Top 10 Moments We Found Out a Singer Was a Great Dancer

MsMojo

Hidden talents! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the first time we discovered that famous singers could nail a choreography.

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to MissMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the first time we discovered

00:09 that famous singers could nail a choreography.

00:19 Number 10.

00:20 Usher - You Make Me Wanna The R&B singer made his debut as a teenager,

00:25 but this 1997 single announced a new era.

00:37 While he always had the moves, the music video for "You Make Me Wanna" put his abilities

00:42 front and center.

00:43 It had some of the most elaborate choreography of Usher's music videos up to that point.

00:53 He didn't just pace with his backup dancers, he commanded the spotlight, whether it was

01:00 a close-up or group shot.

01:02 The fact that he could recreate his moves in live performances of the song just proved

01:06 he was the real thing.

01:16 Number 9.

01:17 Bruno Mars - Runaway Baby In 2010, this singer-songwriter exploded onto

01:23 the scene with multiple chart-topping singles, but it wasn't until his debut album released

01:28 that we got to see him in up-tempo mode.

01:37 While songs like "Grenade" didn't exactly call for a dance break, "Runaway Baby" gave

01:41 him ample opportunity to introduce that old-fashioned showmanship he's become known for.

01:47 Invoking soulman James Brown, Mars demonstrated his fanciest footwork alongside his equally

01:53 talented bandmates in live performances.

01:59 Honestly, the minimum requirements to get into this band must be insane.

02:08 Before Uptown Funk, this early song was probably many people's first exposure to his talent

02:14 for dancing.

02:25 Number 8.

02:26 Ciara - Goodies This multi-hyphenate singer-songwriter and

02:30 businesswoman was an instant hit.

02:37 Her debut single "Goodies" is a standout of the mid-2000s.

02:42 Not only did it showcase her already established songwriting abilities, but the music video

02:46 showcased her effortless dance moves.

02:49 When she's not blowing us away with her voice, she's tearing it up with her backup dancers.

03:01 It was also our first taste of her signature move, the "Matrix," which she always pulls

03:06 off with gravity-defying ease.

03:08 Her follow-up hit, "One Two Step," leaned even further into these skills, delivering

03:13 a new dance craze to her fans.

03:23 Number 7.

03:24 Lady Gaga - Just Dance A gazillion singles ago, Lady Gaga was breaking

03:30 through with a club banger called "Just Dance."

03:41 Since then, she's been hailed as one of the greats.

03:44 But no one watching her in 2008 knew exactly what to expect from her first few TV performances,

03:49 which took place on Miss Universe 2008 and So You Think You Can Dance.

04:02 She more than held her own, clearly singing live as she kept up with the intense choreography.

04:07 Gaga arrived with a natural stage presence and a commitment to becoming a pop sensation,

04:13 and her dances have only become even more iconic since.

04:23 Number 6.

04:25 Madonna - Everybody Speaking of pop sensations, Madonna can sing,

04:30 she can dance, she can act, she can write songs, and she can sell out stadiums.

04:43 But in 1982, Madonna Louise Ciccone wasn't yet the queen of pop.

04:48 She was just an aspiring artist booking gigs as a backup dancer to people she would later

04:52 eclipse.

04:53 When stardom called, she was more than ready to answer.

05:06 Fans may have heard her on the radio first, but once she started making her rounds on

05:10 TV with her first hit "Everybody," everyone got the message.

05:14 A music video soon followed.

05:24 It was the world's first look at her own unique brand of energetic, seductive, and

05:29 alluring performances.

05:30 Number 5.

05:32 Beyoncé - Work It Out Sure, we already knew that Beyoncé could

05:42 move thanks to her performances in music videos as part of Destiny's Child.

05:46 But it was when she took the spotlight for her own that we really began to appreciate

05:50 the depth of her dance skills.

06:00 One of her earliest film roles as Foxy Cleopatra allowed her to showcase her talents as a true

06:05 frontwoman.

06:06 The single from that movie, "Work It Out," gave her a chance to dance center stage and

06:11 ushered in a whole new realm of possibilities.

06:23 The funky underrated classic features slinky, sultry sounds, and Beyoncé had the moves

06:28 to match.

06:29 Number 4.

06:30 Britney Spears - Baby One More Time Disney fans may have known about young Britney

06:40 Spears, but it was this song in 1999 that launched her and her dancing skills to the

06:45 top of the charts.

06:46 Not only did her pigtails and school uniform become her most memorable look this side of

06:50 her run-in with a python, it also allowed for a wide range of movement.

07:03 Throughout the video of her signature song, Britney Spears is seen flipping, shimmying,

07:08 and throwing herself into some pretty demanding bodybending choreography.

07:12 This isn't the standard posing and half-stepping of a new singer.

07:15 This is genuine talent.

07:17 Her moves have become a staple of her live shows ever since.

07:26 Number 3.

07:27 Elvis Presley - Hound Dog In 1956, he wasn't the king of rock and roll

07:32 yet.

07:33 Elvis was just a kid from Tennessee by way of Mississippi who'd learned how to move

07:37 and sing from African-American blues and gospel artists.

07:48 Once he brought his provocative hip-swinging style of dance to television, it was a sensation.

07:53 His first two appearances on The Milton Berle Show were scandalous.

08:08 He was deemed "Elvis the Pelvis" by critics who believed the way he moved was a legitimate

08:12 threat to society.

08:14 Urban legends suggest that some shows would only shoot him from the waist up after that.

08:19 Whether or not it's true, the moment America first saw what he could do with his hips was

08:23 a huge cultural flashpoint.

08:34 Number 2.

08:35 Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately

08:45 Although Janet made a lot of early appearances as an actress and a performer alongside her

08:50 siblings, her persona as a solo artist wouldn't be perfected until the 1980s.

08:56 What Have You Done For Me Lately was not her debut, but it completely reshaped her image

09:00 as a singular artist.

09:10 The intense shoulder action is still iconic after all these years.

09:14 Jackson's performance of Paula Abdul's electric choreography revolutionized the music

09:19 video form and set the stage for some of the most famous dance sequences in pop music.

09:37 You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.

09:41 If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.

09:47 Number 1.

09:48 Michael Jackson - I Want You Back When Michael Jackson made his national TV

09:53 debut alongside brothers Tito, Jackie, Marlon, and Jermaine, it was hard to believe someone

09:59 that young contained that much talent.

10:01 In a 1969 Hollywood Palace performance, Michael and his brothers wowed the crowd with their

10:07 first big hit, "I Want You Back."

10:19 The raw materials that would make him the king of pop are on full display.

10:23 Introduced by none other than fellow Motown artist Diana Ross, it's clear that Michael

10:28 really is the star of the group.

10:40 His smoothness and innate skill was evident even then.

10:43 Of course, his record-breaking career afterwards speaks for itself.

10:51 What was your first memory of these chart-topping artist's dance skills?

10:55 Tell us in the comments!

11:03 Do you agree with our picks?

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