I'm a huge huge fan of Joy Division, and I have a theory about why I think his dancing is so cool- Remember, this was like 78 to 80. The music of the times was very groovy, together rock stars, or punk bands, or Disco. To have this intense, life exploring music mixed with a totally unhip, nerdy kinetic dancing, gave a lot of visual evidence to this alienated man's lyrics. I say this with the deepest flattery by the way. To be yourself in this way at that time, took balls like church bells.
He suffered from seizures and it was a way to cope... they had to dim the lights for the gigs cuz it kept getting worse. Sometimes, he couldn't perform at all and spazzed out backstage. It was just one of the reasons he killed himself so young right before the band's tour in the States.
Of course I'd find you in the depths of a Joy Division video giving the best explanation for Curtis' dancing. Big fan of your stuff for many years, Lev.
He is so aware that so many would not accept him for who he is that he used the dance as a way of deflecting from his very dangerous and life threatening epilepsy. People are frightened of the unknown, even today. The world wasn't ready for Ian. RIP beautiful 42 years ❤
Ian was such a force on stage. How I wish there was more footage of him. Epilepsy is a horrible illness. My grandma had it and also died at 23. Left behind three kids. Mom was 2. It seemed that Ian really felt everything he sang. Joy Division was such an iconic band. Rip Ian. You are missed.
He tried to stand such disturbing things for music... I started to respect him more. I had found something different in his dance, it was like a disorder but I didn't want to decide right away. So in short, his dance had come cute and I had started to like him more.🌼
I think he was a proto-rave dancer. He looked like ravers ten years before it was even a thing. It looked painful and embarrassing . I felt sorry for him when I watched him for first time.. I assumed he was either out of it on drugs or mentally ill. Turned out I was correct on both counts
@@youtubeillegallydeletesacc1525 you are comparing fire to ice, two completely different artists who convey different messages thru art. Ian Curtis told HIS story from his moves, not James brown’s story and vise versa. So why draw such a distant and bad comparison? Maby your ignorance?
@@youtubeillegallydeletesacc1525 That certainly is.. a goofy ass take lol. Funny you should mention spastic though, most believe his stage presence was drawing on his fairly fresh (at the time) epilepsy diagnosis and seizures. He was privately ashamed, at least approaching the band’s US tour, about the ailment and how the crowd may receive it. As somebody who’s epileptic it sounds believable and pretty realistic to me; I make fun of my seizures regularly as to not be the butt of the joke.
You’re wrong Milker I am a person of his time from a place where he was There was no instant global reach of TH-cam or anything similar in those days. Unlike These Days Did you see what I did there?
If anyone else tried dancing like this they'd look stupid. Somehow Ian Curtis seems to be capturing an unknown and scary weirdness, and then expressing it visually. It's entrancing and disturbing in equal measure. And that's just the dancing!
I loved Joy Division. I was so excited when I heard that they were doing a U.S. tour. I definitely, definitely would have gone to that show. Unfortunately as we all know, that tour never happened. I did get the chance to see New Order though. It was a great show, but Ian's absence was pretty glaring.
My girlfriend went to see Joy Division back in the late seventies,..I didnt go because I had just spent out on other punk gigs and for reasons I cant explain thought of Joy Division as nerdy..how wrong was I..my biggest regret since is not seeing this band live and experiencing something that to this day remains brilliant, and brave and so very original..and due in part to Ian Curtis's anti rock star dancing and just being..it still has the power to startle people
I have never seen anyone dance with as much vigour as Ian Curtis. People sometimes laugh at it, but he's dancing so hard his body can't quite cope with it. It's the only dancing that has ever sent a shiver down my spine, and it does so every time I see it.
@@flickdasher1775 I love the way Ian dressed. I m the same, I don't care , I've dressed like an old guy since I was a teenager. Cheap and easy to replace
I really do love his dancing, I think its very inventive and great way for someone with his condition to express himself and show it represented and what he was going through.
