It’s a YouTube dance video you have to share with a friend, or you won’t be able to watch it properly.
That’s because YouTuber choreographers Keone and Mari Madrid’s new video breaks the mold of dance on the platform by requiring more than one screen to view their piece.
“I haven’t seen a video that actually forces a user to create the experience for themselves in order to experience it correctly,” explained Keone. “It forces people to come together essentially, because you can’t experience it without another person. While that might not be the most brilliant idea in terms of getting views, it’s so awesome that it can bring people together, even if it’s for three minutes.”
The married duo produced the segment with Field Day, YouTube’s program that empowers creators to try something new on the platform with the company’s help.
To make the video concept work, you need two devices. Once you’ve opened up each video on a separate device and positioned them next to each other, you press play at the same time and watch the dance unfold across two screens in surprising ways. Items fly between the screens, even sound swaps from one area to the next.
“It’s essentially two videos in one thing, and it was a big challenge to make sure [each dance] relates to the other. A lot of the time, we were just guessing if it was going to work,” said Keone.
If you recognize Keone and Mari, that’s because they’re also the stars of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” video.
Now the Madrids are in Amsterdam, working on a musical set to open in April that uses 3D projection along with physical sets. It’s just another way for them to offer new experiences to people through dance.
“We want people to see dancing as more than what you normally see,” Keone said. “We wanted to give people a different experience with what dance can bring them.”
Screengrab via Field Day/YouTube