True Love DOES Exist? Phew

September 27, 2014

Lurv. (Photo by Nicole Lewis)

Keone and Mari Madrid’s work never fails to give me all of the feels. There’s just something so honest about their choreography and the way they dance—whether it’s happy, sad or somewhere in between.

Their newest video to Sam Smith’s “Make It to Me” is no exception. The song talks about the concept of one true love—the idea that someone out there is “designed” for you. No one would argue with the fact that these two were designed for one another. I mean, they’re literally perfect. And they manage to convey this concept in a way that’s simultaneously subtle and poignant.

There are no bells and whistles to this video: The couple performs in front of a red curtain on a blank stage. And they don’t rely on overt, gestural movement to act out the story. Instead, they make smart use of an outward focus to get the idea across. Even though Keone and Mari dance together, they don’t really make eye contact (until the end). It’s as if they’re searching for someone, not realizing that someone’s already there, also searching. It’s kind of brilliant.

Enjoy!