From Childish Gambino’s audacious This is America routine choreographed by Sherrie Silver, to Sia’s controversial collaborations with child star Maddie Ziegler, not to mention pretty much every performance and music video starring the Knowles sisters, it seems that modern and contemporary dance is having a moment. But why? And what’s the difference between the conventional dance routines of pop tradition and those with a contemporary dance choreographer at the helm anyway?
As with nearly everything in the 21st century, the rise of Instagram, personal branding and social media has got a lot to do with it. Pop stars have always understood the need to stand out in order to catch fans’ attention, and if contemporary dance is one thing, it’s certainly attention-grabbing. As an art form, modern and contemporary dance is defined by its conceptual nature: the movements derive from rigorous research into an idea, whether that’s narrative, thematic, scientific or physiological, rather than just visual appeal. It’s characterised by an “anything goes” approach, making it the perfect art form for musicians constantly on the lookout for the next big thing to latch onto and explore. More than this, by inviting dancers and choreographers from a modern and contemporary background to collaborate with them, musicians transform their videos and performances into powerful and engaging art works in their own right. With that in mind, here are our top ten collaborations between pop and rock stars with contemporary dance choreographers that will shake up your understanding of art, dance, creativity and everything in between.
The Carters, Apes**t — Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Since fronting Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé has become synonymous with a complicated set of seductive routines involving gyrating hips, body rolls, leg thrusts and of course, booty-shaking. In her recent video for Apes**t, Beyoncé along with husband, Jay-Z pulled out all the stops by performing against the prized art collection of Paris’ Louvre. But what about the group of dancers in flesh coloured body stockings, contracting and contorting on the museum’s grand staircase? These performers were choreographed by prestigious Flemish-Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, who’s award-winning company, Eastman, performs internationally to critical acclaim. Although Cherkaoui now performs on the world’s finest stages and has collaborated with everyone from Shaolin monks to British sculptor Antony Gormley, he became hooked on dance by watching the music videos of Janet Jackson and Prince. So, by working on Apes**t, Cherkaoui was really just returning to his roots.
Beyoncé, Countdown — Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker
It wouldn’t be a list about contemporary dance collabs without mentioning Mrs. Carter not once, but twice. It’s well known that Beyoncé wears her dance influences on her sleeve – Single Ladies, for example, is indisputably a reference to the work of musical theatre legend Bob Fosse. Some of her routines, however, have been a little less forthcoming in citing their references. In the music video for her 2011 track, Countdown, Knowles performs a routine bearing numerous similarities (including cinematic style, costume and setting as well as the movement itself) to the work of Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, particularly her 1983 performance Rosas Danst Rosas. Beyoncé’s co-director Adria Petty admitted to MTV news, “I brought Beyoncé a number or references and we picked some out together. Most were German modern dance references” — which suggests that the imitation was entirely coincidental. Although De Keersmaeker initially expressed her anger about the copycatting, the choreographer went on to launch the Re:Rosas project which, through a series of YouTube tutorials, taught the movements to her seminal work, and encouraged performers to video themselves doing their own versions and to post them online.
Solange Knowles, An Ode To — Trisha Brown
In March 2017, Solange professed her love for American choreographer Trisha Brown, penning a heartfelt tweet lamenting her death — “Rest in movement”. Brown was a staple of the postmodernist dance movement that emerged in ‘60s New York, incorporating everyday gestures into her choreography, and putting on performances in unexpected places such as her Man Walking Down the Side of a Building (1970), which does exactly what it says on the tin. Fast forward to May 2018 to Solange’s secretive performance An Ode To at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the influence of Brown was keenly felt in the energy and pared back movements of Solange’s dancers. By asking attendees to wear all white and to check in their phones, as well as following in Brown’s footsteps by presenting a performance outside of its usual realm, Solange’s An Ode To was more akin to a ceremonial tribute to black womanhood than your typical concert.
The Macabees, Toothpaste Kisses — Lea Anderson
Although we may hate to admit it, many of us probably first heard The Macabees’ Toothpaste Kisses on the soundtrack to 2008 teen flick Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging. But did you know that the music video for the blissfully romantic tune was in fact directed by Lea Anderson, a legend of the British contemporary dance scene? Before she was directing for The Macabees, Lea Anderson fronted rock bands, dropped out of art school and formed separate female and male dance companies, The Cholmondeleys and The Featherstonehaughs respectively. Inspired by magazines and cinema, she’s well known for her pop-influenced performances and her characteristically intricate and idiosyncratic gestures. Renowned also for her collaboration with costume designer Sandy Powell, as well as presenting her work in cramped pubs and clubs rather than traditional theatres, it feels apt that a dingy English pub is the setting for the Macabees’ music video. In keeping with Anderson’s style of quirky minimalism, the video features hardly any dance choreography at all, instead presenting an extended snog-a-thon where the performers change kissing partners in quick succession.
