I Know Music Video - By Blood Orange

MUSIC: I Know

ARTIST: Blood Orange

As a dancer, I have a soft spot for any artist that features dance. Devonté Hynes, the singer/songwriter behind Blood Orange, loves to incorporate elements of dance in his videos, through stunning choreography, free spirited movement, and the work of many talented dancers. Hynes himself often joins in on the choreography, establishing his own unique performance style.

"I Know" is the penultimate track from Freetown Sound, Hynes' recently published 2016 album, and is powered by reverberating synths and heartfelt lyrics. Equally sincere is the video for "I Know", which featured both Devonté Hynes and Maria Kochetkova, a Principal Dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. The video, directed by Hynes and Tracy Antonopoulos, begins with a deceptive shot of Hynes singing into a mirror and pans out to a larger studio. Hynes, dressed in all white, contrasts with Kochetkova, dressed in all black. Their playful interactions border on structured choreography and impromptu dance lesson. Kochetkova's trained and technical movements compliment Hynes' own contemporary style, especially towards the beginning of the video when they mirror each other's actions in a call-and-response sequence. The video is both earnest and aesthetically pleasing, taking a simple set-up and including both light-hearted play and heavily rehearsed partnering. The video shows a stark love of dance, rehearsed, spontaneous, and silly, and how each dancer can embody their own distinct style to showcase their passion for movement. ​