Background and concept (
pictured) in the music video. An accompanying music video for "Dance for You" was co-directed by Beyoncé and
Alan Ferguson. It was filmed in a vintage
New York City-styled office before Beyoncé's baby bump started showing. Two previews of the video were posted online on November 21, 2011.) watches her dance. Beyoncé pays homage to
German-American actress and singer
Marlene Dietrich in the video Similarly,
The Improper Bostonian wrote that the setting looks like a
Humphrey Bogart movie, further calling it "a clear take-off" on mid-20th Century film noir due to its utilization of sharp
camera angles and deep shadows. Although initially planned to debut on November 27, 2011, the release of the video was changed to November 25, 2011. "Dance For You" is the seventh video from
4.
Reception Many reviewers have commented on the sexiness displayed in the video. Erika Ramirez of
Billboard magazine commented that the video was "sexy" and that "Beyoncé pops it back for a mysterious detective." Leah Collins of Canadian magazine
Dose wrote, "It's all very sultry and intimate to a point—that point being the moment she unveils a line-up of back-up dancers." Similarly, a writer of the website Idolator commented, "'Dance for You' doesn't compare to the spectacle of say, the '
Run the World (Girls)' clip, but it is effective. [...] It's a mostly private dance—until all those other ladies show up." The writer also called Beyoncé a
femme fatale in the video. Marc Hogan of
Spin magazine noted, "The video follows pretty literally from the song's theme, with Mrs. Jay-Z grinding sensuously." A writer of
Vibe magazine noted that Beyoncé was "keeping things sexy" with the video for the song. Michael O'Connell of
The Hollywood Reporter noted that the video contains Beyoncé's "trademark moves". Contessa Gayles of
The Boombox wrote that "Beyoncé rocks the racy shoot in satin
hot pants, garters and a slinky wrap dress", further describing her look and the set as "sexy". Donnelly also wrote, "The video carries the standard Bey DNA—wind machines, plunging necklines and lots of hair. Not that we're complaining." He further commended Beyoncé for taking viewers back to the days of black and white television and "into the office of a lonely detective on a rainy day. We've all seen that show before, but not like this." Natalie Finn of E! Online compared the video with the one for "
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008), adding that it "sticks with the power of black and white", and describing the set as "naughty". Katie Hasty of the website HitFix praised Beyoncé's look in the video but commented, "If you're a hetero sexual lady detective, however, this is sort of boring." ==Live performances==