The fact that so many spectators, male and female, decided literally to place themselves into this fantasy by reenacting the dance seems to suggest that the dance movements themselves are a kind of fantasy, perhaps even a fantasy of empowerment. The fact that the scenario of the video is not embedded in a narrative fantasy - contrast, for example, this video with her 'Irreplaceable' video - makes it more difficult for a spectator to 'identify' with the image (in terms of placing one'e self in the narrative scenario). The starkness of the background, the use of the moving camera rather than editing, the black and white, the 'three' Beyonces: I think the video is more contradictory than your analysis suggests. Given how different this video is from those that typically highlight women's bodies in a sexual manner, I cannot help thinking that the makers of this video thought seriously about avoiding it. Beyonce in fact did own up to Bob Fosse’s work and said she was inspired by the original and used that inspiration in her Single Ladies dance.I'm not so sure I agree with your last comments. Frank Gatson with Beyonceīefore diving into your own conclusions, a simple Google search would answer your queries. įrom the looks of it, it does look like Beyonce’s routine was copied from these saucy dancers from the 60’s.įrank Gaston, choreographer of Single Ladies, told the Cosmopolitan that the inspiration came from The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969, where they collectively decided to modernise it. Creating a havoc of sorts, Twitter fans came onto Beyonce, all guns blazing blaming her for ripping off the steps and style from the original jazz artistes in the video. The song was viewed alongside Beyonce’s Single Ladies. This is what happened when the world witnessed a video and song titled Mexican Breakfast choreographed by the renowned Broadway director and choreographer Bob Fosse for the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969. It’s so sad that we always assume the worst of everything.

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