Joy Division; always my no 1 favorite band. The lyrics in the songs and their sound are just awesome. I ll never forget the moment when i heard that Ian curtis comitted suicide. It was just so incredible sad, but still not surprising. I was in the dark side of me for weeks, only listening to their records. My favorite song was and still is Decades. The sad beauty of this masterpiece still hit me right in my heart....
a very brave display of passion.... Ian is the only one who ever moved like this and i think that we will never see someone display his passion and madness for music like Ian did because everyone is (or most musicians) just busy just trying to look cool...
@dillweed44 When I really like a band's sound, and they mention a particular group as a formative influence on them, I've usually found that if I track down the music they say inspired them, I'll often like that earlier band's style as well. Rarely, that earlier band surpasses all imitators. Fairly recently, I noticed several favorite bands had influences in common...and those groups in turn named yet earlier bands. It led back, like a genealogy chart; to one common progenitor: Joy Division.
Love the way he gets into and does'nt hold back! Wow what a poweful performer and entertainer! I love watching him dance,I find I can't take my eyes off him. Ian is absolutely MESMERISING!
Reminds me of how bjork acted in her early years when she looked like a little boy. She would dance with wreckless freedom. She looked crazy and weird. It was also embarrassing. But somehow brilliant too. Only difference is she could sing in tune... but she was just as weird
I will admit that I never did quite get into Joy Division, but after seeing these videos of Ian Curtis dancing, I can say that I would pay to see a dance-off between him and Maynard James Keenan of Tool. Seeing those guys trying to outdo each other while singing AND being backed by their respective bands just seems like it would be legendary.
I love Ian Curtis's dancing. The manic movements and the unfocussed eyes. He has the Mojo Working with in him so much that it is bursting t et out. R.I.P..
Thanks a lot mate. This video is just perfect. I wanted to show my girlfriend the way he used to dance and you did all the work for me. Thanks again mate.
they asked his band mates (now New Order) about his dance moves and they said Ian told them it was his way of showing the audience what the music looks like
Thank you @eugenefaust ! I'm glad to know there are others who are sick of this bullshit that passes for music like Rihanna and Ariana Grande. Today's music has zero substance or message. I'm glad ppl like us exist to keep it alive! ✌
Definitely with you on that...i try to get others to see the light, but i guess some people dont see the artistry in music such as Joy Division...To me they go hand in hand and its just beautiful..
yeah if you think today's music is just the likes of rihanna and other premade singleserving bullshit, you're just not seeing anything out of what massmedia feeds us. joy division wasnt mainstream music in their time either
As in she's lost control " Something was definitely wrong". It's magical to watch,but also heartbreaking. His suicide was no surprise . It was their for all to see in his performances. They will never be another Ian Curtis. Rip. And thanks for the music.😥😥😥
"Instead of just singing about something you could show it as well, put it over in the way that it is, if you were totally involved in what you were doing". Ian Curtis' only public comment on his dancing, from an 1979 interview.
does everyone see how old rock bands are remembered now days. ian died before he deserved to. but he has left us with so much more than we think he and the rest of joy division changed the music scence be inspiring more bands and people and even people today. Ian curtis may not alive today but he has done more for music than most artists alive today
I have epilepsy myself and looking back I have a feeling that nobody had a clue that lights affect us. If they had any strobe lights it was easy to understand his continued seizures. they won't always happen right away and could build up in your body until they finally just go off. I'm not even close to a Joy Division fan but do feel a little sadness as to what he had to go through. Medication was not as good then either so it had to be super rough. If you've never had one I equate it like this. There's scared and then there's fear. Scared is a moment-type jolt but fear goes down to the bones and scared times 100. They are the most scary/fearful thing you can imagine. When it starts you know it's coming and there is nothing you can do except have to experience it again. You have no control and you hope to find a place to sit down safely and just let it happen.
