Beyoncé does it again

Beyonce has been accused of appropriating others' work without attribution. The latest is a Belgium choreographer and her dance company.

Beyonce in a still for the music video for "Countdown" which looks suspiciously like a video made by Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaker.

You would think Beyoncé would fly in Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaker and her dance company Rosas to help choreograph the dances and the visuals for the second part of her new video “Countdown” especially since it looks like she, Beyonce, appropriated De Keersmaker and her dance company Rosas’s work without attribution.

When Beyonce’s faced similar accusations before, she at least tried to make right by her accusers, in the process acknowledging that she took without asking or recognition. Take the Mozambican dancers, Tofo Tofo, whose moves she incorporated into the choreography for “Run the world” and who she publicly acknowledged. But in De Keersmaker’s case, she hasn’t.

De Keersmaker and Rosas were surprised when they first saw the music video for Countdown. Watch especially from around 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Now watch this short video where you can compare the moves in “Countdown” with various choreographed moves from De Keersmaker and Rosa’s work.

In an interview with Belgian radio station Studio Brussel earlier today De Keersmaeker said:

I didn’t know anything about this. I’m not mad, but this is plagiarism. This is stealing. They took pieces from Achterland and Rosas danst Rosas. Including the dresses and a remake of the school of [architect Henry] Van de Velde [which served as the set for the original recording of Rosas danst Rosas by director Thierry De Mey]. It’s a bit rude, I must say. (…) What’s rude about it is that they don’t even bother about hiding it. They seem to think they could do it because it’s a famous work. (…) Am I honoured? Look, I’ve seen local school kids doing this. That’s a lot more beautiful.

We suppose that that’s pop music for you.

The dance company said they’d contact Beyoncé’s lawyers.

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