From the birth of cinema to the new millennium, dance has been involved in a complex and shifting relationship with moving image technologies. Early filmmakers used a fixed camera and a single, short take to capture popular cabaret performers executing pre-choreographed routines. In the digital age, a new short film platform has instigated another revolution in mediated dance spectatorship: YouTube. In this paper, the relationship between the dancing body and technology at each of these historical moments will be compared using methodologies derived from work in visual culture, film studies and screendance.