2015 Broadway Cast of The King and I
Shall We Dance?
[ANNA, spoken]
Oh, it's very exciting when you're young, and you're sitting on a small gilt chair, your eyes lowered, terrified you'll be a wallflower. And then you see two black shoes, white waistcoat, a face... It speaks:

(sung)
We've just been introduced
I do not know you well
But when the music started
Something drew me to your side
So many men and girls
Are in each other's arms
It made me think we might be
Similarly occupied

Shall we dance?
On a bright cloud of music shall we fly?
Shall we dance?
Shall we then say "goodnight" and mean "goodbye"?
Or, perchance
When the last little star has left the sky
Shall we still be together
With our arms around each other
And shall you be my new romance?
On the clear understanding
That this kind of thing can happen
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?
[Carried away, Anna dances but soon stops, embarrassed when she notices the King watching her.]

[KING, spoken]
Why do you stop? You dance pretty. Go on! Go on! Go on!

[ANNA, spoken]
No, no, no! Your Majesty, I didn't realize I was—well, after all, I'm not a dancing girl. In England we don't—that is, a girl would not dance while a man was looking at her. 

[KING, spoken]
But she will dance with a strange man, holding hands, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera?

[ANNA, spoken]
Yes. Not always a strange man. Sometimes a very good friend. 

[KING, spoken]
Good. We dance together. You show me. You teach! You teach!

[ANNA, spoken]
Well, it's quite simple, the polka. You count, "one, two, three and, one, two, three and, one, two, three and..."

(sung)
Shall we dance?

[They start dancing on their own.]

[KING, spoken]
One, two, three and. 
[ANNA, spoken]
On a bright cloud of music shall we fly?

[KING, spoken]
One, two, three and. 

[ANNA, spoken]
Shall we dance?

[KING, spoken]
One, two, three and. 

[ANNA, spoken]
Shall we then say "goodnight" and mean "goodbye"?

[KING, spoken]
One, two, three and. 

(sung)
Or, perchance
When the last little star has left the sky

[ANNA]
Shall we still be together
With our arms around each other
And shall you be my new
[ANNA & KING]
Romance?

[ANNA]
On the clear understanding
That this kind of thing can happen

[ANNA & KING]
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?

[They hold hands and start dancing together.]

[ANNA, spoken]
One, two, three and, one, two, three and... 

[KING, spoken]
One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two...

[The king stops dancing.]

Oh, what's wrong? I know! I know! I forget "and."

[ANNA, spoken]
Oh. 

[KING, spoken]
This time I remember. 

[ANNA & KING, spoken]
One, two, three and, one, two, three and, one, two, three and...

[ANNA, spoken]
That's splendid, Your Majesty!

[KING, spoken]
Splendid! Ah, you have thrown me off count!

[The king lets go of Anna's hands and stops dancing.]

No, no, no. But this is not right. 

[ANNA, spoken]
What?

[KING, spoken]
Not the way I see Europeans dancing tonight. 

[ANNA, spoken]
Yes, it was. It was just like that. 

[KING, spoken]
No!

[The king holds Anna's hands again.]

Were not holding two hands like this. 

[ANNA, spoken]
No...

[Anna lets go of the king's hands.]

No, as a matter of fact...

[The king places one of his hands on Anna's hip.]

[KING, spoken]
Was like this. No?

[ANNA, spoken]
Yes. 

[The king pulls Anna close to him.]

[KING, spoken]
Come!

[They dance together.]