Beyoncé, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, and choreographic property 1

In the fall of 2011 the African American pop star Beyoncé released a music video for her single “Countdown.” ² Singing about her steadfast love for her man, Beyoncé appears in a series of quick edits, sometimes in close-up, sometimes in split screens, sometimes in long and medium shots with a small group of back-up dancers. The video, co-directed by Beyoncé and Adria Petty, is packed with references to icons of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, including Audrey Hepburn, Andy Warhol, and Diana Ross. But, as some were quick to notice, much of the movement vocabulary—floor rolls, head swings, hands running through hair, the sliding of a shirt on and off the shoulder, casual pivot turns, the shifting of positions while seated on a chair—as well as some of the mise en scène and camera shots, bore a striking resemblance to two works by the Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker: Rosas danst Rosas from 1983, and Achterland from 1990, films of both of which are accessible online. More than one YouTube user compiled a side-by-side comparison highlighting the similarities. ³ Catching wind of the likeness, De Keersmaeker issued a statement accusing Beyoncé of plagiarism and threatened legal action against Sony, Beyoncé’s music label. ⁴