What can be said about a legion of glittering unitards, sparkling tights and an army of "Single Ladies" other than awesome?

Beyoncé, who hit the VMA red carpet in a red ruffled dress, stripped down to a sparkly leotard and one silver glove. Beginning her performance with a sexy, drum-led remix of her newest single, "Sweet Dreams," as she worked her way down the stage, B bounced into her VMA nominated "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" initially with just two background dancers.

"Now wait," Beyoncé said as she paused, the lights dimmed and the crowd began to stand. "I see y'all standing up and I appreciate the love, but I want to see you put your hands together!"

Suddenly, as the lights came up, there was an army of single ladies from the front to the back of the stage. As the crowd cheered, Beyoncé and her dancers went through the Bob Fosse-inspired [article id="1621294"]routine that almost never happened[/article].

Breaking the lyrics into short bursts, Beyoncé gave one excited audience member a chance to sing the "Single Ladies" chorus. Even Katy Perry looked to her neighbor during the performance and asked, "Where my ring at?" By the end of the song, all of Radio City Music Hall was standing and the Destiny's Child alumna thanked the crowd graciously.

Earlier in the evening [article id="1621389"]Kanye West stormed the stage[/article] just after the first award -- for Best Female Video, for which Beyoncé was nominated -- was presented to Taylor Swift. He cut the teen singer off, grabbing the mic and protesting in support of Beyoncé.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards are live now! Stay tuned for the night's big winners, red-carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes updates and more.