Dancing in the Dark

Oh, man, the video for Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" is just as gorgeous, and just as emotionally precise as I'd hoped it would be:



I like about this something I've liked about a lot of Robyn's videos.  She looks beautiful, of course: she's impeccably, if funkily dressed.  But she's also kind of a mess, from the opening shot of her shaking hands, to her somewhat awkward dancing.  I really appreciate that the video makes clear how alienating and nerve-wracking clubs can be, especially when that acknowledgement is coming from someone who is basically a dance artist with intense, interesting indie tendencies.  One of the reasons I almost never go out dancing is because it's hard to find a good group of people to go out with, and as a somewhat small person, in dark, crowded spaces I often can't see or navigate comfortably or well.  Dancing can be great if the DJ's good, if you're with the right crowd.  But if you're not in a great place emotionally, a club can be a pretty overwhelming physical location.  Robyn's strength is that she can make music that lives in those kinds of contradictions.