Honestly kinda scary knowing how this eventually devolved into him having legitimate hardcore seizures during performances while starting out dancing like this. It’s interesting he danced like this even before he ever had seizure and when he started having seizures he moved exactly like that - honestly really creepy
Idk how people could judge his dancing to me it's just a dude in sync with his own music in a way no one could be! Music was way ahead and so was he's dancing, I'd never hate on that.
I love to see him dance. It's so genuine, sincere and passionate. The only way you can be when you're truly lost in the moment.
The man was raw energy.
the boy**
What do you think fuelled such a dance? 🙂
@@dansmith5817 Emotion, Mentally instabilty....
@@fabiolaplancarte8149 Man.
The band/music
I'm a huge huge fan of Joy Division, and I have a theory about why I think his dancing is so cool- Remember, this was like 78 to 80. The music of the times was very groovy, together rock stars, or punk bands, or Disco. To have this intense, life exploring music mixed with a totally unhip, nerdy kinetic dancing, gave a lot of visual evidence to this alienated man's lyrics. I say this with the deepest flattery by the way. To be yourself in this way at that time, took balls like church bells.
He suffered from seizures and it was a way to cope... they had to dim the lights for the gigs cuz it kept getting worse. Sometimes, he couldn't perform at all and spazzed out backstage. It was just one of the reasons he killed himself so young right before the band's tour in the States.
@Rowan Melton I'm not even sure he ever wanted to be a rock star.
Of course I'd find you in the depths of a Joy Division video giving the best explanation for Curtis' dancing. Big fan of your stuff for many years, Lev.
he wasn't a Rockstar. Nobody even knows who he is.
@@lawsonransom8318 ???
When you're a part of one of the best bands in the history of mankind you can dance however the fuck you want.
One of the best bands in history? Are you high?
@@sashafalcon5143 Joy Division is better and more influential than whatever you like.
@@StoneColdSergio Emm... nop.
Hey I love all music and like some stuff that is considered crap. But damn they are really not that good and sound like shit
@@StoneColdSergio don't bother, kids these days can't understand a single fuck about music
He is so aware that so many would not accept him for who he is that he used the dance as a way of deflecting from his very dangerous and life threatening epilepsy. People are frightened of the unknown, even today. The world wasn't ready for Ian. RIP beautiful 42 years ❤
Ian was such a force on stage. How I wish there was more footage of him. Epilepsy is a horrible illness. My grandma had it and also died at 23. Left behind three kids. Mom was 2. It seemed that Ian really felt everything he sang. Joy Division was such an iconic band. Rip Ian. You are missed.
He tried to stand such disturbing things for music... I started to respect him more. I had found something different in his dance, it was like a disorder but I didn't want to decide right away. So in short, his dance had come cute and I had started to like him more.🌼
Ian Curtis unconsciously combined every dance style ever invented, past and future, but the people of his time just did not understand his genius.
I think he was a proto-rave dancer. He looked like ravers ten years before it was even a thing.
It looked painful and embarrassing . I felt sorry for him when I watched him for first time.. I assumed he was either out of it on drugs or mentally ill.
Turned out I was correct on both counts
@@youtubeillegallydeletesacc1525 you are comparing fire to ice, two completely different artists who convey different messages thru art. Ian Curtis told HIS story from his moves, not James brown’s story and vise versa. So why draw such a distant and bad comparison? Maby your ignorance?
@@youtubeillegallydeletesacc1525 That certainly is.. a goofy ass take lol. Funny you should mention spastic though, most believe his stage presence was drawing on his fairly fresh (at the time) epilepsy diagnosis and seizures. He was privately ashamed, at least approaching the band’s US tour, about the ailment and how the crowd may receive it. As somebody who’s epileptic it sounds believable and pretty realistic to me; I make fun of my seizures regularly as to not be the butt of the joke.
You’re wrong Milker
I am a person of his time from a place where he was
There was no instant global reach of TH-cam or anything similar in those days.
Unlike These Days
Did you see what I did there?
