Wiig dances into Grammy lore
Actress and comedian proves during Sia performance she’s also got moves — who knew?
Had wall-facing singer Sia turned around while performing her hit “Chandelier” at Sunday’s Grammys she would have seen Kristen Wiig stealing the show.
It turns out writer-actress Wiig, who deftly handles comedy ( Saturday Night Live, Bridesmaids) as well as bittersweet drama ( The Skeleton Twins), and will join the all-female cast of the hotly anticipated Ghostbusters reboot next year, is also a very capable dancer.
Wiig studied ballet for nearly seven years, according to a 2011 New York Times profile.
“She would like to do more dancing, she says,” the story continues. “She might design furniture one day. She is interested in fashion. She used to write poetry.” Unannounced before her performance, Wiig donned Sia’s trademark choppy platinum pageboy wig, throwing herself into a loose-limbed interpretive dance that was alternately furious and touching, with just enough wackiness to make sure we knew it was her.
Wiig and her dance partner, diminutive 12-year-old Maddie Ziegler, each yanked the other’s tearaway costume free to reveal nude leotards. The elfin Ziegler, star of Dance Moms, is the publicity-shy Sia’s “alter ego,” originating the moves in the singer’s moody music video.
Los Angeles dancer Ryan Heffington of the Sweat Spot choreographed the routine.
Australian singer/songwriter Sia Furler prefers not to look at her audiences, explaining in interviews she does not want to be “famous or recognizable,” or picked apart on websites for how she looks.
In a Late Night With Seth Meyers appearance, Lena Dunham wore a white-blond wig and a white suit to stand in for Sia, who performed face down on a bunk bed.
The “Chandelier” dance routine has also been spoofed, including performances by Jimmy Kimmel and Guillermo Rodriguez on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Jim Carrey and Kate McKinnon on SNL.
The Twitterverse soon spotted Wiig during the Grammys broadcast and an online love fest erupted.
“That was insane. Kristen Wiig can do anything,” tweeted Ellen DeGeneres, who knows a thing or two about dancing.
“Short of replacing Renée Fleming at the Met, there is obviously NOTHING Kristen Wiig can’t do,” tweeted Canadian actress Andrea Martin, who hosts the Canadian Screen Awards on March 1.
“Who knew Kristen Wiig was such an amazing dancer! Wait. I think someone put something in my drink. This ain’t right,” quipped Neil Patrick Harris, who will host the Oscars Feb. 22.
According to the Today show website, Sia hired Wiig for the performance. The singer may have been facing the wall, but she must have watched the playback, praising Wiig’s involvement as “epic honor” in a tweet, and calling Wiig’s and Ziegler’s onstage work “total bossness.”
Sia didn’t win any of the four Grammys she was nominated for, but with this performance she became the most talked-about artist at the 2015 awards, guaranteeing herself a spot in at least a few show trivia rounds.