#FBF: The Danciest Moments in Super Bowl Halftime History

February 4, 2016

Ah, the Super Bowl halftime show. For dance fans, it’s, well, the Super Bowl of live performances. It’s the glorious moment when literally hundreds of millions of people see 12 solid minutes of dancers (and, OK, giant musical acts) being amazing.

Of course, not every halftime show is a dancestravaganza. I mean, for what felt like 100 years following 2004’s Nipplegate (oh, I so want to hashtag that, but it’s FROM A PRE-HASHTAG WORLD, GUYS), the Super Bowl powers that be chose old rock-and-roll headliners, who were less inclined to get their dance on and more inclined to, um, sit at pianos.

But other years? Other years, we got lucky. Other years, we got MJ. Or Britney. Or Madonna. OR BEYONCÉ.

In honor of this Sunday’s sure-to-be dance-filled spectacular (Beyyyyyy we’re so glad you’re back!), we put together a little #FBF list of the danciest moments in Super Bowl halftime history. And it starts in the 90s, which is when the halftime show as we know it really became a thing. (Before that, it was mostly just marching bands, believe it or not.)

Meeeemorieeeeeeesss!

1991: New Kids on the Block

OK, yes: There’s an awkward Disney “It’s a Small World” opening. But push through it, because afterward we get the slickly choreographed beauty of that glorious 90s phenomenon, the boy band:

1993: Michael Jackson

Here’s what’s most amazing about this performance, which essentially pioneered the modern Super Bowl halftime spectacle: MJ JUST STOOD THERE FOR A SOLID MINUTE. He was so charismatic that that was literally all it took to drive the crowd insane. But then he started dancing, and—I’ll shut up now. Just watch him:

2001: Aerosmith, ‘N Sync, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Nelly

Can you tell that MTV had started presenting the halftime show at this point? Basically their approach was to take all the people who had top 40 hits and throw them onstage together. Luckily, in 2001, that group included both ‘N Sync and Britney, which meant we were in for some solid choreography (THE “BYE BYE BYE” DANCE <3<3<3):

2004: Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake (et al)

Yeah, Nelly and Kid Rock and the artist then known as Diddy also performed. But this one was all about the dance stylings of Janet and Justin—not to mention the appearance of one infamous, star-adorned nipple (yes, it’s in this video, so proceed with school/work-appropriate caution):

2011: The Black Eyed Peas, Usher

Oof, the post-Janet boob years were long, dull and dance-less. (The Who? Bruce Springsteen? Tom Petty? The Rolling Stones? At least Dad was happy.) But then the Black Eyed Peas flew in on their futuristic stripper poles and brought choreography—specifically, choreography of the fluorescent-light-suit variety—back, as did one of our favorite MJ protégés, Usher:

2012: Madonna, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., Cee-Lo Green

Leave it to Madge (and Lil Buck! and that crazy tightrope bouncer!) to cement dancing’s return to the Super Bowl:

2013: Beyoncé

YESSSSSS!!!
YES YES YES. Bless the Super Bowl crew for knowing that Queen Bey didn’t need 15 other guest acts to make her halftime show the most #flawless of all time:

2014: Bruno Mars, Red Hot Chili Peppers

I’ll admit it: After the amazingness of 2013’s halftime show, I came into this one with low expectations. But Bruno Mars’ high-energy, old-school choreography was surprisingly delightful, wasn’t it?

2015: Katy Perry, Missy Elliott

Left Shark got all the love
, but we were most impressed with Missy’s crew of phenomenal kids:

So, what dance goodies will BeyBey and Bruno Mars (and, um, Coldplay, I guess) bring us this year? We’ll have a full recap right here on Monday morning, of course.

And with that: Go forth into Super Bowl weekend, friends! Enjoy the dancing! Maybe enjoy the football, too, if it’s your thing! Definitely enjoy lots of nachos!


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