Britney Spears, “I’m A Slave 4 U”

This past week, I have spent hours — hours — watching the new Justin Bieber dance video, both because it is an excellent song and because the dancing is so fucking good. Part of those hours have gone to watching various YouTube clips for Royal Family, the dance crew responsible for “Sorry,” performing at various competitions and rehearsing for various other musicians; I haven’t been this obsessed with trying to somehow teach myself, through repeated viewings, complicated choreography to a pop song since Britney Spears released “I’m A Slave 4 U.” I spent many, many afternoons peering carefully at the television screen in my living room, trying to replicate the way her languid, circular movements paired with the jerky, sudden contractions of her forearms. Later that year I was tasked with choreographing a small performance for my high school dance class and I stole most of the movements from the video; last night, while we walked to the subway, I gave a small demonstration of what I could remember for Alex, and she was appropriately embarrassed on my behalf.