MANILA – These days, Gab Valenciano – dancer, as well as son of Mr. Pure Energy himself, Gary V. – is perhaps best-known for his “Super Selfies;” short video clips which feature Gab’s trademark dance moves and offbeat sense of humour.
Gab began making and uploading Super Selfies in August 2013, and has since developed quite a large following for his quirky, often zany, homemade dance videos which feature funky dance moves and a distinct editing style.
Recently, a music video uploaded by Grammy award-winning singer-dancer-actress Beyonce had viewers speculating about the similarities of the video’s concept and choreography to Gab Valenciano’s “Super Selfies”.
The R&B superstar’s music video for her latest single “7/11” had the Super Selfie author’s signature all over it, and fans wondered if Beyonce had maybe stolen the concept from Gab.
Gab’s posts on social media provide some insight into the matter, and reveal that Beyonce’s new music video was not ripped-off from the young dancer’s Super Selfies; but was, rather, inspired by them
Via his Instagram and Facebook accounts account, Gab posted a segment of Beyonce’s video clip, which featured the latter doing a set of dance moves, including the former’s trademark “kneel-and-throw-hands-up-in-the-air” step. He posted this caption with the video clip: “So this just happened. Still pretty overwhelmed. Check out the whole video on Beyonce.com #blessed #regram @beyonce”
On his Facebook account, as well, Gab said in a post made on November 22: “Hi everyone, this has been a very surreal season for me, and today is quite special. This video, which apparently was inspired by my videos, is now out. I was told that she herself watched my videos and asked to bring me onboard the creative process. Unbelievable. To God be all glory. Thanks for the support everyone! Still can’t believe it. #superselfie”
Gab’s aunt, Maria Rita Cecilia Arenas, also confirmed that the moves were not used without permission.
“Gab was officially consulted by her (Beyonce’s) team, so the signature moves weren’t stolen. They were authorized,” Arenas said.
Gab’s Super Selfies have all together been viewed millions of times, and have received attention overseas, as well. The Huffington Post, just one publication that carried the dance videos, featured Gab’ Footloose Super Selfie, as well as one he made with his dad.