Groundbreaking. Historic. Black. These are just a few words that can describe the monumental performance that was Beyoncé’s weekend one Coachella set. But just when you think Bey’s pulled out all the stops, it appears she’s got a few more things up her sleeve.
According to an exclusive report from Variety, one dancer says there are even more surprises in store for weekend two’s performance. “Yeah, we’re switching up a couple things, so there could still be a wow factor,” teased dancer Jo’Artis Mijo Ratti, who performed alongside Beyoncé last weekend.
Unfortunately, for all those watching at home, we won’t be able to witness this second rendition online. While the first performance was livestreamed, YouTube confirmed with Variety that this second one won’t be.
Last weekend Bey staged a Destiny’s Child reunion, brought Solange out on stage, and performed with her hubby Jay Z—with whom she’s about to go on a joint tour with for the second time. Jay Z was reportedly super involved in the months of rehearsals and planning Bey put into the epic performance. “I’m an underground man, so I never thought that I would be at rehearsals busting a move, and Jay Z is out here hyping me up,” Ratti recalled. “That’s crazy, I would have never thought it was a regular [occurrence] at her rehearsals.”
Ratti also talked a bit about what it was like to work with the Queen B. “She’s like an auntie,” he said. “Super-kind and very particular about what she wants. It made me do even better because I understand that she’s a real artist. She’s not just letting somebody take over her vision.”
It’s no surprise that Bey is meticulous, she’s a Virgo after all. She not only cared about how the performance would appear to the crowd, but how it would come across on the livestream for all the viewers at home. “We spent so many days just blocking for camera,” Ratti said. “There were so many people from cinematography coming in, rigs, the camera work was incredible. Their post-production is just as important as the on-stage performance, and they really took time to figure that out.”
Bey’s performance was undeniably black, and a display of the excellence and tradition that comes out of black institutions like HBCUs. Bey’s own mom, Tina Knowles-Lawson, expressed fear that the mostly white Coachella audience would be confused by the performance, but that didn't stop the singer from doing a rendition of “Lift Every Voice,” widely regarded as the black national anthem.
“I believe the majority of black artists want to celebrate African-American history, invite people to a culture that is not exposed to the majority—to continue to push equality and fight for a cause that is now, kind of, not so subtle,” Ratti told Variety. “That’s what I believe she was trying to do.”
