The National‘s new video for their Sleep Well Beast song “Dark Side of the Gym” is a ballet film, choreographed and performed by New York City Ballet resident choreographer Justin Peck alongside his real-life partner, former Miami City Ballet principal dancer Patricia Delgado. The video is set, of course, in a coolly lit gymnasium, where heaps of grounded party balloons bob and bounce in response to the dancers’ movements. It’s hard to believe, as Peck told the New Yorker, that he and Delgado didn’t have much reason to dance together until now.
The final product, executive produced by dance filmmaker Ezra Hurwitz, is lovely, atmospheric, and more than worth your five minutes. It’s available in extra-high resolution, too. Watch below.
