Beginning in the 1950s, live performance was jolted into a cultural stratosphere never before attainable. Television, even in its live-and-in-black-and-white adolescence, took performance into living rooms everywhere and rocked American identity into the rhythm and beat of a new generation. The rise of MTV (Music Television) in the 1980s created a new broadcast niche for video-based music performance and transformed both the music industry and popular culture once again. Transmitting pop music to vast new audiences and new generations demanded a flashier performance style that moved. From Michael Jackson and Madonna to Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Justin Timberlake, performers injected their music videos and stage shows with a dazzling array of modern dance, aerobics, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and funk. Dance became a defining element of contemporary music performance, and all major stars created signature “moves.” Fueled by a heightened media presence, choreography went “POP!”
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
October 4, 2013 through July 13, 2014
Michael Jackson 1958–2009
Unidentified artist
Holographic poster, 2009
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Beyoncé born 1981
Markus Klinko (born circa 1961) and Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri (born circa 1974)
Color photolithographic halftone poster, 2003
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Lady Gaga born 1986
Unidentified artist
Poster, 2009
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