Missy Elliott puts on a masterclass in choreography and costume changes at the 2019 VMAs
Aux Features Music
At tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards, Missy Elliott was presented with the Video Vanguard award, signifying her many, many contributions to the music world and pop culture in general. Before that, though, she got a chance to show everyone why she deserved that award in the first place with a ridiculous, elaborate, and all-around awesome medley of her biggest hits—and biggest music videos. In her acceptance speech at the end, Missy Elliott made a point to highlight the work of dancers, saying they’re more than just background decoration, and her performance was pretty much entirely dedicated to proving that dancers are pretty damn cool. Oh sure, Missy Elliott was there, flying through the sky, dancing as a scarecrow, and pulling off seemingly effortless and instantaneous costume changes, but it was her team of dancers that stepped up and did cool shit while she made that stuff happen. In conclusion: Missy Elliott is cool and dancers are also cool. You can see the whole seven-minute performance below.
65 Comments
That guy in the header picture below Missy has got some serious tongue action going on.
There’s just so little Missy. It’s an impressive production but I would’ve traded it for more of a performance.
She’s a little rusty for sure. A nice little tour with some rehearsals and she’ll be all the way back. It would have taken me like 6 months to pull off just what she did tonight, so I think she’ll be fine.
A little rusty? 99% of the non-entertainers couldn’t do what she did last night. Stop.
“Her rapping, dancing, choreography, and overall swagger didn’t feel as effortless as I think they should. She should hit the gym.”- The Internet
At age 48, no less! A-maz-ing.
I wouldn’t have cared if Missy went out there and rapped in a recliner ala Common on his latest tour (which is awesome, y’all check it if you can) for 8 minutes, I would have been there for every second and I don’t even care for MTV like that and never really have for reasons.
rapped in a recliner ala Common on his latest tour (which is awesome, y’all check it if you can)October 7 at the Fillmore in Detroit, baby.
You gonna love it! Protip: bring some earplugs, just in case. If the Fillmore is anything like the Agora in Cleveland, where I saw the show, those old buildings, built for acoustics, will amplify the hell out of those speakers and blast your eardrums.
Yup Husky. Missy can’t do any wrong in my eyes. I’m glad MTV is giving her some respect. People tuned in to that channel to see what she brought next, even her “cribs” episode was tops.
It wasn’t a crack. That shit is hard work.
See you in six months!
If they’d cut the feed of whoever had their camera jammed up Taylor Swift’s nose, it would’ve been several minutes longer.
Seriously. Like I know this is just MTV being MTV and pandering, but I would have loved seeing crowd reaction shots from some real Missy fans instead of all the Famous White People.
Just show the damn performance! If I’m at a show, I don’t look around at how everyone’s reacting. Who cares?
I would like to propose a permanent ban on crowd reaction shots during live performances. If I’m watching intricate dancing, stand up comedy, fight choreography, a presidential debate, or… ANYTHING, really – I don’t give a shit what T-Swizzle or Joey Jabroni think or feel in that particular moment. I want to see the show.
Rent-free
Tay and the Hadid Sisters. Smh.
Oh right, real celebrities. My mistake.lol kids
Also the random models.
Right? I didn’t need to see her Princess Wavy Hands act for 30 seconds. Train those cameras on the people working on stage.
I know right? I was like “Okay, we get it, Taylor Swift’s here.” It wouldn’t bother me if it didn’t linger just on her for an unnecessary amount of time.
The less I see of her pinched little duck face, the better.
Had her speech and this performance not been dedicated to dancers I might agree with you; however it appears she did not want the spotlight, but the focus to be on the dancers and their craft.
Missy Elliott consistently manages to be a full decade ahead of us no matter what.
1000000 percent. When she appeared at the superbowl, I was beyond pumped and my girls, who are teenagers, had never heard of her. I showed them a couple of her videos and they were completely blown away. She was more modern and ahead of the game 15 years ago than most artists are today. Also I can’t believe the article didn’t mention that Alyson Stoner made a appearance too! (in the yellow track suit)
So glad someone else noticed! That shit hit me right in the childhood…Also dayum.
Correction: Daaaaaaaaayum
I completely missed that it was the same dancer! I love this tidbit.
