For my third music video analysis I have chosen the song Dance For You by Beyoncé, which was released for the deluxe edition of her fourth studio album. It was written by Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. Dance for You is a mid-tempo R&B and synthpop song, in which Beyoncé adopts sensual vocals. In Dance for You, Beyoncé, as the female protagonist, speaks of the love she has for her partner and about all the things she will do to show him her appreciation.
The video is shot in black and white throughout to create an air of sophistication and also an old-fashioned aesthetic, which is also present in her costume and the location. Beyoncé is featured in the music video entering a man's office, and then continuing to remove her jacket and dance provocatively for him throughout the whole video. Half-way through the video she is joined by 4 back-up dancers, who follow her choreographed routine.
Beyoncé is featured wearing a silk, very short dress with black pantyhose, suspenders and heels. She is also wearing a full face of makeup and large diamond earrings. This costume is very glamourous and Hollywood-esque which creates the impression that this music video is portraying a time in the past, and that she is illustrated as sophisticated and seductive. This costume helps to attract the 'male gaze' as her revealing outfit portrays the artist as a sex symbol, which is enhanced by her provocative dance moves. This will widen Beyoncé's demographic audience, as more males will be encouraged to watch the video and purchase her music if the music video contains sexual and provocative scenes.
Low-key lighting is used throughout the video to enhance the shadows in the dark office room, which also creates a mysterious and dark effect, implying that the narrative has an element of secrecy and danger.
There are a number of close-up shots and long shots throughout the video, which are primarily focused on Beyoncé as she is the focal point of the music video as she's a solo artist, and focus on her dance moves as well as her facial expressions. The long-shots also commonly feature the back-up dancers alongside the artist, as they help to emphasise the seductive nature of the music video which emphasises the message of the lyrics.
This music video follows a clear narrative that amplifies the message within the song, as the chorus of the song states 'tonight I'm gonna dance for you' which she is featured doing in the video.
Dance For You music video:
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