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Are Choreography Cover Videos The New Acoustic Cover Videos?

A wave of highly choreographed 'covers' are making the rounds on YouTube.

On Nov. 12, Missy Elliott came roaring back into our lives with both the Pharrell-aided song "WTF (Where They From)" and its typically complexly choreographed video. It was a welcome sight.

And just a few weeks later, choreographer Tricia Miranda dropped her own dance-only video "cover" of the song, which is as blisteringly, overwhelmingly kinetic and dynamic as the original (if not more so). There's so much going on in this video -- it's like an all-you-can-watch buffet of movement.

Delving into Miranda's YouTube channel reveals tons and tons of choreography "covers" from some big songs of the past year or so. (Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money" is a cool trip.) And there are other channels like it, too -- remember those five dudes zipping around on hoverboard-type scooters to Justin Bieber's "What Do You Mean?" in October?

That one came courtesy of David Moore, whose channel is also plump with similar vids of songs by Chris Brown, Miguel and Jessie Ware.

Justin Bieber was a good subject for Moore, as just a few weeks later, he dropped his own tightly stylized dance video for new single "Sorry," featuring supercharged choreography from Parris Goebel, who also danced in the video.

This one's not a "cover" per se, but if it's an official music video, it's one of the stranger ones given it doesn't feature its global star at all -- unlike past singles -- and that's pretty cool.

Since its inception a decade ago, YouTube has been a launching pad for new artists who can prove their own original talent via acoustic song covers (as we've rounded up before), including Bieber himself, who is one of the site's most massive success stories.

And now, it seems like choreography videos may be pushing themselves square into the spotlight, too. It only makes sense. When HD filming capabilities, easy editing software and gargantuan talent meet up, videos like these can thrive. So, are choreography covers the new acoustic cover videos? Will they be springboards to success the way lo-fi kid-with-a-guitar vids were in 2006? We can't wait to find out.

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