The Chairman Dances

{{For|Peter Martins' ballet|The Chairman Dances (ballet)}}

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The Chairman Dances is a 1985 composition by John Adams,{{Cite web|url = http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/42479|title = Adams, John|date = |accessdate = September 17, 2015|website = Grove Music Online|publisher = Oxford University Press|last = Cahill|first = Sarah}} subtitled Foxtrot for Orchestra and lasting about 13 minutes. A commission from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, it has several dance-like tunes and has been described by Adams as an "outtake" from Act III of the opera he was working on at the time, Nixon in China.{{cite web|last1=Adams|first1=John|title="The Chairman Dances"|url=http://www.earbox.com/the-chairman-dances/|website=Earbox|date=23 September 2003 |accessdate=5 April 2016}} The word "Dances" in the title is a verb, not a noun. In the opera, the music depicts Madame Mao gate-crashing a presidential banquet, hanging paper lanterns, and performing a seductive dance; Chairman Mao descends from his portrait, and the two dance a foxtrot, back in time together. The piece ends with the sound of a gramophone winding down.

The Chairman Dances was used in the Civilization IV{{Citation|last=Grahckheuhl|title=Civilization 4 Soundtrack: The Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for Orchestra|date=2010-09-26|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pRLyyFdDjg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7pRLyyFdDjg |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|accessdate=2016-07-26}}{{cbignore}} and I Am Love{{Citation|last=IMDB|title=I Am Love trailer|date=2010-10-18|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226236/videoplayer/vi1774061337?ref_=tt_ov_vi|accessdate=2016-10-18}} soundtracks.