Sophia Michaels
Olivia Rodrigo’s macabre heartbreak anthem “Vampire” is like a wooden stake through the heart, but Kyle Hanagami and his dance crew are here to heal our emotional wounds with their supernaturally smooth dance moves. Inspired by the debut single from Rodrigo’s sophomore album, “Guts,” Hanagami’s choreography is sorrowful, spooky, and packed with the kind of emotion that would leave even the moodiest vampires in awe.
The first group to execute the routine — Haley Fitzgerald, Haley Jonae, and Maycee Steele — delivered a fluid performance with moments of thoughtful nonchalance. A casual flip of the wrist or turn of the head punctuated the song’s most temperamental moments before the crew went all out at the crescendo. A second group — Eloise Harpas and Dougal Herr — delivered an equally impassioned performance, playing off each other beautifully to illustrate the failed romance referenced in the song’s lyrics.
One dancer, Sean Lew, approached the routine alone, wowing his fellow dancers with his seemingly effortless movements and artistic flare. At one point, Lew threw himself on the ground after miming a vampire attack. Later in the dance, he stuck his hand under his shirt to create the illusion of his heart beating out of his chest in a cartoonish fashion as Rodrigo sang, “You can’t love anyone, ’cause that could mean you had a heart.”
Together, the dancers paid a powerful homage to Rodrigo’s new single, lighting up the comments section with their talent and commitment to the complex routine. “Wow! It struck me (at some point after the 9th replay) that this is a difficult song to choreograph to and to dance to,” one YouTube viewer commented. “Yes, the lyrics give you a lot to sink your teeth into (pardon the pun), but it takes incredible musicality to capture the abrupt change of tempo/attitude through the choreo and, equally, through the performance and freestyles. Outstanding!”
Watch Hanagami’s full “Vampire” choreography above. If you need me, I’ll be playing Rodrigo’s new track on repeat and doing my best to re-create Hanagmi’s moves at home as I wait for her new album to arrive.