I was so happy to see Alyson there. And she looked phenomenal, but she’s a dancer so of course she’s gonna look great. I was thrilled they brought her out, and she did her thing. Missy always created rising tides for her crew. Her performance was amazing. I wish I were there, so I didn’t have to see 10 minutes of Taylor Swift’s nose, dumbest camera work ever.
Dang, I had no idea.
Alyson Stoner killed that shit! I had no idea she could still bring it like that! Damn!
Thanks for pointing this out – had NO IDEA it was her!
damn straight. Missy just phoning back from 2030 at all times.
I’m so glad she’s back and getting the adulation she deserves. I know she had some health issues that kept her from her normal amount of super success, but with her recent album and this, yay!
From what I’m reading, she has produced a lot more artists over the years (when she disappeared from view for a while) than I ever realized, and she reports that she’s in the studio daily, no matter what. I wonder if there will be a vault opened when she leaves us, like Prince.
I watched the clips of Lizzo and Missy’s performances. And I watched them again. And again.When Missy got to Get Your Freak On, it took me back to her and Michelle Obama singing it together. Oh those heady and wonderful days.
And the Queen stays Queen.
“Hey, at 3:30, is that the kid dancer from the original Work It video?” Checks Google.It sure is!
https://ew.com/music/2019/08/26/missy-elliott-brings-out-dancer-alyson-stoner-for-work-it-during-epic-medley-performance/
That dude being sucked up by the UFO at 4:34 is amazing.
…Was he not a hologram?
Dammit I think you’re right. Coulda sworn it was someone on a wire. Now I’m slightly annoyed that they didn’t have a whole bunch more dudes being sucked up by the UFO, but it’s still amazing.
I do wish there were a version without constant cutaways to people in the audience dancing. I don’t care about the people in the audience.
There were three cutaways to Taylor Swift. It’s fun to see celebrities enjoying the performance but that was overkill.
I’m still wrestling with the revelation that MTV still exists and people still give it the time of day.Really? For real?Huh?Wow…….And I really like Missy…but I’m sure I ve seen that whole performance/choreography/routine/production before….with a dozen different ‘contemporary’ artists.I’d tell you to get off my lawn but I live in an apartment….so fuck it.
Missy is as great as ever.Crowd shots: y’all were toddlers/babies when this came out; and you need to triple your choreographer’s pay because they are obviously doing a LOT of work with you.
It’s hard to type a reply when I’m still dancing!
Someone explain to me why Missy Elliott hasn’t had her own halftime show instead of playing second fiddle to Katy Perry that one time? She could do it this year with Lizzo showing up to duet on “Tempo”.
Meh didnt even know the America hating VMAs were on. Who watches this stuff anymore? Sheeple?
The whole thing was awesome but I rewatched that first dancer in yellow like 10 times, so cool!
The Super Bowl could just replay that video for this year’s halftime show, and it’d still be the best one of the last decade.
She performed with Katy Perry a few years ago but she deserved the stage all to herself. I’ve watched this MTV performance multiple times and its typical Missy; creative and fun details everywhere on stage. It’d fit well at the Super Bowl but at the same time, the Super Bowl doesn’t deserve her.
I see that MTV still has no idea how to film a live performance.
We just not gonna talk about how Alyson Stoner came back to reenact her dance sequence at 3:29? Ok…
I can’t believe they missed it. Real journalists we have here. (eye roll)
Get off my lawn if you want, but I’m not sure what business “M”TV has running the “VM”As anymore. It’d be more fitting if it were an Alphabet-hosted award show given the way the music video industry has gone.
Always a softspot for a VMA medley
I grew up during her stardom. I felt nothing watching that video. Do something fun, unlike that, for Cash Money.
Who ?
I have never been a fan; I am today.
And if we as a world are turning toward Missy and Lizzo, it can’t come soon enough.
They need to rename that fuckin award
So, is it just me or is there ZERO diversity among the dancers in Missy’s performance?
This was a great performance. Missy has still got it. Gotta fire the show producer though. There is zero reason to show crowd reaction during a performance that great. I want to see Alyson Stoner and the male yellow suit dancer’s awesome choreography, not shots of Taylor Swift and 20 something year old models struggling to remember the words of iconic songs.
I’ll cop to it: she busted out the black inflatable suit, I squeed.
Seeing the crowd show Missy all that love is beautiful.