There's only a few things we're pretty sure humans were doing thousands of years that we still do today. Other than the classics like staying warm with fire and killing each other, watching other humans move around to music is gotta be on that list somewhere.
That's what makes dance music videos so much fun to watch. It's probably the most obvious way to fill a screen for the duration of a song, but people keep coming up with ways of making something extremely basic into something exciting and different. So today we're watching one of our favorite dance music videos, 2011's "Call Your Girlfriend" by Robyn, directed by frequent Robyn collaborator Max Vitali and choreographed by Maria Wahlberg.
The video takes place entirely in one soundstage, with one person (Robyn), with one camera operator, and one take. Things start out in plain white light, but by the end of a video we have a full light show on our hands which dips in and out as necessary. Basically the video is "Robyn dances in a room". It's an incredibly simple concept that gives Robyn absolutely nowhere to hide - the entire video rides on her.
It's a testament to Robyn that she's able to be in a video that is focused so intently on her and make it look so easy. It's obviously a physically exhausting ordeal, but she smiles at the end and darts off camera as if she's getting into position to do it again. She's also definitely feeling it - there are times you can tell by the look on her face that she's not faking getting caught up in the dance or the music. It's a dance video that has a suprising amount of emotion to it.
Part of the appeal of this video as well is just how much of Robyn's personality comes through the dance. Her fluffy shirt, pattern leggings (see the note below), and giant platform shoes are definitely part of the Robyn fashion sense that seems to have a following all its own. Her dance moves are often just as unique and recognizable as her style as well - our favorite is her "hump the floor move" that IMVDb staff consider obligatory when on the dance floor.
But one of the most intriguing elements of this video for me is the second person in the room - the camera. The camera in this video is constantly moving - closer to Robyn, away from Robyn, looking at her shoes, looking her face. This feels like the view we would have if we were there dancing alongside Robyn in a club somehwere in Sweden. We're not in an audience - we're right there wondering what she's going to do next and how the camera will react to it. After following Robyn around on the floor and watching another video where you are obviously a removed spectator, the different is pretty stark, and the point of view in "Call Your Girlfriend" plays a big part in the appeal of this fantastic video.
Fun fact: The legging print Robyn wears in this video looks like just a bunch of colors but are actually pills, apparently. You can get your very own pair for $230 here.
