Lifestyle Beauty & Style Red Carpet Style Ahead of What Will Surely Be an Epic Oscars Moment, See Some of Ryan Gosling's Best Dance Moves Ahead of the 'Barbie' actor's 'I'm Just Ken' performance at the 2024 Oscars, take a look back at some of his best moves over the years By Alexandra Schonfeld Alexandra Schonfeld Alexandra Schonfeld is a features writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since April 2022. Her work previously appeared in Newsweek. People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 10, 2024 11:00AM EDT Ryan Gosling dancing as a child and in 'Barbie'. Photo: The Graham Norton Show/Youtube;Warner Bros. Ryan Gosling has been dancing the night away for years. The actor, who will take the stage to perform the Oscar-nominated song "I'm Just Ken" at Sunday's Academy Awards, has been performing since he was a kid, being a Mouseketeer alongside the likes of Britney Spears as well as dancing as a member of a dance studio. From his epic routine sporting silver Hammer pants to being far more than Kenough in 2023's Barbie, here are a few of the actor's best dancing moments over the years. 01 of 05 'Dance the Night' in 'Barbie' In just one of the many moments that made his performance as Ken in Barbie so memorable — and Oscar-nominated! — Gosling scoots his way onto the dance floor to join the choreography alongside the woman of the hour and an assortment of other Kens. 02 of 05 'A Lovely Night' in 'La La Land' Before breaking the Internet with his Kenergy, Gosling sang and danced in another Oscar-nominated role for 2016's La La Land alongside Emma Stone. In this iconic scene, the two sing and dance in matching shoes to the backdrop of a beautiful Los Angeles sky. 03 of 05 The Planetarium Scene in 'La La Land' Elsewhere in the film, Gosling and Stone's characters find themselves dancing around the planetarium — and then among the stars themselves. Dancing with the Stars' Jenna Johnson, who worked with Gosling for two weeks to go over some dance basics for the film, praised his skills. “He’d had training when he was really young, but I was so shocked at how incredible he was at picking up things and what kind of partner he was,” she told PEOPLE in 2017. “He was like a sponge,” she continued. “He wanted to learn so much so he’d look authentic and real doing it. He’s very smart. He wanted to know why he was transferring his weight onto that foot or why he needed to hold a count or where he needed to place his hands to be a better partner for the lady. He was very logical with how he approached dancing and I think that’s what made him so great. He understood the concept and the beauty of the movement and then was able to produce that with his body.” 04 of 05 A Little Ryan Dancing with Elite Dance Studio Gosling's dancing roots date back to before the actor had skyrocketed into stardom. Along with his time on the Mickey Mouse Club, he also brought his talents to Elite Dance Studio, as he shared with Graham Norton during a 2017 appearance. He told the host that because he was the only boy in the group, he got to dance there for free "because if you had a guy, you would win." During the talk show segment, Gosling watched along as the old video played of him dancing to Cathy Dennis' "Touch Me (All Night Long)" in a shiny outfit complete with silver Hammer pants. 05 of 05 Ryan Gosling on 'SNL' Many years later, when Gosling had graduated from Hammer pants to movie star status, he went back to his roots when he danced to the same song featured in the old clip in a skit on Saturday Night Live. The clip sees Gosling shimmy along to a jukebox playing "Touch Me (All Night Long)" as if no time had passed. Close