he year was 1983 when David Bowie wanted us to dance. He did so by releasing an album called Let’s Dance as well as a single of the same name. Just listen to the opening notes of the single and you will immediately notice that it has that factor that all great dance tracks possess. One of the most iconic musicians who is still remembered because of his ability to cut across generations with his music, Bowie was onto something. As was Whitney Houston and artists who have been mentioned before here.

Grey’s Anatomy, one of the most successful medical dramas on a network in history, roped in actor and dancer (who also teaches dance) as irregular cast member and executive producer Debbie Allen, which led to some of the show’s most beautiful moments giving us a cast that could dance it out particularly during crucial moments across seasons. In fact, even before her entrance to the show, dance was shown as something therapeutic, with the narrative of the series building on its blazing power since season one in 2005.

In Pakistan, looking down upon the art of dancing is blatant and common. However, dance is used in various ways and for various reasons. Academic studies have confirmed it. When not looking down on it, Pakistan, at large, also suffers from another issue: dancing with reckless abandon beyond artists, performers, individuals, choreographers and dance groups. When a society is as closed off as ours, this amount of caution is an automatic outcome. Truth be told, dancing is not some form of anathema. It is a delightful artform, worthy of respect and must be given space to truly shine.

As we look into the history of dance in Pakistan, and research the subject thoroughly, it requires another article. While we collect that information, the goal right now is to simply elevate your mood, carrying you to a happier place. To that end, here is one video you should see and for better results try dancing to it. Blanchett is harder to imitate than your average shaadi-disco mixture of a song from both sides of the border...

Cate Blanchett in a music video by Sparks

Australian actor and two-time Academy Award winner came very close to picking up a third trophy at the 2023 Academy Awards for her performance in as Lydia Tar in Tar. In between promoting the film and picking up several critics’ awards, attending film festivals, she somehow found time to unleash the dancer in her as she appears in a music video for Sparks.

Wearing a bright yellow suit, she is basically dancing in this wild, quirky manner that has made so many of us check out who the band is. You can try and imitate her moves but it will not be easy. We have tried. Putting on her dancing shoes for the song, ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’ by Sparks, Blanchett shows that if you leave your inhibitions behind and just dance, it has great value. The song from the band is not too bad either; it borders on amusing and Blanchett somehow adds a strangely addictive dimension to it that we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. If the notion that music videos still work is alive, look no further than ‘The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte’ with Cate Blanchett dancing. Yes, the song comes under art-pop but lyrically, it is a whole lot of fun, much like its music video.