Dance in Mainstream Music

Sia - Chandelier and Elastic Heart

There is a strong relationship between dance and music within both these videos. Both in which are not obvious and can be interpreted in different ways. However, its believe that that the dance reflects the lyrics, especially in Elastic Heart.

Elastic heart addresses two possible narratives, one represented through obvious action and movement and one that is represented metaphorically, however aided by the lyrics of the song. The first narrative is them moving like animals, or cavemen, and paints two animals fighting, one trying to gain the others trust. This is shown through facial expression as well, which is another key aspect of dance and choreography. The second narrative which is more metaphorical relates more to the songs, and it debated to what it means. Some interpretations have stated that it shows a hard relationship between two people, whereas other views have said it represents the relationship between father and child. It can also be interpreted as letting go of your inner child/innocence which is something that happens when you grow up, and is something that is quite difficult emotionally. 

I think a more avante-garde approach to dance, and placing it in a mainstream environment creates mixed feelings from the audience. Being exposed to a wide audience, (most of which are not educated or exposed to experimental dance) can cause huge misinterpretation, as people look at the obvious before digging deeper into it. This is what happened to Elastic Heart, as the online communities deemed this dance as inappropriate and 'pedophilloic', however I feel this is not the case at all. I think the dance in both videos and very beautiful and fluid, and I would like to see more of this approach to modern day music.