebrities were adorable youngsters who put on their pink tights, tutus, and tiaras to go to dance class. Some were competitive dancers (and still are), while some only use their dance skills for Instagram videos or at the club. Or many of them have showcased their dance moved on the Ellen show! She is the queen of dancing after all.
Dance has been show to have a positive effect on young children so maybe getting their start in toe shoes helped catapult these talented stars to celebrity status. Stars like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Michelle Obama, Jessica Biel, Mandy Moore, Drew Barrymore, Gisele Swift, Miley Cyrus, Aziz Ansari, Emma Roberts, and more spent some time in the dance studio as young’uns! Just check out this picture of Taylor Swift from a production of Bye Bye Birdie! How could Conrad Birdie even resist that sweetheart?
Michelle Obama
Just look at that relevé! The former First Lady has always been moving so it’s no surprise that her “Let’s Move!” campaign to help kids leave active lifestyles was such a staple of her time in the White House.
And just because she stopped taking dance class doesn’t mean she stopped grooving. Just check out her and Ellen DeGeneres having a dance off for proof!
Miley Cyrus
She came in like a wrecking ball! Well, maybe not quite.
The pop star who basically invented twerking has always had a thing for dancing whether it was as Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel or swinging from the ceiling in her music videos. Her tunes are now popular fixtures of any workout playlist or a great theme for a spin or dance class!
Khloe and Kim Kardashian
Before they were reality TV stars and queens of social media, the Kardashian sisters loved to dance and play dress up. They didn’t need to take a selfie to capture their adorable flapper and ballerina costumes.
Kim went on to show off her dancing skills on Dancing With the Stars, while Khloe prefers to limit her dancing to the club these days!
Ashley Benson
This Pretty Little Liars star definitely has a dance background. Ashley Benson started dancing competitively when she was 2, performing hip-hop, jazz, ballet, tap, and lyrical.
At age 5, she started modeling for dance catalogs, and she even gotten her groove on in some music videos, including Solange Knowles’ “True Love.”
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari has probably gotten a lot of laughs out of his childhood dance experience, but he’s definitely put those skills to good use, whether breaking it down as Tom Haverford on Parks & Recreation or moving to the music with his friends on Master of None.
The comedian definitely knows a thing or two about timing.
Jenna Dewan-Tatum
Jenna Dewan-Tatum has always known how to step up! She started dancing at age 5, and after college, she landed a dance agent and toured with pop stars like Ricky Martin and Janet Jackson.
She met her dancing husband on the set of Step Up, and she admits that she and her family still erupt into spontaneous dance parties at home!
Jessica Biel
She’s bringing sexy back! Mrs. Timberlake got her start dancing in musical theater, appearing in shows like Annie and the Sound of Music.
Now she might keep her dance moves for her husband, and she’s probably picked up a thing or two from his expertise. Either way, she definitely showed Ellen DeGeneres her moves.
Kim Zolciak
This Real Housewives of Atlanta star spent her teenage years dancing, skills she probably used when she starred on Dancing With the Stars.
Now she probably helps her husband, Atlanta Falcons player Kroy Biermann, with his victory dances.
Stacy Kiebler
Before she was a wrestling diva, Stacy Kiebler was a dancing diva. She took ballet, jazz, and tap dancing classes at Jean Kettell Studio of Dance in Dundalk, Maryland, and she was a cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens.
She placed third in the second season of Dancing With the Stars and was known for her table dancing as the company manager of the Nitro Girls in World Championship Wrestling.
Mandy Moore
Isn’t she just as cute as candy? The pop star turned actress would sport her tutu to dance class, and even though there’s a choreographer who shares her name, she definitely looks like she has the dance chops to choreograph.
Let’s hope we’ll see some of her moves on season two of This Is Us!
Cheryl Burke and Julianne Hough
Dancing With the Stars leaders Cheryl Burke and Julianne Hough have been dancing together for a long time! Just check out this photo from a dance competition---they’re holding trophies so they obviously won!
Burke captioned it “#tbt to when @juleshough was still the shortest but I was definitely the most tan. #eyeshadowfordays”
Gisele
This supermodel has always been on the world stage! Gisele prepared for her booming modeling career with dance classes, and definitely showed off some of her moves on the dance floor at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Twitter exploded.
