As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Fridge Brilliance
- In the next-gen games, starting with 2023 Edition, we have several songs linked together by their intros and outros to form a "story" of sorts, complete with a proper Big Bad in Night Swan, who is clearly based off Odile from Swan Lake and described as a failed ballerina. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense that the first de-facto main villain for a dance game is based off a villain from one of the most iconic and recognizable pieces of dance in history.
- For that matter, in 2023 Edition, Shirley Henault portrays both The Heroine Sara and Big Bad Night Swan. Some productions of the Swan Lake ballet also make use of Acting for Two by having the same ballerina portray both Odette and Odile.
- Series Mascot Panda's first appearance was in "C'mon", from 2014 (released in 2013), where he dances alongside a petite human coach with long pink hair. Nine years later, the map for "Rather Be", a hit song from 2013, features a humanoid panda as the mentor to Mihaly, a petite humanoid coach with long pink hair.
- A few fans complained about the use of you should see me in a crown as part of Dance with the Swan, namely when Night Swan slowly possessed Sara. However, the use actually makes sense on many factors: Night Swan is using this song to appeal to Sara, alluring her to join.
- Billie Eilish has become one of the most popular artists of modern music. Of course, Night Swan would use this song to appeal to the younger Sara.
- The song itself reflects Night Swan in many ways. Its dark, industrial sound isn't too different from the genre of Witch as both songs appeal to Night Swan's implied style of neo-classic music. It even works as a Villain Song due to the boast of plotting for world dominance.
- The song's animated music video has an animated version of Eilish turning into a spider, wreaking havoc on a city that includes cute, rainbow flowers. This symbolism follows through the dark, perfection-obsessed Night Swan dominating over the innocence of Fun Personified Sara.
- Veteran players of the game will remember the short-lived Battle Mode maps introduced in 4, one of which pitted the coaches of Justin Bieber's "Beauty and a Beat" and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" against each other, albeit having them interact in a manner more akin to teenage flirtation as opposed to a proper battle. Keeping in mind it was Justin's endorsement that propelled "Call Me Maybe" into the Breakthrough Hit it turned out to be for Carly adds a whole new layer of cuteness to it.
Fridge Horror
- The Dance with the Swan playlist in 2024 Edition ends with all of the Just Dancers except for Jack being corrupted by Night Swan. That on its own is scary enough, but then you remember Wanderlust's parents...
