Is This Love?
It might just be. Recently, an incredible dance duo performed a stellar routine to Bob Marley’s popular reggae piece “Is This Love.”
The video starts with a muted grayscale color palette. A couple walks out into the center of what appears to be a large dance studio.
They slowly make their way across the room, but something’s clearly a little off. The duo’s dressed up as… an elderly couple?
Yep, both members sport clothes and props to appear much older.
One has a large white wig with comically large “grandma glasses.” The other dancer wears a red shirt, a bucket hat, and a set of old-timey (but super cool) flip-up glasses.
He grabs a nearby post for support, holding his “aching” back.
The smooth reggae of “Is This Love” sounds over the loudspeakers. The opening instrumental’s met with little to no motion by the dancers.
Then, the piano kicks in.
The duo comes to life, playing imaginary keys to the music. Their gestures are perfectly precise and in-line with the rhythm.
The crowd lets out an interested “Ahhh!!!”
I agree completely.
“Is This Love” is one of Bob Marley’s classics, originally released in 1978. Along with dozens of his other songs, “Is This Love” has been incorporated into broader American musical culture.
“I want to love you and treat you right
I want to love you every day and every night”
The dynamic duo locks arms and sways along to the lyrics. They look into each other’s eyes, smiling. They look like they truly love each other. We need more of that in the world.
Hmm, is this love?
The dancers put their hands on their hips and make comical faces towards one another.
A dash of humor’s sprinkled throughout the performance.
The performer in red shoots his arms above their heads, forming a “roof,” right in line with the lyrics.
“We’ll be together with a roof right over our heads
We’ll share the shelter of my single bed”
The duo continues with a flurry of incredible, intertwined choreography.
Their couple combinations are absolutely flawless. The chorography’s both playful and thought-provoking. Everything’s tastefully reflective of the lyrics.
The performers stand in a small, single-file line.
They begin a series of intricate gestures to the rhythm of Marley’s opus.
You’ll probably never see another dance quite like this.
Their performance is necessarily intimate, stressing the magic and power of love. Bob Marley continues to wail,
“Is this love – is this love – is this love
Is this love that I’m feeling?”
Bob Marley’s practically a pillar of musical history and arguably the greatest reggae artist of all time.
Millions of Americans hear his music every single day.
Most have heard all the songs from his compilation album, Legend, but his individual albums – technically Bob Marley and The Wailers – are also incredible, including Catch a Fire, Burnin’, Natty Dread, and Exodus. I highly recommend each and every one of them. In fact, most of the songs on his compilation albums come directly from those albums.
Coincidentally, “Is This Love” is the very first song from the Legend compilation album.
The duo brings out some imaginary mime-like tools, including a rope.
The red-shirted performer seemingly lasso’s his partner, prompting some fantastic duo choreography.
Mimes would be proud.
The imaginary rope pulls the performer with the Converses upright against an invisible force.
They then perform a fast finale, ending their dance, hand in hand.
The audience gives them an exuberant applause. Howls, even.
They absolutely deserve it. Their performance was incredibly moving, with themes of love and humanity.
Their acting’s phenomenal too.
The color filter shifts back to grayscale. They proceed to walk off gingerly, just as they came.
The performance was incredible – technically precise, unique, and heartwarming.
The audience continues their consistent, seemingly endless applause until the couple’s completely out of sight.
This incredible dancing duo wonderfully demonstrates the power of dance and love. The video’s already been viewed over 193 thousand times.
Definitely check out their amazing performance below!
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