I’m pretty sure they did, and still do.
He's lost control
hahaha
again
That's a nice one
Lol
@@yyk_y she’s lost control is about him seeing a friend of his die from a seizure. Too funny Kevin and you 👊🏻
If anyone else tried dancing like this they'd look stupid. Somehow Ian Curtis seems to be capturing an unknown and scary weirdness, and then expressing it visually. It's entrancing and disturbing in equal measure. And that's just the dancing!
epileptic attack happening
he looked stupid too, let's not pretend as if he didn't, just because he's dead now.
NoChrReq fake fan
It doesn't even cover the lyrics or that voice.
NoChrReq Subjective
You can't turn away when he's dancing..It's kind of mesmerizing.
I loved Joy Division. I was so excited when I heard that they were doing a U.S. tour. I definitely, definitely would have gone to that show. Unfortunately as we all know, that tour never happened. I did get the chance to see New Order though. It was a great show, but Ian's absence was pretty glaring.
My girlfriend went to see Joy Division back in the late seventies,..I didnt go because I had just spent out on other punk gigs and for reasons I cant explain thought of Joy Division as nerdy..how wrong was I..my biggest regret since is not seeing this band live and experiencing something that to this day remains brilliant, and brave and so very original..and due in part to Ian Curtis's anti rock star dancing and just being..it still has the power to startle people
I have never seen anyone dance with as much vigour as Ian Curtis. People sometimes laugh at it, but he's dancing so hard his body can't quite cope with it. It's the only dancing that has ever sent a shiver down my spine, and it does so every time I see it.
There's definitely an ethereal quality to it, but it's also deeply disturbing to watch, in a way. Yet you still can't take your eyes off him.
Listen goons, he wasn’t seizing. Omg he was dancing.
MIDNIGHT OIL
His moves at 1:40 to colony with the lighting are fuckin smoothhhh
So natural, so honest.
@@docjazz290 bro shut the hell up
seems to me ian was years ahead of his time, most of those moves would be repeated later in the ecstasy/rave scene, total hero
terry mcdonald Jesus mate, you are absolutely right. From Salford to Ibiza clubbers moved like Ian! Respect to you, buddy
they wore clothes chosen by their mum in the rave scene?!
@@flickdasher1775 Think you need to read that comment again.
@@flickdasher1775 I love the way Ian dressed. I m the same, I don't care , I've dressed like an old guy since I was a teenager. Cheap and easy to replace
@@sonicdiablo8968 The blacks aren't amused.
Every time i watch Ian Curtis live i wanna cry...
Ian Curtis Is a Musical Saint!!!! RIP St. IAN!!!!
Should watch Control
Ahh, his dancing makes me happy.
As Bernard Sumners says, he was just enjoying the music :)
Thank you for whoever put these classic gems together! RIP Ian!
I really do love his dancing, I think its very inventive and great way for someone with his condition to express himself and show it represented and what he was going through.
Someone once said 'dance you beautiful freak, dance'
Echo
Amazing and tragic
RIP Ian C
That. That's unique original awesomeeee !! Just being him great pure music ....
Joy Division; always my no 1 favorite band. The lyrics in the songs and their sound are just awesome. I ll never forget the moment when i heard that Ian curtis comitted suicide. It was just so incredible sad, but still not surprising. I was in the dark side of me for weeks, only listening to their records. My favorite song was and still is Decades. The sad beauty of this masterpiece still hit me right in my heart....
Nothing but love for the man. RIP.
My honest impression is that his dance was not choreographed. It was literally just him moving along with the pace he felt the music set.
It was mostly cuz he had epilepsy and would have seizures on stage
That is a big part of the appeal; spontaneous energy, unplanned movements. He danced in public the way most would be afraid to in private.
@@steelooo0 He seemingly had ASD, what used to be called Asperger's. Those involuntary movements are very typical of that.
@@thefreedomguyuk yeah that too
The actor that portrayed Ian transcended. True art.
