Los Angeles Times

Coachella showcased the power and joy of dance

INDIO, Calif. - Janelle Monae, at the start of her performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, appeared alone at the top of a tiered, white pyramid-like structure.

She wasn't alone for long, though. After a few bars of the Prince-esque "Crazy, Classic, Life," dancers would emerge. And as the set progressed, she would be joined by a small army of 18 performers, all dressed in black and white checkered bodysuits and red jackets, and all choreographed to reflect the tone of her music - femininity at its most powerful, celebratory and individualized.

The dancers were a constant presence and force throughout the 50-minute set, a group of best friends, her personal

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times6 min readAmerican Government
Young Voters Don't Give Biden Credit For Passing The Biggest Climate Bill In History
President Joe Biden spent his Earth Day in a national forest this year with an explicit pitch to young people: a climate jobs corps intended to excite Gen Z the way John F. Kennedy's Peace Corps inspired their grandparents. Biden took a selfie with R
Los Angeles Times3 min readAmerican Government
LZ Granderson: Trump's Racist 'Welfare' Dog Whistle Is Nonsense Just Like Reagan's
Donald Trump took his dog whistle down to Florida last weekend, where he reportedly told a room full of donors: "When you are Democrat, you start off essentially at 40% because you have civil service, you have the unions and you have welfare." He the
Los Angeles Times6 min read
A Tale Of Two Downtowns In LA: As Offices Languish, Apartments Thrive
By many measures, downtown Los Angeles’ newest apartment tower is over the top with such gilded flourishes as stone tiles from Spain lining the elevator cabs and hand-troweled Italian plaster on interior walls. Hummingbirds have somehow found the fru

Related Books & Audiobooks