Tag: Choreography

Did Beyonce Rip-Off Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Choreography?

Beyonce sure gets accused of plagiarism a lot. The latest exercise of finger-pointing involves Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, who accused Beyonce of ripping off her ‘Rosas danst Rosas’ and ‘Achterland’ choreography for Beyonce’s ‘Countdown’ video. I’ve watched the comparisons, and it’s alarmingly similar. When addressing the controversy, the famed choreographer said:

I’m not mad, but this is plagiarism. This is stealing. What’s rude about it is that they don’t even bother about hiding it. They seem to think they could do it because it’s a famous work. When I saw the actual video, I was struck by the resemblance of Beyonce’s clip not only with the movements from Rosas danst Rosas but also with the costumes, the set and even the shots from the film by Thierry De Mey. There are protocols and consequences to such actions, and I can’t imagine she and her team are not aware of it.

I’d give Beyonce the benefit of the doubt, but this is a consistent accusation. Her performance at the 2010 Billboard Music Awards, for example, was a blatant rip-off of a Lorella Cuccarini performance. She avoided responsibility by saying she discovered Cuccarini from YouTube and she was “inspired.” And lets not forget that her very famous ‘Single Ladies’ choreography was “inspired” by Bob Fosse’s ‘Mexican Breakfast‘ routine. There’s a fine line between inspiration and plagiarism. Watch the clip below to see the similarity.

Rihanna & Britney Spears Perform at Billboard Music Awards — Leotards Galore!

Tonight was a big night for Britney Spears. Though she’s appeared on different shows, she has yet to perform at an awards show since the MTV Video Music Awards debacle. When I first heard she’d be performing at the Billboard Music Awards, I thought it was a tabloid rumor. Then I heard the details, and it immediately became clear. Rihanna carried it, and Britney did a brief, one minute performance. Overall, it was fine. Since I’ve attacked Britney Spears for her lack of choreography, I’d like to note that Rihanna’s performance indicates that choreography isn’t essential to success.
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Movie Review: Thor

I’ve been delaying this movie review for as long as possible, because it’s been hard to process my feelings about the film. When I left the theater, I was convinced I didn’t like the movie. In retrospect, I think my complaints are a bit more specific than an overall dislike.

The movie opens with Odin waging war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim to prevent them from conquering the nine realms, including Earth. The Asgardians seize their source of power and the Frost Giants attempt to retrieve it just before Thor (Odin’s son) is about to ascend to the throne. When Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront their leader, an all-out war erupts, and Odin is forced to intervene. Because Thor is unapologetic and arrogant about his actions, Odin exiles him to earth, in hopes that he’ll learn his lesson.

Before I continue, I’d like to confess that I ripped that entire plot off from Wikipedia, because I had absolutely no idea what was going on for the first twenty minutes of the film. That’s either because I have a pea-sized brain, or because I was not familiar with the story before entering the film, and it wasn’t properly executed for comic-book novices such as myself. Regardless, that opening scene was simply too long. The real fun of the film begins when Thor is banished to earth, and he becomes a fish out of water.
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Glee’s Heather Morris Shows Off Hot Dance Moves for Esquire Magazine

If you watch Glee, then you know about Heather Morris. She was hired by Ryan Murphy to teach the cast the choreography for Beyonce’s Single Ladies video, and Murphy was so impressed by her, he hired her as a series regular for the show. If you watch closely during Glee’s dance routines, you’ll notice how Heather Morris outshines the rest of the cast, which was certainly most clear during the Britney tribute week. In the video below, Heather Morris rocks out to some different songs, and her body is hypnotizing. I realize the hypocrisy of this post, given that I often insult the Glee kids for inappropriately sexualizing their images. I’ve made an exception for Heather Morris though. When you’re that good, general rules don’t apply.

Britney Spears on Jimmy Kimmel — Choreography STILL Not Good Enough

I promise that this is my last post about Britney Spears’ choreography.  I’ve said it twice already, and I’m only saying it a third time in hopes that her people come across this blog and fix the issue.  I have no idea why Britney Spears cannot dance anymore.  I originally thought it was nerves, but I’m starting to think she lost her edge.  I know her album is great, and I’m still a fan.  But there is an astronomical difference in her dance quality from when she first entered the business versus now, and it’s almost bizarre.  Has she forgotten how to dance?  Her choreography is incredibly easy, and her movements still aren’t crisp.  She’s walking around the stage while occasionally moving her arms around.  I’ve always defended her lip-syncing, because it was virtually impossible to sing live while executing her dance-heavy movements, but at this point, there’s no excuse.  Either sing live while surrounded by professional dancers, or actually dance.  It’s one or the other. Watch her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel below, and then watch her vintage David Letterman appearance to see the difference.

Britney Spears on GMA — Choreography Still Not Good Enough

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. No one is a bigger Britney Spears fan than The Dishmaster. When she launched her comeback and turned her life around, I was extremely happy for her, and I cut her a lot of performance-slack. It’s been a few years since that comeback, and I’ve officially raised my standards. Her performance on Good Morning America was sub-par at best. You cannot put on a sparkly leotard and walk around the stage while your dancers do all the heavy lifting. Britney Spears launched her career as a dancer/performer, so it would only make sense to have challenging choreography. So what’s the problem, and will we ever see Britney execute the same power moves as she did in her early days? I can’t help but wonder if the true genius behind Britney Spears’ career-best days was Wade Robson, and his departure has changed Britney’s caliber forever. Unless she starts to do more than wave her arms around and walk from one side of the stage to the other, I’m unsatisfied. Watch the video below to see her GMA performance, and watch the second video to see how she used to dance.

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Britney Spears Performs in Vegas — Where’s Her Choreography?

If you’re a fan of The Dishmaster, then you know what a huge Britney Spears fan I am.  Having said that, I’d like to take this opportunity to insult her for just a moment.  She performed in Vegas over the weekend to promote the launch of her new album, Femme Fatale, and after watching her concert videos, it’s clear she’s not back to her career launching status.  When Britney first entered the business, her performances were heavily danced focused, with Wade Robson choreographing all of her concerts, videos, and live performances.  Since Britney’s comeback and Wade’s subsequent departure, she hasn’t returned to her original caliber.  When you lip-sync, you have to dance.  There’s no way around it.  You can’t simply put on a sparkly outfit and walk slowly around the stage while sporadically moving your arms around.  I need more than that, especially when you’re known for performances alone.  I hate to pick on her, because I’m very happy for her comeback success, and I love every one of her songs.  But enough is enough.  Start dancing.  I’d encourage you to watch the video below sans sound.  It’s low quality, but you’ll get my point.