Ian was a legend, was really in the moment, unforgettable ❤.
The look on his face is still haunting
His dancing gives me life 😌 Gone too soon. He will always be missed. Rest in peace legend.
a very brave display of passion.... Ian is the only one who ever moved like this and i think that we will never see someone display his passion and madness for music like Ian did because everyone is (or most musicians) just busy just trying to look cool...
@dillweed44
When I really like a band's sound, and they mention a particular group as a formative influence on them, I've usually found that if I track down the music they say inspired them, I'll often like that earlier band's style as well. Rarely, that earlier band surpasses all imitators. Fairly recently, I noticed several favorite bands had influences in common...and those groups in turn named yet earlier bands. It led back, like a genealogy chart;
to one common progenitor: Joy Division.
the fucking man
the best and always missed
anyone in music knows IAN IS A LEGEND i wish he was still with us ..great music
Love the way he gets into and does'nt hold back! Wow what a poweful performer and entertainer! I love watching him dance,I find I can't take my eyes off him. Ian is absolutely MESMERISING!
Reminds me of how bjork acted in her early years when she looked like a little boy. She would dance with wreckless freedom. She looked crazy and weird. It was also embarrassing. But somehow brilliant too.
Only difference is she could sing in tune... but she was just as weird
I will admit that I never did quite get into Joy Division, but after seeing these videos of Ian Curtis dancing, I can say that I would pay to see a dance-off between him and Maynard James Keenan of Tool. Seeing those guys trying to outdo each other while singing AND being backed by their respective bands just seems like it would be legendary.
I love Ian Curtis's dancing. The manic movements and the unfocussed eyes. He has the Mojo Working with in him so much that it is bursting t et out. R.I.P..
It is raw energy, his music and dancing were both raw and a bit on the scary side. Look at those eyes and you see pain.
No, look at those eyes & you see drugs!
@@crumpeteer6477 shitty 70’s epilepsy medication***
I really wanted to join him and feel the music with strange non-usuals moviments lol
So glad music was his outlet, too channel all that "crazy".
The Ian Curtis epilepsy dance is a beautiful thing. RIP young man old soul.
Thank you for putting this together. Brilliant.
love you and your spirit 💕
I just know these dance moves are going to show up in some capacity in my dreams tonight.
Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt. And dance like you're motherfucking Ian Curtis!
I fucking love this guy.
I would give just about anything to go back in time and see Joy Division live...
When the world has gone mad, life makes no sense and everything has gone to sh*t, nothing else matters but Ian Curtis dancing.
Thanks a lot mate. This video is just perfect. I wanted to show my girlfriend the way he used to dance and you did all the work for me. Thanks again mate.
Like it or not… it’s EXTREMELY hypnotic
RIP to twenty-three. You packed a lot into those years Ian.
how can people just stand there i would have went crazy watching ian curtis perform live R.I.P
Spellbounding!, A true legend.
I love Ian and Bez dances. Unique.
My guy got them dance moves
He just doesn't give a FUUUUUUCK.
I just think it was adorable almost like he knew he had to do something with his body but wasn’t fully sure of himself
It would be really great if someone started an Ian Curtis dancing channel.
Ian curtis was a man born much ahead of his time
RIP legend!
Ian Curtis is a legend.
Ian Curtis was a big fan of Iggy Pop. He wasn't afraid to let loose on stage like Iggy did.
His dance is precise 💙💙⭐️💙⭐️💙⭐️
Ian Curtis - Champion and Legend
they asked his band mates (now New Order) about his dance moves and they said Ian told them it was his way of showing the audience what the music looks like
Thank you @eugenefaust ! I'm glad to know there are others who are sick of this bullshit that passes for music like Rihanna and Ariana Grande. Today's music has zero substance or message. I'm glad ppl like us exist to keep it alive! ✌
Definitely with you on that...i try to get others to see the light, but i guess some people dont see the artistry in music such as Joy Division...To me they go hand in hand and its just beautiful..
yeah if you think today's music is just the likes of rihanna and other premade singleserving bullshit, you're just not seeing anything out of what massmedia feeds us. joy division wasnt mainstream music in their time either
I see you haven't done some digging
You aren't funny.
