Beyonce has already been criticized for allegedly ripping off previous artists’ works for her musical performances, and now anti-Bey fans have more fuel to throw onto the fire. Clips from her “Countdown” video were matched-up with footage of Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, and it’s obvious that someone on Team Beyonce had seen them before. But is it homage? Inspiration? Or were we never to find out that the video’s style was not 100% original? Judge for yourself below.
Since so much of the video lifts from other material, we’re prone to think this is just an homage. Unfortunately, most will think Bey is stealing since the material she’s paying homage to isn’t extremely well known in pop culture.
What say you? Tell us in the comments.
[Via Vulture]
It would be one thing to “steal” some of the “moves.” Dancers borrow from each other all the time. The man who leaps, lands, rolls, etc in ATdK (Belgium) … that looks just like La La La Human Steps (Canada) to me. You study under a choreographer, you learn to move like them, or you emulate their style because it has become muscle memory. In the 90s, it became faddish to incorporate capoeira into traditional modern dance and everyone started doing it in New York until it all looked the same and it went away.
But this is clear rip off. Same moves, same mise en scene, down to the hair. Blech.
Hot video.
But Adria Petty, the video’s director, gives credit where credit is due:
“I brought Beyoncé a number of references and we picked some out together. Most were German modern-dance references, believe it or not. But it really evolved,” she told MTV News, calling it “an evolving, spontaneous process.”
it’s a homage if Beyonce and the team put the credit and let the audience know. Did she? if not, it’s a rip off!!!
Leave the bitch alone. Get over yourselves.
beyonce’s director for this video did give credit for where she got the moves and images from, but can beyonce just come up with something completely original, this is why people call her a copier, she needs more originality in her videos
because you limit your intake to BET and VH1 doesn’t mean there isn’t a world out there from which people can find inspiration. Beyonce is nothing more than an amalgamation of all that she’s seen and experienced, and as an entertainer, and even more so as an artist, her work will be a reflection of that. She recreated the works in entirety and added personal bits of herself, and that’s homage. People like to broadcast how “unoriginal” she is, i appreciate her and her team for bringing attention to artist that i never would have normally sought out. At least with her, i know she invests time into examining entertainment history and incorporating it into her music and visuals, these others broads would have you thinking they were the first to wear a razored bang and a Gareth Pugh design.
I agree Jon Moe. We have artists who are copying current artists all the time. Historical references have been a part of art since the modern art period. Why does Beyonce get all the flack and is called unoriginal? NOTHING IS ORIGINAL ANYMORE!! Do the research on your favorite artist, I’m sure they’ve done something like this before. BUt she does give credit where its due, which is more than I can say for lots of artists nowadays…UGH sometimes Beyonce haters disgust me.
Where in that quote is the name of the choreographer or director of the video segment that was re-done 100%? How does someone get credit without being named? This is why people are taking issue. The not naming and also calling it “inspiration”. Inspiration and re-doing something are two different things.
Do you understand what I’m saying because I see so many people on the net that seem to be confused about what Homage, Inspiration, and Re-do mean.
Inspiration and Re-doing something exactly frame by frame are two different things. I believe a lot of artists are inspired by others but I don’t see a lot of direct ripping. Someone on another blog mentioned JLo’s I’m Glad video re-doing Flash Dance. The difference is most Americans know what Flash Dance is so they knew it was a re-do. JLo openly talked about Flash Dance during the making of before the video came out. Flash Dances choreographer got credit and was nominated for a VMA. Don’t get me wrong. Most are not complaining about the re-doing. They’re complaining about the fact that Bey’s people never reached out to the original artist, never mentioned her name, didn’t hire her or anyone involved in the original. I’m not a Bey Hater but I consider myself a supporter of artists and their rights as creators to be given credit for their work.
IDOTS! It’s clearly homage! Stop hating on Beyonce, she isn’t Queen Bey for nothing. The girl kills it in everything she does!
So, we can listen to remakes of songs but we cant watch remakes of dance moves or videos? I just think everyone is overreacting!
Hey, there are people making money by remaking old hits… like for example “Listen to your heart” by Roxette. The copy sounds almost like original, and my kids did not have any clue that the song is old. Everyone is a copy cat in that case. And to me all this Lady Gaga stuff sounds like something I have already heard in a Disco before- which to me is worse than a copy of something that a majority of people have never seen before- like that video of some Belgian artist.
I agree with the ones of you that say get over it!! Damn I wish people would realise that if it weren’t for people immulating each other from time to time there would be a heck of a less entertainers in the world. Copy is a way of life!! GET OVER IT
Say it again Brandon!!
I agree with Teela. I’m not a fan of Beyonce per se but I do like her music and recognize her talents. Here’s the issue broken down (again) for those that seem to have trouble comprehending: time and time again Beyonce has represented that her work (videos, songs, etc) is original work not inspired by anyone but herself but on several occasions its brought to the attention of the public, ot by Beyonce or her people, that the work was “inspired by” or a copy of someone else’s work, as in this case. I agree that artists are inspired by other artists and we see these influences in original works all the time. HOWEVER most artist identify their inspirations by name or give credit to the culture from which they drew influence. When will she learn? If you don’t give credit then you look like a thief.
i love you beyonce…..