We all feel good and excited when we watch nice action packed music videos. We even attempt to copy some of the dance moves by the dancers in the music videos, because they performed the moves to the admiration of all. Well, it will interest you to know that the excitement on the faces of the dancers as they perform vanishes as soon as the job is done. This is attributed to the fact that they are not well paid for their services.
Dancing involves a lot of preparations, calculations, energy and a sound mind. The dance moves we see in music videos take a lot of rehearsals and planning to perfect them to our satisfaction. One will think, the preparations put into perfecting the dance will be well compensated for. It appears that is not the case as dancers are complaining that the musicians are not willing to pay an amount that will adequately reward their hard work.
A recent documentary titled, ‘Covid-19 Save the Last Dance’ aired by Joy Prime brought out the ordeal the dancers are going through in the hands of musicians. This documentary was hosted by KMJ starring Bboy Lyricx, who is a choreographer, an instructor and a dancer. Bboy Lyricx and his crew are called the PowerPack Dance Crew. They have featured in a lot of dance competitions nationally and internationally.
Some of the points raised in the documentary are as follows:
- No insurance cover for dancers in case of any injury while on set.
- Dancers are not accorded the respect they deserve. Instead, they are tagged as “YOU ARE JUST A DANCER”.
- Dancers are paid less for long hours of work done.
The dancers are therefore asking musicians and any other persons who hire their services to pay them the due amount. What will music videos be without dancers? It is time to agree that, dancers are as important as the musicians and should be accorded the same amount of respect.
Watch the documentary below: