Tear Jerker / Just Dance

"You'd never leave me, would you?"

Despite being mostly a fun, party game, Just Dance may tug at the heartstrings of many fans and dancers. Whether it's through the routine's song, routine or even performance, Just Dance proves to be more than "just dance".

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

---

• The end of Careless Whisper's On-Stage Mode. The backup dancers exit as the lead looks at them as if saying "Please, Don't Leave Me." When they do, the lead looks down at the ground, depressed.
• "Isidora" has some Lyrical Dissonance that is revealed when you translate the lyrics, which appear to be about a sudden romantic rejection.
• "Miss Understood". It's about the singer's hard life growing up—she's been bullied and her attempts at getting help didn't work. Yet she doesn't give up on life. Instead, she keeps surviving.
• "She Wolf (Falling to Pieces)", in which the lyrics are about heartbreak, ends with the dancer being frozen in a block of ice. It's strikingly sad to look at.
• As the tag/search function progresses from 2023 Edition onwards, many songs are labelled with the 'Sad' tag. No guesses to what their songs or stories will be about...
• Numb hit the players' heartstrings for numerous reasons; a fairly depressing-looking Alzena as the coach, a choreography that feature moves that looks like she is constantly down (the very first move of the song is Alzena clutching her head) and a background that switches between black and white to colorful, many of which are thought by fans as symbols of depression. This brought many fans to tears, especially during the chorus and the bridge.
• Only three main songs on 2023 Edition are tagged as 'Romantic'. However, they're not the usual romantic stories you expect.
  • drivers license has Dolores, who looks exhausted and sorrowful from her breakup, made even worse when it's confirmed that her heartbreak occurred during her final year of high school and her best friend is also friends with her ex. She is also shown smiling despite being in a difficult time of her life, whether out of sarcasm or bittersweetness of the situation.
  • I Knew You Were Trouble has Talia Sway, whose breakup is all shown throughout the background as if they are memories, turning what was once sweet into something extremely bitter, as shown in the bridge where she is flatout left alone by her boyfriend. The routine even starts by showing Talia in a Troubled Fetal Position, illustrating her despair from the event.
  • Sweet but Psycho has The Bride, one of the most iconic coaches in the Just Dance franchise and being canonically attached to Rasputin, thrashing her background, all of which are holding great significance to their relationship, as evidence that it all goes downhill in their relationship. Tearing apart the photos and smashing the venue make her look bitter and resentful, but she also appears to be broken and resigned. Especially when the view closes up to her to the bridge, making the dark streaks on her eyes and cheeks visible as if she is crying. The ending doesn’t even make things better, as Rasputin arrives, understandably horrified by the aftermath. It paints a poignant and grim ending to the routine, putting him and the Bride at odds.
• While Enter the Danceverses is fairly upbeat and wholesome, there are a few sad moments when introduced to the main characters.
  • The start of Can't Stop the Feeling has Sara watching her friends dance with Wanderlust on the screen, smiling yet reserved. She's depicted as a Shrinking Violet, possibly scared to dance in front of others. It's a minor moment, but many could relate to getting in the zone of 'dancing like no one was watching'.
  • Mihaly in Rather Be is introduced as an introvert walking through the lone crowded street before they put on their earbuds. As pointed out in this video analyzed by fellow Just Dance community members, it depicts someone preferring to listen to their own music and be in the zone, isolated from everyone else.
    • The story of them meeting Master Panda could be consider bittersweet. The song is about a long distance relationship; an interpretation of how much Mihaly likes and misses their fellow teacher. Master Panda leaving a pawprint on Mihaly's shirt before dissolving hits close to home; he would always be with them, but they would still miss him.
