Rosie Perez Dance Scene Analysis

A saxophone solo provides the background music as the title screen spells out the words “Do the Right Thing” in tribal colors and font. Suddenly, a burst of tempo transforms the music into “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy as Rosie Perez is shown dancing in a street. The colors used in the scene provide the sense that she is on fire. This fire is a symbol for her power and her pride, which she must use, as quoted by the lyrics of the music playing, to “fight the power that be”. Her dancing is a demonstration of this strength, as she throws her arms, jumps, and fights against an invisible enemy. Overall, this scene is a depiction of Perez’s character’s fight for justice and representation.
Rosie Perez’s dance scene begins with a montage of the actress in several poses along the street, as music dictates the speed at which she moves around the set. These poses are strong and animalistic. For a split second she stands upright flexing her biceps; the next she is crouched on the ground as if ready to pounce. Together, these frames form an idea of the strength and power within Perez. She then begins to dance, dressed in all red. Her clothing sticks close to her body so that you can see the strength that lies in the motion of her arms, legs, and body as a whole. The stoop behind her is illuminated with orange light to further add to the fiery hue of the scene. She throws out her arms and kicks her legs as Public Enemy sings “Our freedom of speech is freedom or death / We got to fight the powers that be”. Her dancing is an expression of her strength that enables her to fight the power of oppression.
The introductory scene of “Do the Right Thing” is roughly four minutes of Rosie Perez dancing. However, it’s so much more than that in that it’s also her expression of her power and her struggle. Spike Lee uses dancing in this opening scene primarily as an allusion to a primary theme of the film to follow. Perez’s dancing is an illustration of the strength each character must have within in order to overcome his or her personal issues and tragedies.