Eternal Ian !
He was mimicking his epilepsy with his dancing. As if it to say "you're not going to beat me". Good on him.
This is awesome! I'm gonna learn this dance with my 9 year old son.
I love this he lives on
Excellently put, agent - thoughtful and accurate.
The music seems to take him over, one of the best front men ever period.
Ian Curtis is timeless
As in she's lost control " Something was definitely wrong". It's magical to watch,but also heartbreaking. His suicide was no surprise . It was their for all to see in his performances. They will never be another Ian Curtis. Rip. And thanks for the music.😥😥😥
"Instead of just singing about something you could show it as well, put it over in the way that it is, if you were totally involved in what you were doing". Ian Curtis' only public comment on his dancing, from an 1979 interview.
Wacthing from SP Brazil.
does everyone see how old rock bands are remembered now days. ian died before he deserved to. but he has left us with so much more than we think he and the rest of joy division changed the music scence be inspiring more bands and people and even people today. Ian curtis may not alive today but he has done more for music than most artists alive today
0:31,1:01,1:29 ian curtis forever!
I have epilepsy myself and looking back I have a feeling that nobody had a clue that lights affect us. If they had any strobe lights it was easy to understand his continued seizures. they won't always happen right away and could build up in your body until they finally just go off. I'm not even close to a Joy Division fan but do feel a little sadness as to what he had to go through. Medication was not as good then either so it had to be super rough. If you've never had one I equate it like this. There's scared and then there's fear. Scared is a moment-type jolt but fear goes down to the bones and scared times 100. They are the most scary/fearful thing you can imagine. When it starts you know it's coming and there is nothing you can do except have to experience it again. You have no control and you hope to find a place to sit down safely and just let it happen.
I have epilepsy and I feel very identified with his movements
Ian Curtis forever ❤️❤️
Think it's funny you try turning a near seizure into a dance move , love it he was in pain and said fuck it let's go .Strong lad .
love will tear us apart
la serie miercoles merlina baila como Ian Curtis en ciertos fragmentos. todo un clasico para recordar
My man Ian Felt it, then let it all tf out!!! Way ahead of his time!
For some reason Ian's dancing reminds me of Mark Corrigan's rainbow rhythms freak out in Peep Show.
simply, incredible... he`s perfect and so so special...
His dancing reminds me of Crispin Glovers dancing in Friday the 13th part 4: The Final Chapter. 😂
It's his confused demeanor that really sells it
I’m here for reference purposes after watching the Mexican Ian Curtis video.
he was taken far too soon from us
Ian Curtis forever in our hearts and on our stereos
Qui i suoi movimenti fanno venire alla luce i suoi "fantasmi" il resto è storia.
nunca dejara de ser el mejor
siento mucho haberme perdido este gran grupo, y los conocí por medio de su pelicula "control", buenísima! chicos con talento.
Beautiful
Whoever uploaded this, I just want to say--thank you.
Everyones gansta on the dancefloor until Ian Curtis joins in.
Honestly kinda scary knowing how this eventually devolved into him having legitimate hardcore seizures during performances while starting out dancing like this. It’s interesting he danced like this even before he ever had seizure and when he started having seizures he moved exactly like that - honestly really creepy
Fantástic sensacional Joy division Ian curtis e Band curto muito 👍👏😎🇧🇷🎸🎤🎶🎵🔊📢📀💿👀👁️👈👉
“the chicken's still dancing the chicken won't stop”
Idk how people could judge his dancing to me it's just a dude in sync with his own music in a way no one could be! Music was way ahead and so was he's dancing, I'd never hate on that.
LEGENDARY!
youre the best ian!
R.I.P.