When Beyoncé took to the stage at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards this past Sunday (May 22), she gave what was, quite possibly, the performance of her lifetime. It certainly ranks up there among the most memorable in the award show’s history. Honored with the Billboard Millennium Award, Beyoncé performed her current single, ‘Run the World (Girls)’ while dancing and interacting with high-tech video projections synced behind her.
Indeed, the word “epic” comes to mind, as it was a dazzling marriage of choreography and technology, the likes of which have rarely been seen on live television. However, some have argued that the word “groundbreaking” might be misleading — Beyoncé’s performance may have been unique in its execution, but the basic idea actually came from a performance by Italian pop singer Lorella Cuccerini in 2010. The visuals, dancing and even sequencing are remarkably similar at points. That’s no coincidence, nor is it a rip-off. Rather, Beyoncé acknowledges the direct influence.
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