Upscale retailer John Lewis is mostly unknown in America, but in Britain the store is famous for its annual Christmas ad, which has become something of a holiday tradition. The store’s latest spot has nothing to do with yuletide cheer, but it’s well worth a watch: It stars a young, charming ballerina, who on a free day at home chooses to prance and pirouette to Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”
The ad was made for John Lewis’ home insurance division, and it gets its point across with the precious glasses, clocks, and curtains almost toppled by the girl’s freewheeling waltz. The dance itself is pitch-perfect: It deftly captures those childhood moments of freedom in which one’s actions might freak out a sibling and definitely freak out a pet. If you’re going to brush a brisk, heartfelt scene of intimacy with the taint of consumerism, this is how it’s done.
