Dance Crush: Blanca Li

I have been a fan of Blanca Li's work for a long time; even before I knew it was her stuff. One of my all time favorite videos is Daft Punk's "Around the World" from the album "Homework." Directed by Michel Gondry and choreographed by Blanca Li, a Spanish dancer/choreographer, the video shows four groups of people who are meant to be the visual representations of the 4 beats in the song. This is the song that got me hooked on Daft Punk and this is the video that got me hooked on the idea of choreographing for video and film. I loved the idea of creating this electronic, brightly colored world and having movement be the main representation of the song and it's mood. I really like that the choreography is different with elements of modern and hip hop. Li uses sharp and angular movements, great timing between the four groups, and with the help of great direction by Gondry, you can really see the wonderful patterns that she creates with the dancers and their movements. It's sticking to a specific aesthetic that's not of the booty shaking variety (I'm looking at you Beyonce…).

PS, if you teach kids, get your hands on some Daft Punk songs asap. Interesting beats that are fun to dance to and most of their songs don't have or have very few words. PPS, watch your students eyes bug out as you tell them that Kanye SAMPLED THEM!
PPPS, check out Blanca Li's work. She not only has a dance company but she acts and directs.
Blanca Li
Enjoy!

The one in yellow is really working it right?

Watch the video here-----> Around The World

Who knew?

I love seeing dance in music videos. P!NK could have a second career as a Modern dancer. Maybe Pilobolus? Just sayin…
It's funny since I viewed the video, I've been hearing so many people (mostly dancers) who did not like the tone this video was creating. Some were uncomfortable with P!nk's use of dance to violently show the relationship between her and the male dancer. They were happy with the use of contemporary dance but felt it could have been stylized or choreographed a different way. The couple would throw punches, slap, push, kick and throw each other around.
I get it.
The point of ART is to make people challenge ideas and question the status quo right? Would we have preferred to have P!nk to do the same standard video with the all to revealing outfit, heels, extreme makeup etc. that we've come to expect from pop stars? Would we have just preferred a close up shot and one single tear at the end? Sounds familiar right?
I applaud her for at least thinking outside the box. She used movement to convey a very troubled and rocky relationship. One that is not always simple but just as volatile as people can be when emotions are involved. At least it got people talking.
What do you think of the video? Do you have a favorite video that incorporates dance in a unique way?

Peep the video below
P!NK-Try