Sia premiered her new music video for her song, “The Greatest,” honoring the 49 victims of the tragic hate crime that took place in the LGBTQ Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida three months ago. Sia is known for shrouding her face with fabulous wigs or hats along with her fantastic vocals. Yet, in her new video, the message of  standing up as united front against these crimes is coming in loud and clear.

Sia released this video to be a homage to those 49 victims who were part of the LGBTQ community. The imagery found within the video is a very distinct nod to them. There are exactly 49 dancers in the video, irrevocably assuring the viewer that this video was made as social and political commentary. This video and song is not about her or her music; it’s about giving those a voice who have been wronged.

The video opens on  a black screen with the message in white lettering #WeAreYourChildren. A distinct buzzing sound can be heard as the video pans over to dancers with painted faces lying on the ground in a hallway. That scene fades to a huddle of other dancers  all standing together and slowly swaying as one. If this reads as eerie to you, then Sia and others connected to the video have done their job. We arrive at a closeup of Maddie Ziegler in a black wig dragging her fingers across her cheeks revealing the colors of the rainbow, a distinct nod to the LGBTQ flag and the only non-neutral colors in this video.

The video’s tone is somber. The very first words sung by Sia convey grief as Maddie leads a breakout of dancers from a small confined space, signifying liberation.  The lyrics begin with “Uh-oh, running out of breath, but I/ Oh, I, I got stamina,” and the pre-chorus starts with “Don’t give up, I won’t give up/ Don’t give up, no no no.” These lyrics are not to be overlooked. This song is still in Sia’s wheelhouse, though, it’s full of emotions and danceable melodies, but it mostly has that “reducing you to tears” quality to it because it’s so beautiful and heartfelt.

In terms of her lyrics, it’s clear she is defining the value of life and pointing out the lives that have been lost and  impacted by the loss. The video shots elicit flirting and conversations involving gossip, as well as displaying dancers going wild on what appears to be a dance floor. Ryan Heffington’s choreography is manic but meticulous as all 49 dancers move about the video scene on their own paths; yet, it’s clear that they are moving as a group and their individual actions often sync up with the other dancers around them.

I’m sure the choreography and the video scene made to look like a nightclub was a deliberate choice to symbolize those who went out and danced the night away in their safe space prior to the tragic hate crime that occurred. Sia and Daniel Askill, the video’s directors, ingeniously use long tracking shots and shots peering around corners alongside tight close ups and group shots between dancers.

The cameras pick up the dancers’ movements and faces in a tableau-esque feel as a nod to “queer youths gunned down in the act of coming together and enjoying themselves” ever so poignantly. As anyone knows in the LGBTQ community and anyone who supports those in the same community, the thought of a “safe space” no longer being safe is all too real and on our minds these days. Those a part of the LGBTQ community have struggled and fought long and hard for our “safe spaces,” yet we still are persecuted,  judged and harmed even inside our own “safe spaces.”

The video ends with Maddie Ziegler’s  character crying, a befitting image to end on, representing there is not enough love and forgiveness in this world we live in to make what happened on June, 12, 2016 at the Orlando Pulse Nightclub an acceptable deed. Valiantly, we link arms, raise our multi-colored flags high, and we march on but, we never forget the hate crime that transpired that day.