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This video is a dance tutorial followed by the routine in full
To skip to the routine go to 11:55

Blond ambition

Ok. Deep breath. I don’t know where to start with this one. My mind has been whirring with internal conversations about TS for years now. And those conversations are part of a much larger narrative for me and sum up probably the greatest peeve of my small existence. Which is simply, the denigration of pop music as not serious. Not worthy. Easy. Stupid. Throwaway. The assumption that if you dare to like pop music it surely means you’re an idiot with terrible ‘taste’…unless of course you’re being ironic and cool? Oh, well in that case, it’s fine. Go ahead. Except, it isn’t ok is it. ‘Cause really people love to sneer if you openly enjoy pop. The judgement is always the same – if you like that shiny thing over there you can’t possibly understand this weighty, grown up thing over here.  And this kind of dumb snobbery (rife!!) filters down to my choreography, which suffers exactly the same fate (just don’t ever call it cheesy)…

And so to Taylor Swift. Who somehow encapsulates the many furies I’ve felt on this topic. We’ve all watched the ascension of TS from C&W wunderkind to global pop sensation. A super talented songwriter. Smart as a whip. Activist. Feminist. Generous human being. All kinds of good grown up stuff. And yet, is this what springs to mind at the mention of her name? Sadly, no. More like oh she’s so annoying. Always with the boyfriends and the drama. Always with the frothy songs charting a life spent in pursuit of a man etc .etc. These perceptions so outweigh what she’s actually DONE (a lot). And when I try to unpick why this might be, I can only think it’s a combination of the pop music thing – as in, however good this is, it can never be THAT good – mixed with some kind of casual misogyny that refuses to see her as anything more than a pretty, blond, unthreatening GIRL. No one questions Rihanna or Ariana’s boyfriend count. Nor does Adele get berated for her lyrical content. But for Taylor, having/writing about relationships is seen as weakness. Proof that she is no more than a giddy child. Like writing about LOVE hasn’t been a thing in music since forever. Come on! There are people who have only written that stuff their entire careers and are revered as high minded poets. When Ryan Adams covered 1989 in its entirety I was left agog at the reviews. I mean, I think his intentions were totally to show respect BUT, holy moly, the reviews! They all, in one way or another, suggested that those songs, once safely in the hands of white-male-with-guitar, were transformed and newly blessed with a gravity previously lacking. Eugh. Madness. And then we have Folklore. The lockdown masterpiece. Not my words. Everyone went mad for this record, which felt like real payback for her. BUT (sadly there is a but) I started to notice a recurring theme in every review, every bit of radio play, every interview. Which was that within the first, ooh, two sentences the same thing: ‘this record was produced by Blah from The Blah and has a duet with Blah Blah’. Phew. We can all relax. It’s ok to like this record!  Cool people (men) are involved. Oh boy. That one small sentence when repeated over and over steadily eroded her achievement and seemed to act as an explanation of how it was possible for Taylor Swift to make a credible record. For purposes of research, I looked at reviews for other ‘cooler’ female artists who I imagine have a similar working relationship with their producers – Robyn, Roisin etc.- and whilst their supercool collaborators got a nod in every review the success was still roundly theirs. And when you look at the glorious middle ages of Madonna (William Orbit, Mirwais, Stuart Price) the fact that she chose those people was seen as evidence of her pop genius. Clever Madonna. With Taylor it’s more like thank goodness these clever serious people (men!) came along to save her.

There is a slight postscript to this rant in the form of Evermore, the surprise ‘sister’ record, and its’ reviews which did seem to be more about Taylor and what these two albums say about her evolution as an artist and lyricist (as opposed to piling on the praise but always with the ‘she had help’ caveat). I’m not interested in whether people like or dislike what she’s doing, I only ask that she get a fair trial…

Phew. I need to draw a line under this. TLTR.  But I can’t sign off without a quick outpouring of love for Folklore (and actually, Evermore just as much really). My album(s) of the year. Heart.

For Ella. She had a marvellous time ruining everything (ha ha. Not really).

Disclaimer: These are not virtuoso performances. Just me, in an attic, grappling with an iPhone, creaky floorboards and my own inability to get through a take without numerous blunders. The sound is a bit ropey and the dancing could be better. No left or right instructions – do whatever feels most natural to you…mirror me or flip it and use the same arms and legs as I do. Dancers’ choice. And remember, these routines are designed to be simple and repetitive enough to learn fairly quickly but hopefully have enough substance to bring some dancing joy.

This one is maybe a bit challenging – not technically, but it’s very dense choreographically (if that’s a thing). It’s taken me MONTHS (no, really) to finish because I found it hard to make the choreo live up to the song so it’s pretty overworked. I love it but then what do I know? It’s def a test of musicality and coordination so good for brain and body, but it will require a certain amount of commitment (time!) so be warned…

Notes to self: Wobble wobble wobble. How many times can a person say ‘so’ in a 10 minute window? Many many times apparently. Just do better please Marianne.

Next: Wild Horses. The Rolling Stones
Before: I’m Not Gonna Let. Colonel Abrams