Choreography Goes POP!

 

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!”