08. M.I.A.’s Dance Moves

Before she became a divisive pop presence, M.I.A. was a film student in Philadelphia who was deep into the city’s DJ culture. And while her origin story is buried beneath the controversial interviews, polarizing lyrics, and her own sheer magnitude as musician, her live show is rooted in her roots. With a team of booty-popping backup dancers, M.I.A. provided a blueprint for breaking it down to her music (and just how much legwork is necessary to do so). She was doing so much eagle work, at points, she would have to sit down on the stage just to continue rapping. The few instances in which she had her DJ shut off a song mid-performance were disorienting, but she looked like she was having so much fun dropping it to the stage floor, it outweighed those blips.