Video: Batdance

1988: I Wish U Heaven ◄

Music Videos (Prince)

Music Videos (Related Artists)

► 1989: Partyman

Batdance

Music Video details First aired: Week of 19 June 1989 Producer(s): Greg Feinberg (Propaganda Films) Director: Albert Magnoli Related home video/DVD: Nothing Compares 2 Him Batman (2-DVD Special Edition) First (Commercially) Released: 18 October 2005 Awards Date Institution, Country Award This music video has not received any awards in the USA

Batdance is a Prince video released for broadcast and to promote the single. The video was directed by Albert Magnoli, director of Purple Rain and Sign O’ The Times, and who by 1989 also acted as Prince’s manager. The video was to be choreographed by Paula Abdul, but this could not be done due to scheduling conflicts. Shooting took place on 27 & 28 May 1989. The video features Prince as himself (surrounded by his instruments) while he watches a complexly choreographed ballet of Batman, Joker and Vicki Vale dancers. In their midst is also the Prince-invented character 'Gemini', (played by Prince) whose right half is Batman (without the face mask) and left half is The Joker (complete with face paint and green hair). The half good / half bad 'character' seems an unintentional reference to 'Twoface', another famous Batman character. As 'himself' Prince plays various keyboards and a bass guitar, while he watches the ballet on a bat logo shaped screen. The Gemini character sees himself surrounded by five Batman- and five Joker dancers who fight-dance their way through the song, meanwhile never interacting with Gemini who sings Prince’s lines from the song. For the second part of the song (the Vicki Vale part) the five Vicki Vale-dancers make their entrance and are being harressed by the Joker dancers. The electric chair from the lyrics is also depicted, with smoke coming off it as if an execution had just taken place on it. Eventually the video ends with Gemini hitting a detonator, exploding it. Shooting Information Shooting Sessions Date Location Additional info 27 & 28 May 1989 Culver Studios, Culver City, CA, USA (assumed) Cast Prince Five (unidentified) Batman dancers Five (unidentified) Joker dancers Five (unidentified) Vicki Vale dancers Crew Greg Feinberg - producer (Propaganda Films) Albert Magnoli - director Barry Lather - choreography Marc Reshovsky - cinematography Helen Hiatt - costume design Susan Stella - costume design Robyn Lynch - make-up (Prince) Jim Bienke - make-up and masks More information needed Versions Released Versions Title Length Released Version Additional info Batdance 6:51 Nothing Compares 2 Him (1990) Batman 2-DVD Special Edition (2005) Prince streaming video platforms (2017) Released for sale as separate track on iTunes (2017) long version Broadcasts/streaming (only) Title Length Released Version Additional info Batdance 4:49 promo only short version Batdance 4:10 promo only The Batmix Edit Batdance 4:12 promo only Vicki Vale Mix Edit

Additional Information See Also Quotation & triva Batdance Batdance (single) Two seldom seen variations of the Batdance video exist, "Bat Mix" and "Vicki Vale Mix". These two videos were made up of alternate and some unused footage from the regular Batdance video. Nominations: - Best Video: 10th BPI Awards (18 February 1990). - Best Music Video: 4th Soul Train Awards (14 March 1990). - Best Video from a Film: 1990 MTV Video Music Awards (6 September 1990) Footage of Batdance was later included in the Nothing Compares 2 U and Purple Medley videos. References The Vault: The Definitive Guide to the Musical World of Prince (2004) Awards: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_MTV_Video_Music_Awards

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1988 I Wish U Heaven

Music Videos (Prince)

Music Videos (Related Artists)

1989 Partyman

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