Paloma Faith, Loyal — Jasmin Vardimon
If you’re a fan of the British songstress, you’re bound to have seen the music video for her new track Loyal, which was choreographed by Isreali-born, UK-based choreographer, Jasmin Vardimon. After growing up a member of the Kibbutz Dance Company in Central Israel, Vardimon moved to London to make a name for herself as a choreographer of intensely dramatic and physically demanding performance. For example, her current piece is a feminist, environmentalist retelling of the Greek myth Medusa, which is set to tour the UK in 2019. Her signature theatricality and penchant for exploring female power and sexuality is evident in the choreography for Loyal, and Faith — rather than relying on hired back up dancers — boldly performs Vardimon’s signature tumbles and crashes herself.
Florence and the Machine, Big God — Akram Khan
Rather than just hiring a choreographer to do all the work for her, Florence Welch went one step further for her darkly atmospheric 2018 hit Big God, and co-choreographed the award winning music video (Best Choreography and Best UK Rock Video at the UK Music Video Awards) alongside Akram Khan. Khan is a staple of the British dance scene, well known for combining the classical Indian dance style Kathak with contemporary dance, and for choreographing works for large scale events, such as the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics. Together, they have created a ceremonial music video, in which female dancers in coloured veils perform ritualistic gestures, all the while situated in a reflective pool of water. The opening triangular formation is reminiscent of one of Khan’s seminal works Vertical Road (2010), as is the dancers’ tendencies to flick the water around them (though in Vertical Road the performers throw chalk).
Radiohead, Lotus Flower — Wayne McGregor
You’d be forgiven for thinking on seeing Radiohead’s Lotus Flower video for the first time that Thom Yorke was merely having a groovy improvisation to his band’s track, as it turns out the 5-minute video was in fact meticulously choreographed by Wayne McGregor — the former resident choreographer at the Royal Ballet and director of the world-renowned company, Company Wayne McGregor (formerly Random Dance). McGregor is no stranger to collaboration, but his artistic partners are more often from science and academia than the world of rock and pop (in 2017, he was even awarded an Honorary Fellowship to the British Science Association, though you might know him better as the choreographer of 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). In the Lotus Flower vid, Yorke judders, shakes and writhes to the recurring rhythmical beat, with some of his movements reminiscent of hip hop or street dance movements. This being said, McGregor regards Yorke to be an “incredible dancer”. And who are we to dispute that?
The Chemical Brothers, Wide Open — Wayne McGregor
Lotus Flower isn’t the last time that Wayne McGregor has lent his expertise to music videos. In 2016, he choreographed the video for The Chemical Brothers’ Wide Open, featuring Beck. The video is more in keeping with McGregor’s stylistic preferences than his work with Radiohead: the solo barelegged performance by Ex-Machina actress Sonoya Mizuno exhibits a fluidity and precision of movement that’s typical of his work. In the video, as Mizuno meanders and ripples her way around the setting of an abandoned warehouse, her body gradually metamorphoses into a 3D plastic lattice version of itself — a technical feat achieved by directing team Dom&Nic — suggesting a cyborgian future and AI bots. Bearing McGregor’s scientific interests in mind, it’s easy to see why this project might have peaked his interest.
Kate Bush — Linsday Kemp
Think of music videos and memorable dance moves, and chances are Kate Bush’ wild and energetic hand movements in Wuthering Heights will come to mind. Bush is renowned for her spirited engagement with modern dance, experimenting with the genre in a number of her videos. Her dancing prowess was refined under the direction of mentor, Lindsay Kemp, a dancer, choreographer and mime artist, who also tutored the likes of David Bowie (with whom legend has it he had a brief affair). A recent obituary (Kemp died in August), acknowledges that he was an artist who defied categorisation. He trained at Ballet Rambert in London, studied under famed mime artist Marcel Marceau in Paris, and danced with Viennese expressionist Hilde Holger before going on to form his own company in 1962 and create a phenomenal body of work. With such credentials, it is understandable why Bush continued to turn to him for choreographic guidance throughout her career, and why she wrote her 1978 track Moving in his honour.
The Fall, The Lay of the Land — Michael Clark
Going further back to ‘70s Manchester, post-punk band The Fall had a close — and surprising — working relationship with the bad boy of British ballet, Michael Clark. Originally training at London’s Royal Ballet School, Clark later went on to train with pioneering contemporary practitioner Merce Cunningham in New York, whose style is evident in Clark’s choreography. Unlike Cunningham, however, whose work was often accompanied by the post-modern sounds of his musical (and romantic) partner John Cage, Clark’s choreographies were (and still are) often set to rebellious rock and punk tracks by the likes of Patti Smith and Bowie. Clark’s company has been regarded as being more like a rock band than a dance group, especially if you consider their outrageous bare buttock costumes, and their early associations with heroin abuse — Clark is quoted as saying that he started taking it to “explore physical addiction”. In this regard, it’s not so surprising that Clark would collaborate with the post-punk band, ranging from TV performances on The Old Grey Whistle Test to formal collaborations at Sadler’s Wells in 1988. By introducing the punk band to the theatre stage, the Clark x The Fall collab ushered in a new era in modern dance, foreshadowing the outlandish work that Sadler’s Wells would present in coming years.