Beyoncé has come Full Circle. Yesterday’s Super Bowl XLVII halftime performance in the round to over 20 million viewers was one GIANT MANDALA of screaming energy and a heroine’s mythic journey.
We are often quick to judge “superstars” not as creative artists, but as commercial money-making machines. In this post we look at the creative choices and underlying messages within this Pepsi-powered performance.
“Everybody put your hands towards me! Everybody – c’mon, I want to feel your energy ” ~ Beyonce, Super Bowl XLVII
Beyoncé’s performance was full-on booty-shaking electricity-blowing Goddess Power. We feel the power of her stardom, her sexiness, the dichotomy of black leather and lace. She was joined by her soul sisters Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams from Destiny’s Child, literally popping out of the Stage-Womb, like twin Athenas, born fully-formed and ready to rock. Guitarist Bibi McGill, harnessed Fire Goddess Pele’s volcanic power with her flame-shooting entrance.
This mythical performance was enhanced by the use of aerial footage of the Mandalic-stage. The illuminated floor featured Busby-Berkeleyesque human mandalas projected all around her. The stage also featured her twin profiles – face-to-face – as she conjured up the contradiction of duality. Perhaps the yin-yang effect marks her connection to Sasha Fierce, Beyoncés alter-ego, as well as her fight for personal independence. This journey to center is the subject of her self-edited, directorial debut documentary “Beyoncé: Life is But a Dream” . She even learned how to use Final Cut Pro so she could be 100% hands-on for the project. Personally, I can’t wait to see this – it airs on HBO February 16th. Check it out HERE.
Scroll down for a sampling of the cosmic mandala formations from her big show.
“How do I stay current, How do I stay soulful?”
— Beyoncé, quote from her upcoming documentary.
WATCH THE FULL SHOW HERE http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/0ap2000000135280/Beyonce-Super-Bowl-XLVII-halftime-performance
Thanks Lilian! I LOVE this!
thanks for reading and commenting Dianne!
Wonderful post about the Beyonce Show! And finally (!) I know the name of the guitarist! I searched 25-30 sites last night… nobody had her name! Thanks for going the extra mile. I was off-the-charts thrilled with the Bey performance, and had previously been gleaning the pages of The Mandala Book (Lori Bailey Cunningham) and that you tied them together is a real treat! My path is becoming clearer!!!
thanks for reading! Yes, Beyonce’s performance was OTT, and glad I could help connect the dots on a few things swirling in your head. Please keep visiting and commenting, great to hear your thoughts.
wonderful analysis, lillian! i’m going to post it on fb to share with all of my goddess-loving beyonce fans.
thank you ATSTHP – so glad you find my analysis compelling enough for your dancing goddess beyonce loving fans.