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Music Videos With the Best Choreography: 9 Standout Performances

A curated look at nine music videos where movement is central—from star-making routines and expressive solos to cultural dance references and choreography shaped by visual effects.
Opened Runtime5 min Written byDocumentaryTube Team
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What music videos have the best choreography? There is no official or universal ranking, so this is a curated selection: each video makes movement central, memorable in its relationship to the music or performer, and clear through its staging, camera, editing, or visual design. The list spans authored routines, dancers’ own movement traditions, expressive solos, ensemble work, and dance shaped around visual effects—not just technical difficulty.

That range matters. A video may be choreographed through close collaboration between choreographer and director, or it may foreground dancers bringing established styles without a formal choreographer. Emily Caston discusses this distinction in her analysis of dance in music videos. The examples below are not exhaustive, and their order is not a scorecard.

Music videos where the choreography makes the case

Beyoncé — “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”

“Single Ladies” is a defining example of a routine built around its star. Its tightly unified movement keeps Beyoncé at the center while making the choreography easy to recognize as a whole. Out identifies JaQuel Knight and Frank Gatson as the choreography team; Knight’s interview offers background on the work. Its appeal is not simply that the moves are difficult: the performance gives the routine a distinct personality.

Sia — “Chandelier”

In “Chandelier,” dancer Maddie Ziegler’s solo performance is the visual engine of the video. Ryan Heffington’s choreography gives her room to move with unruly intensity rather than presenting a polished ensemble routine. Vogue’s interview with Heffington discusses his work with performers who may not be conventional dancers. He says the aim can be to help them feel comfortable and celebrate how they move, rather than put pressure on choreography itself. That approach also makes “Elastic Heart,” another Heffington collaboration with Ziegler, a useful companion watch.

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The Chemical Brothers — “Wide Open”

“Wide Open” makes movement inseparable from its visual effects. Dancer and actor Sonoya Mizuno’s performance appears to transform through a one-shot visual sequence built with animation, lidar scanning, and bespoke software. The Studio Wayne McGregor project page credits Wayne McGregor as choreographer and D O M & N I C as directors. The digital design does not merely decorate the dance; it gives the movement its changing visual form.

Stromae — “Papaoutai”

Choreographer Marion Motin describes shaping movement for Stromae’s own body language rather than imposing a routine that ignores how he naturally moves. Her account also describes bringing in krump specialist Grichka Rootz to support choreography for Tighteyex, illustrating how a project can call on different expertise for different movement styles. Read Motin’s interview with Short Stuff for her account of that collaboration. The result is a useful reminder that choreography can be tailored to a performer and built collaboratively.

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BTS — “ON”

“ON” makes ensemble scale part of its impact, with formations and transitions creating a sense of collective momentum around featured solo movement. Choreographer Sienna Lalau told Korea.net that she listens repeatedly, imagines the singer’s expression, and considers the dancers’ strengths and capabilities. She also notes that the number of dancers affects how choreography and formation changes work. That attention to both individual expression and group movement helps the video feel designed for its performers, not just for a large cast.

BTS — “Black Swan” art film

This is the “Black Swan” art film, not BTS’s separate official music video. It was produced in collaboration with Slovenia’s MN Dance Company. In Korea.net’s interview, the company’s founders and artistic directors, Michal Rynia and Nastja Bremec Rynia, discuss casting, preparation, and rehearsal. The film’s ensemble movement makes it a strong choice for viewers interested in choreography developed through a dance-company collaboration.

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Michael Jackson — “Remember the Time”

Fatima Robinson’s choreography for “Remember the Time” adds historical breadth to this selection. In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Robinson describes beginning with the music and understanding the video concept before creating movement. Her video work also includes Aaliyah’s “One in a Million,” “Are You That Somebody?,” “Try Again,” and “Rock the Boat.” The Television Academy interview provides her account of the work and its creative starting point.

Victoria Monét — “On My Mama”

Sean Bankhead’s choreography for “On My Mama” brings together moves designed for broad participation and references to Black and HBCU dance traditions, alongside nostalgic social dances. That mix gives the video character beyond a sequence of steps made to circulate online. Complex’s interview with Bankhead discusses the choices behind the choreography. Naming those influences matters: “viral dance” alone would flatten the cultural references that help make the work distinctive.

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Elton John — “I’m Still Standing”

For an older example, “I’m Still Standing” shows how choreography can drive a video’s visual identity. Emily Caston discusses Arlene Phillips’s work on the video and notes that it later received an MTV Best Choreography nomination in her scholarly analysis. Its inclusion adds a historical point of comparison without suggesting that a nomination makes it objectively superior to the other selections.

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What makes choreography work on screen?

Strong choreography in a music video is not one fixed style or a test of athletic difficulty. These examples show different ways movement can hold attention:

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  • Fit with the performer: Motin’s account of shaping “Papaoutai” around Stromae’s body language shows how choreography can suit an artist’s own movement.
  • Relationship to the music and concept: Robinson describes starting with the music and video concept; Lalau describes repeated listening and imagining the singer’s expression.
  • Solo and ensemble design: A distinctive solo can anchor a video, while formations and transitions make a group performance compelling. Cast size shapes what those formations can do.
  • Performance personality: “Chandelier” foregrounds expressive individuality, while “Single Ladies” makes a unified routine inseparable from its star.
  • Movement in dialogue with the image: “Wide Open” builds visual transformation around a moving performer rather than treating effects as a separate layer.
  • Tradition and participation: “On My Mama” draws on named cultural references, while Heffington’s approach shows that comfort and personal expression can matter as much as precision.

How to start learning the dances

If a video makes you want to dance, Lalau advises finding a nearby studio that teaches the style you want to learn. If a class is not nearby or affordable, online dance tutorials are another option, according to her Korea.net interview. Start with the style and level that interest you, rather than assuming every video routine is designed for beginners.

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