beyonce.comWe know Bey, we love Bey, we look to Bey for our every inspiration in life. Often times that inspiration amounts to little more than, how can I wake up and be awesome today? (Because remember, you have as many hours in the day as she does.) But sometimes things get a little more specific, like, how should I dance at the bar tonight?
For when it comes to dance moves, Queen Bey is, well, Queen. She's long been an emblem of perfect rhythm and grace, and don't even get us started on those booty pops. But under the guise of digging a little deeper, we came to realize that Beyoncé has been on something of a journey with her boogies. It's been a lifetime and more since her days with Destiny's Child, so it's only natural that her onscreen grooving would evolve.
As such, it's important to take a step back and examine the individual idiosyncrasies and developments within Beyoncé's dance moves. You know, so we have something to pass on to the younger generations. Consider it an anthropological study into the mesmerizing art of being Bey on the dance floor. It may have started with but a simple walk (honestly, she walked a lot during the early years), but it ended with a fantastical display of beauty, grace and enviable moves.
The Strut:
What could be easier than just walking to the beat of the music? Well this is easier said than done, and even more so when one is attempting to do so on the same level as Beyoncé. Girl can prance like nobody ever pranced before—and we know that because she spent a whole lot of time prancing, circa "Crazy in Love."
The Eye Mask:
Baby boy not a day goes by without...me throwing up deuces. As we look here, we see an inclination towards the "Single Ladies" hands years before Sasha Fierce even existed.
The To The Left:
Literally (and we do mean "literally" literally) only Queen B could turn pointing into a dance move—nay, a dance revolution. The direction left will never be the same again.
The Body Roll:
We have no pithy comments to offer here, just an observation that this is probably the point at which Bey graduated from her mostly appendage-focused moves and began her years-long reign over the body roll.
The Single Ladies Hand:
Clearly her appendages got jealous of her torso, because it 2008 it was back to the hands. This was the move that spawned a thousand spoofs. It was the hand that gave women without engagement rings the world over a new bar trick. It was the hand that allowed America to see Andy Samberg in a leotard. Bless that hand.
The Goddess Pose:
Everybody better pray that they don't start teaching this in hot yoga, because something says that most of us don't have the thigh strength. During the "Run the World" era, Beyoncé truly showed off everything she had, and what she had was some incredibly impressive skills on the dance floor.
The Chaise Lounge:
Sometimes a woman just has to take a second to have an intimate moment with a chair. For all our obsession over Bey's athleticism and sheer brute dancing strength, lest us not forget that she is also incredibly, heart-stoppingly sexy. Reminding us of that was basically "Partition"s reason for being.
The Beach Party:
Whenever anyone with a pulse hears "Drunk In Love," this is exactly what their body wants to do. Thanks to B for finally performing a move that we plebeians can imitate.
The Thigh Burn:
The second the video for "7/11" surprise-hit the Internet, it was a cultural sensation. It was partly due to that Kale sweatshirt and the public's unwavering impulse to purchase it, but also because these dance scenes on the balcony were, well, everything. It reminded you that 1) you'll never have Beyoncé's thighs and 2) women are freaking awesome.
The Fire Hydrant Twirl:
That sentiment stuck around, because next up on her list was an entire visual album of female empowerment. Lemonade wasn't exactly chock-a-block full of grooving, but what she did show off was magical. If you watched "Hold Up" and didn't want to destroy your husband's car with a bat and then twirl around in a city street, you're probably dead inside.