  • Jack Rose himself has it the roughest out of all the Just Dancers. Despite growing up to be a famous idol, he has to live under the shadow of his perfection-obsessed mother, Night Swan. He first appears by her side in Witch, watching her ritual with no emotion before disappearing. When he's properly introduced in Locked Out of Heaven, we get glimpses of her in the background that implies he still feels her presence even when she's away.
    • The beginning and ending cutscene of Locked Out of Heaven are heartbreaking. Much like when he was younger, Night Swan observes him disappointingly before waving her hand dismissively. Poor Jack could only look down on the lack of warmth and love he could ever receive from his mother.
    • Think about it. Jack Rose has grown up to be a popular idol who finds happiness from his adored fans. And as seen in Treasure, he seems to have fantasies of living his dreams of singing onstage. But performing for the audience is probably a coping mechanism that wouldn't fulfill his need for affection.
    • The start of Majesty is also tense to watch. The Just Dancers arrive and introduce themselves with smiles. However, the subdued and paranoid Jack Rose watches on and constantly moves away from Wanderlust in distrust when he's trying to be friendly. And then, Jack Rose got a full display of his mother corrupting Wanderlust and his loving audience, leaving him shocked.
    • It's hard to see, but him and Night Swan can be seen in the background to be in a heated argument. It eventually ends with Night Swan siccing the transformed Wanderlust onto Jack Rose before storming off. Fortunately, Jack Rose frees Wanderlust from the spell.
    • Unlocking the 'Kid of the Swan' avatar doesn't even mitigate things. The younger Jack Rose's quote puts into perspective of how difficult his childhood was under Night Swan.
    '"No one's perfect, but mom says we're not trying hard enough."
• Dance with the Swan is a significantly darker story than Enter The Danceverses and it shows. Throughout the story routines, you get to see the Just Dancers becoming more concerned and confused, understandably terrified by what Night Swan is doing.
  • you should see me in a crown is pure Nightmare Fuel through Night Swan snatching Sara and attempting to brainwash her. Sara's smiles keeps faltering as she battles the corruption. The bridge part has her clutching her head as visions of Night Swan flashed around her, implying that she's going through a painful Mind Rape. The ending reveals that Wanderlust is watching the whole event unfold and if the dark portal and Night Swan smirking indicate anything, Night Swan did this on purpose as a form of psychological torture for him as well.
    • Furthermore, Night Swan's posts in the official social media accounts for the game seem to imply she's specifically targeting the Just Dancers' weaknesses (Brezziana's boundless compassion, Mihaly's former idolization of her and their constant dedication to improving their skills, Jack's reluctance to share the spotlight). If "Canned Heat" and "You Should See Me in a Crown" are anything to go by, Wanderlust's weakness is Sara herself.
  • It's only for a brief moment, but the intro for Never Be Like You starts with a disgusted Mihaly tearing a Night Swan poster in half. It's confirmed that they used to idolize Night Swan with a possibility that they were inspired by her to master the Flow. It's a poignant moment for an in-universe fan who looked up to Night Swan before.
    • If one interprets the song's lyrics into the story, it could be seen as Mihaly's regret of looking up to Night Swan and ending up making Master Panda upset. In Rather Be, they seem to have a warm bond with Master Panda and Mihaly would nearly ended up with a bad teacher. Fortunately, things seem to look brighter for Mihaly once they unlock the ability to have a panda form, a reminder that Master Panda is still with them.
  • Night Swan successfully corrupting Sara, Wanderlust, Mihaly and Brezziana. You didn't hear wrong. Despite their best efforts in Swan Lake, Wanderlust, Brezziana and Mihaly all succumb to the corrupted Sara. When all three entered the ship, they realized it was a trap, but continued fighting. Mihaly actually looked like they might succeed but the dark magic eventually overwhelm them. In desperation, Mihaly used their powers to send a distress signal to Jack. Unfortunately, by the time it reached him, he could only see his friends fully corrupted.
  • The ending doesn't make things better: Night Swan and the newly evil Just Dancers sail away on their ship with Jack Rose arriving at the docks too late. The last shot shows him staring at the ship far away; alone without his friends or his mother. Time will only tell where he'll go from there...

---