Beyoncé’s Live "Run the World" Performance

This week, I want to discuss one of the most famous world superstars and the concept of originality. Beyoncé’s best music video isn’t even in the classical cast of music video, but instead it takes the form of a live performance. In 2011, she performed at the Billboard Music Awards before accepting the Billboard Millennium Award for her fourth album, 4. Beyoncé’s performance was distinct because of the immense screen behind her. Instead of just using backup dancers, she also performed parallel to animations on a screen. The best part was when an army of digital Beyoncés danced with the real one. You probably know what I’m talking about because Beyoncé used the same technique for her halftime show performance this year.

Here’s why this performance can be equated with a normal music video: It’s essentially a site-specific act harmonious with the literary movement of New Historicism. One must understand the timing context of the performance to truly appreciate the work. Not only is the video always going to be just a televised performance from an award show, but Beyoncé/Beyoncé’s team didn’t make up this process of performing in sync with digital animation. Yahoo News reporter Billy Johnson Jr. describes it pretty clearly:

“The next morning, however, the Internet was flooded with articles alleging that Beyoncé copied her show concept from Italian pop star Lorella Cuccarini.

A year earlier, Cuccarini used the same interactive backdrop when she played an Italian award show.

When Beyoncé and Cuccarini's concerts are played side-by-side, the comparisons are even more apparent, down to the sequence and illustrations.

In an effort to curb the negative reaction, Beyoncé admitted her show was patterned after Cuccarini's.

'My makeup artist showed me the performance of Lorella Cuccarini a year ago, and it inspired me so much,' she said in an interview.”

                         

There’s nothing insignificant about the true music video Beyoncé and her team created for “Run the World,” but the skill it takes to really perform live and have the confidence to do so in this day and age is truly impressive. Beyoncé is also a truly talented dancer and this performance highlights her skill. 

                         

Another performance video with the same concept is Kagemu's "Black Sun." It's a collaboration between Japanese artist Nobuyuki Hanabusa and Katsumi Sakakura. These two (collectively known as Kagemu) created their rendition of synchronized dance and animation before Beyoncé and Lorella Cuccarini, so they are believed to be the originators of this technique. Hanabusa describes his process for creating the performance as such: "Here is the process of the movie. First, I shoot the dances and scan the data into a computer. I analyze the motion of a dancer one frame at a time and lay out my graphics in an appropriate position. By continuing this process, I create the animation linked with the dancer."

In the same interview with The Atlantic, Hanabusa was asked to address the controversy with Beyoncé and Cuccarini.

"I think all creators in the modern world are influenced by old pieces in some way. In that sense, a purely original piece does not exist. However, as long as the creators have pride in themselves, I believe they will pursue a new piece or originality. As one of the creators, I honestly regret this case and want the world to know that our performance is the original one." 


For more about Kagemu, Beyoncé and the controversy of borrowing another artist's concept, I suggest you check out the video below and Kagemu's interview with The Creator's Project.