The supermodel definitely has a way of moving on the runway.
Nicole Richie
Just look at this tiny dancer! Nicole Richie has been moving her whole life, and whether she’s breaking it down with her dad Lionel Ritchie or showing Mario Lopez her favorite dance move, she loves to groove.
And her style philosophy is she as to be able to dance in whatever she wears. We couldn’t agree more.
Minka Kelly
Minka Kelly has dancing in her genes from her mom Maureen Kelly, who was an exotic dancer, and even though they had a complicated relationship, Kelly definitely knew how to sport a tutu.
The former Charlie’s Angel definitely knows how to bust a move.
Corbin Bleu
The former High School Musical star has got the moves!
He starred as Usnavi in In the Heights on Broadway, and he performed a show-stopping tap number, playing a role originated by Fred Astaire in the film, last season in Holiday Inn on Broadway, which won the Tony Award for best choreography.
Julianne Hough and Mark Ballas
Julianne Hough and Mark Ballas have been dancing together long before Dancing With the Stars was a thing! The pair won the Junior Latin American Dance Championship and the gold medal at the Junior Olympics.
Ballas is a professional ballroom dancer who has also appeared in musicals, like Jersey Boys, Copacabana, and Maria de Bueno Aires.
Salma Hayek
Look at the toe touch! Before she was a famous actress, Salma Hayek was a nimble gymnast and dancer!
Maybe she used those skills in her memorable snake table dance in the 1996 thrill From Dust till Dawn,” which she starred in along side George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino.
Carrie Ann Inaba
Can you guess which on Carrie Ann Inaba is? The dancer, choreographer, and singer is known for her work on Dancing With the Stars, but before she was a reality show judge, she made a name for herself as one of the original Fly Girls on the sketch In Living Color.
She also choreographed for the Miss American Pageant and American Idol.
Katie Holmes
Long before she was showing off her Beyonce dance moves on the Tonight Show, Katie Holmes was dressing up in leotards and ballet slippers. It’s clear where the ballet-loving Suri Cruise gets it from!
Holmes has even helped launch a dance scholarship fund called the Dizzy Feet Foundation.
Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields was aww-dorable as a ballerina. She grew up taking ballet lessons, and her early introduction into movement was no doubt a help when she became the youngest fashion model to appear on the cover of Vogue at age 14.
It also didn’t hurt that she could move and look amazing in Calvin Klein jeans, sending the brand into the zeitgeist.
Demi Lovato
Those cheeks! Demi Lovato was too cute for words. She definitely knows how to perform a dance song so it’s no surprise she also has a dance background.
There’s even a dance challenge inspired by the singer, and Lovato is all about it! Just watch the video for her single “Instruction.” That girl knows how to move!
Taylor Swift
No one can wear a tutu better that little Taylor Swift! The pop star grew up doing theater and appeared in four Berks Youth Theater Academy productions.
And while sometimes the fan thinks her dancing at concerts is awkward, Swift just embraces herself and grooves to the music with the crowd.
Valentin Chmerkovskiy
What a stud the Dancing With The Stars dancer was. The Ukranian-American dancer has won the series twice, and he is also a two-time World Latin Dance Champion and a 14-time U.S. National Latin Dance champion.
His parents opened a youth-dance studio in New Jersey, and Chmerkovskiy studied with them. His training definitely paid off.
Gigi Hadid
The supermodel knows a thing or two about how to move. Growing up in Malibu, Hadid played volleyball and rode horses, but this photo shoes that she also took some time to go to dance class.
Now she may just walk down the runway to the beat, but she also has time to break it down alongside girlfriends like Taylor Swift and Kendall Jenner.
Emma Roberts
Look at that attitude on Emma Roberts. The Scream Queens star shared the throwback on Instagram with the #Mondays, but we’re sure a little dance can cure those beginning of the week blues.
Now we’re just waiting for her to post more videos to Instagram of her dancing to Carly Rae Jepson songs!
Drew Barrymore
Kourtney and Kim Kardashian
Drew Barrymore’s face hasn’t changed! The child star, whose first gig was as an 11-year-old on a dog food commercial, certainly knows how to perfect a turn out.
From dancing on David Letterman’s deak in 1995 to the prom scene in Never Been Kissed, Barrymore hasn’t stopped dancing.