LOS ANGELES _ The Grammys' tribute to the late Prince was an energetic celebration led by R&B singer Usher, featuring an appearance by British experimental artist FKA twigs.
As Usher sang Prince's 1984 hit "When Doves Cry," the camera panned to a pole propped on a small circular stage where twigs spun upside down, showing off some of the moves she trained intensely to achieve.
After dismounting from the pole, twigs danced next to Usher in white lingerie and feathers, jumping into his arms, and at one point sassily kicking over his microphone stand. She led a group of other backup dancers _ but noticeably missing was her voice. The artist didn't sing during the tribute.
While some people on Twitter expressed their disappointment, it's hard to know whether twigs herself was offended by the choice.
The artist grew up studying dance, and after making her music debut in 2012, she continued training intensely in numerous dance styles including contemporary, vogue, krump and pole dance. Go to any twigs live show and her force as a singer is equally matched by her dance precision and technique.
Dance isn't just a background component to twigs' unique sound blending electronic music with pop and R&B: It's an essential facet of who she is as an artist.
Dance and movement have always been an integral component of her artistry. Growing up in the English countryside, twigs trained in ballet, tap, modern, and street dance. At 17, she moved to South London and became a backup dancer for British pop artists including Jessie J and Ed Sheeran.
In the early days, twigs attempted to dissociate herself from dance, telling The Times: "I really did not want to be known as a dancer. I wanted to do some movement onstage and I wanted to express myself a little bit, but I really did not want to put dance into what I do."
But dance found a way back.
She's experimented with ways to combine her music with movement, working with Hollywood choreographer Ryan Heffington, voguer Benjamin Milan, krumping troupe Wet Wipez and others from the global dance community.
After writing "Cellophane" in 2018, twigs immediately envisioned a concept of a music video featuring a pole dancer.
For a year, twigs studied intensely with L.A. choreographer and pole instructor Kelly Yvonne to make the dancing look effortless on camera. And in her recent tour for her new album, "Magdalene," twigs tap dances, does contemporary dance and the Chinese martial art wushu.
Twigs now hesitates to call herself a dancer, instead preferring the term "movement artist."
"I used to be a dancer and now I'm a mover and it's just different," she said. "I can't explain how it's different, but it just is."
