2024 was an enormous 12 months for dance on the Oscars, together with a history-making efficiency, a heart-pumping ensemble quantity, and a shock addition to the “In Memoriam” section.
We’re nonetheless rooting for a “Finest Choreography” class as dance continues to be an integral half to every 12 months’s nominated movies. However till then, we nonetheless take pleasure in seeing our beloved artform on the Dolby Theater stage.
“Wahzhazhe” from Killers of the Flower Moon
Eight Osage Nation dancers joined Scott George and the Osage Tribal Singers in a historic efficiency of “Wahzhazhe (A Track For My Individuals)” from Killers of the Flower Moon. George made Oscars historical past as the primary Native American to obtain a nomination for finest unique track with “Wahzhazhe.” He’s additionally the primary member of the Osage Nation to be nominated by the Academy.
Because the dancers and singers adopted the drum in opposition to a sundown backdrop, they invited the worldwide viewers to witness a concurrently intimate and boundless celebration. A groundbreaking efficiency, it marked the primary time members of the Osage Nation, or of any indigenous neighborhood, has danced on the Oscars stage.
“I’m Simply Ken” from Barbie
It’s protected to say that the Oscars felt the “Kenergy” after Ryan Gosling and his ensemble of Kens took to the stage with Barbie’s tongue-in-cheek energy ballad, “I’m Simply Ken,” which was additionally nominated for finest unique track. The quantity, choreographed by Mandy Moore, featured a number of members from the movie’s unique solid, together with Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir, and was full with a kickline, unapologetic melodrama, cardboard cutout–ography, and on-the-nose references to Jack Cole’s choreography for “Diamonds Are a Lady’s Finest Pal.” Oh, and Slash.
Finest Actress winner Emma Stone later pointed to the efficiency because the offender behind her tearing her costume. (Don’t fear, Emma, we have been dancing too.)
The “In Memoriam” Section
A welcome shock for some and an irritating visible distraction for others, this 12 months’s “In Memoriam” tribute featured an ensemble of dancers that accompanied Andrea and Matteo Bocelli as they sang the previous’s hit “Time to Say Goodbye.” This was not the primary time dance has appeared within the section; in 1996, Savion Glover tapped to “Singin’ within the Rain” in a tribute to the late Gene Kelly, who handed away that 12 months. This 12 months’s efficiency included a delicate and touching second for the late Chita Rivera, who died on January 30—a easy weight shift and slow-motion hip sway, dealing with Rivera’s picture on the projection display.
Whereas the dancers introduced beautiful synchronicity and reverent artistry to Moore’s second choreographed work of the evening, the efficiency has earned pushback from viewers members who discovered them and the Bocellis distracting.
