Sia has a brand new music video out, for the single “Elastic Heart,” and just like “Chandelier,” it also stars Dance Moms prodigy Maddie Ziegler. Shia LaBeouf is her co-star, and they enact a cage fight through modern dance, symbolizing the struggle between a father and his daughter to mend their broken relationship.
The video already has over 3.5 million views on Sia’s official YouTube channel and thousands of comments from viewers, debating whether it’s artsy and devastatingly beautiful, or just plain creepy and inappropriate.
You can find it embedded below, so you can decide for yourself whose side you are on.
The meaning
The video is directed by Daniel Askill and Sia herself, and features choreography by Ryan Heffington. It could be interpreted as a prequel to “Chandelier,” which came out last year and thrust the 12-year-old dancer into the spotlight – but also generated controversy regarding Sia’s alleged attempt to oversexualize a child.
If they said that when she was shown alone in a video, you can imagine what they’re saying now that she’s featured alongside a 29-year-old actor – who’s wearing nothing but dirty knickers to boot.
However, the inspiration for the video is said to be in Sia’s own troubled relationship with her father, so Maddie is the young Sia and Shia is the father figure. They struggle, they hurt each other, they’re downright violent to each other, but they also have rare moments when they know how to show their love for each other.
The end is Sia’s coming of age, with Maddie stepping out of the cage and Shia learning to let her go, despite the pain, the desperation and the tears.
Pedophilia accusations
As it happens, not few were those to see in the video an actual cage fight, in which an adult man is violent and abusive towards a child – and pedophilia accusations started pouring freely from all sides.
Things got so bad so quickly that Sia was left with no other option but to address the accusations on her Twitter: she says the two actors in the video represent two “warring Sias” and admits that she imagined the release would cause some controversy.
However, she stresses, there is no need for that, because there is nothing perverted about the video: it’s only meant to “create emotional content” by telling a story. So if there’s nothing inappropriate about the video, whatever is perceived this way must be a projection of whoever is watching.
What do you think?
I anticipated some 'pedophelia!!!' Cries for this video. All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the only actors I felt could play
— sia (@Sia) January 8, 2015
These two warring 'sia' self states.
— sia (@Sia) January 8, 2015
I apologize to those who feel triggered by #ElasticHeart My intention was to create some emotional content, not to upset anybody. 🙏
— sia (@Sia) January 8, 2015