Of all the criteria for selecting a great musical to produce, the inclusion of dance must be one of the most exciting and appealing. The high energy of a dance show is not a just a drawcard for young, talented performers, it also attracts enthusiastic audiences who love to be thrilled by those big, full company dance numbers.

Dance plays a key part in the megahit musical Wicked, with a key development in Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship centering on dance. Elphaba has been an outsider at Shiz University, and in “Dancing Through Life” her quirky moves threaten to finally finish off her social standing. Feeling guilty, Glinda joins Elphaba on the dance floor and soon all the students are gyrating along in the same style. Wicked offers a choreographer the chance to explore a unique dance vocabulary for the residents of Oz.

One of the most integrated new dance shows available is Bring It On, and it has a connection to the world’s current hottest musical. It may be general knowledge that Bring It On is set in the action packed world of competitive high school cheerleading, but not everyone may know that the musical was tweaked before its Broadway premiere with additional songs by Lin Manuel Miranda, composer of smash hit sensation Hamilton.

For effervescent fun and plenty of tap dancing, Thoroughly Modern Millie is a perfect choice. Tap dancing is so essential to the characters that they use it to make the lift work in their building. Tap dancing is used to represent typewriting in “The Speed Test,” and act two opens with a splashy tap number for the girls, as the frustrated office workers perform “Forget About The Boy.”

Based on the hit movie, and featuring the unforgettable title song, Fame is another musical where dance is crucial to the setting. The students of New York’s High School of Performing Arts pour out their hopes and dreams in big dance numbers such as “Hard Work” and “There She Goes.”

Companies looking for fresh, unseen material will be interested to hear about Talent Springs Eternal - Fame Forever. This 2007 musical, created by the movie and musical’s original producer, has played in cities across America and in London. Set twenty years after Fame, this sequel returns to the High School of Performing Arts to explore what happened to the original characters and to celebrate a whole new generation of performers.

Given the company’s proven knack for producing crowd-pleasing entertainment, Disney musicals are an ideal choice for dance musicals. Based on the popular telemovie, Disney’s High School Musical puts the spotlight on male dancers, with catchy basketball number “Getcha Head in the Game.” The teen characters celebrate diversity in “Stick to the Status Quo,” and the stage is again filled with dancers for the finale, “We’re All in This Together.”

Lavish musical Disney’s Beauty and the Beast brings the style of Busby Berkeley choreography to the stage in the beloved showstopper “Be Our Guest.” As well as playing dancing and singing cutlery and crockery, dancers have to portray wolves, merry townsfolk and an angry mob. For a change of pace in act two, Belle and the Beast dance a beautiful ballroom number to the title song.

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins is just as big on dance as is it is on magic and charm. The company takes to the park for a jaunty “Jolly Holiday,” and the discarded toys of Jane and Michael come eerily to life in “Playing the Game.” The use of sign language adds spectacle to the reimagined staging of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” and the most spectacular number of all sees chimney sweep tap dance across the rooftops of London in “Step in Time.”

Harking back to golden days of MGM movie musicals, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is a vigorous, lively dance show that has a particular focus on male dancers. Living in the woods, the brothers’ activities such as daily chores and the building of a barn are turned into high-energy dance numbers. Based on the classic 1954 film, the version available for licensing was revised in 2007, with new dance arrangements added.

Another screen to stage adaptation is based on what is considered the greatest movie musical ever made. With its Hollywood setting, Singin’ in the Rain features dance numbers throughout, climaxing in the extended act two sequence “Broadway Melody.” Given the movie actors’ talent for tap dancing, several key numbers include tap, including “Moses Supposes” and “Good Mornin’.” The title song is an all time audience favourite, with a lovely lilting melody that is made for dance.

Not yet seen professionally in Australia, Shrek the Musical was a popular production in Broadway and London. A little like Wicked, Shrek the Musical gives the choreographer the chance to create a unique dance style for the fairy tale creatures and mythical inhabitants of Duloc. Groovy act two opener “Morning Person” allows for Fosse-style dance, and the fairy tale creatures celebrate what makes them special in “Freak Flag,”