Artefact Two Commentary
Aladdin Themed Just Dance Video
Introduction
Among the various media artefacts produced, this particular project features a recorded dance performance from the video game Just Dance. Within this artefact, the concept of cultural appropriation is examined through the application of Burn's Kineikonic mode framework. Burn's Kineikonic mode represents a multimodal approach to analysing moving image media, integrating multiple modes that collectively generate meaning (Burn, 2013). According to Burn’s framework, as illustrated in Figure 1, modes such as filming and editing are categorized as orchestrating modes, whereas dramatic actions, speech, music, lighting, set design, and other visual or auditory elements function as contributory modes.
Lyrics
According to the concept of embodied modes, the lyrics of the song "Prince Ali" can be critiqued for a lack of cultural sensitivity. One notable example in the Just Dance artefact (figure 2) is the phrase "Sunday Salaam" which appear in the (1:00) of the recording, which inaccurately references Sunday as a holy or culturally significant day in a Muslim context. In reality, Friday holds religious importance in Islam as the day of congregational prayer (Jumu'ah). This inaccuracy reflects a broader lack of cultural awareness and mindfulness in the original animated version, suggesting that the creators may not have fully considered the implications of representing Middle Eastern or Islamic traditions through Western perspectives.
Figure 2
In Figure 3, the lyrics say, “He faced the galloping hordes / A hundred bad guys with swords”—lines from Prince Ali. These lyrics reinforce a dated colonial stereotype: Arab lands are dangerous, wild, and full of violent, faceless enemies. This dichotomy—between the civilized hero and barbaric masses—echoes long-standing tropes in Orientalist narratives.
Figure 3
In Figure 4, the lyrics read: “Was a sight to see / And that good people is why”, part of the song Prince Ali. This line reinforces the framing of Aladdin’s transformation and arrival as a spectacle for approval, elevating his worth through wealth and grandeur—an idea rooted in materialism and performative identity, and consumption as one of the only way to articulate specific positions in society (Canclini, 2001).
Figure 4
Costume design
In the video, Aladdin, Jasmine, Jafar, and the Genie are dressed in bright, colorful attire reflecting stereotypical and simplified interpretations of Middle Eastern clothing. The background of the dance is an Arabian-style marketplace, which is based on the scene where Jasmine and Aladdin first meet in the original film. However, Jasmine’s outfit in the video is inconsistent with her attire during that scene in the movie. In the original, Jasmine is disguised in a modest brown Shayla and abaya, garments that are culturally appropriate and reflective of traditional Arabian clothing. In contrast, her outfit in the Just Dance video is her well-known turquoise ensemble, which is much more revealing and stylised for entertainment value rather than cultural accuracy. Aladdin is in his original “street rat” outfit—vest, no shirt, and loose white pants—but remains clean-shaven and light-skinned. This maintains the Westernisation of Middle Eastern identity, presenting a man who is “Arab enough to be exotic” but not too culturally distant for Western audiences.
Fig. 5. “Original vs. New Outfit.” Left:Walt Disney Feature Animation, 1992. Author’s screenshot. Right: Walt Disney Pictures, 2019. Daniel Smith’s photograph. Entertainment Weekly.
As the dance progresses and the background settings shift—from marketplace to palace to treasure room—Aladdin's clothing changes accordingly, reinforcing the narrative of transformation tied to wealth and power. Yet Jasmine’s outfit remains the same throughout, regardless of context. This static and stylised representation further highlights the cultural inaccuracy and objectification in her portrayal. Her clothing is not only inconsistent with the film’s scenes but also reflects a broader trend in which female characters from non-Western cultures are reduced to aesthetic symbols rather than treated with cultural care.
Setting
The first setting (figure 6) includes generic “Arabesque” architecture, such as domed buildings and spice baskets, reducing a rich cultural environment into a visual stereotype meant to quickly signal "the exotic East" to a Western audience. This functions as Orientalism—presenting Eastern cultures as mysterious, timeless, and backward compared to the modern West.
Figure 6
In the chorus of the video shown in Figure 7, the second backdrop is a decorated palace, complete with domes, arches, and richly coloured columns. This stylized architecture pulls visual cues from various Islamic and South Asian design elements but strips them of meaning. The palace becomes a symbol of generic “Oriental luxury,” evoking a mystical world disconnected from reality. This spatial representation supports a fantasy rooted not in cultural authenticity, but in colonial imaginations of wealth, magic, and danger.
Figure 7
The third setting (figure 8) features mountains of gold, jewels, and ancient treasure artifacts, echoing tropes of “Arabian opulence.” This aesthetic draws from colonial-era myths that associated the Middle East with hidden riches and exotic splendour—yet erases the socioeconomic and historical context behind such depictions. It frames Arab culture as indulgent and mystical, a trope that has long served imperial storytelling.
Figure 8
This portrayal also reflects Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism, wherein the East is not represented as a lived and complex reality, but rather as a Western construction rooted in exoticism, sensuality, danger, and opulence. The mythologized setting of "Prince Ali" plays directly into this framework, reinforcing stereotypical depictions of the Middle East as a fantastical and monolithic "Other" designed to entertain Western audiences rather than authentically represent a culture.
Gesture and facial expression
The dance movements are stylised to be accessible and engaging for a global audience, but they do not attempt to draw from traditional Middle Eastern or South Asian dance forms. Instead, they repurpose cultural symbols into generic entertainment gestures, turning cultural heritage into surface-level aesthetics for gameplay.
The “dancing scene” at the palace assembles modern-day Bollywood dance, which is Indian, but Agrabah is supposed to be Arabia. This upholds the Orientalist notion that all Eastern cultures are interchangeable and not individualized.
Genie’s animated jumping pose in mid-air in Figure 9 evokes a cartoonish “entertainer” archetype, providing Americanised comedic relief that stands out in Agrabah.
Figure 9
Editing
In terms of the editing, below the gameplay screen are split screens of a real-life dancer of each character performing in front of a neutral modern interior space, clearly contrasting with the animated game's vibrant scenery. Each frame superimposes a character's animated costume onto the dancer's body, creating an illusion of embodying the characters. However, this also amplifies stereotypical portrayals through exaggerated visual features, simplistic costumes, and stylized aesthetics disconnected from authentic cultural practices or attire.
The orchestrated layering of real dancers and animated costumes prioritizes spectacle over substance. It transforms culture into performance, detaching it from context or accuracy.
Conclusion
Using Burn’s Kineikonic mode framework, this analysis shows how Just Dance’s portrayal of Aladdin relies on cultural appropriation and stereotypes. Through editing, costuming, music, and gesture, the game creates a stylised, Western-friendly fantasy that flattens cultural specificity. Inaccurate clothing, Westernized features, and generic "Eastern" settings reinforce stereotypes, turning cultural identity into a visual spectacle for global entertainment, and suggest how consumerism shapes cultural representation, prioritizing marketable aesthetics over authenticity. Thus, the artifact underscores the importance of critically examining commercial media to avoid perpetuating cultural appropriation and misrepresentation.
Bibliography
Burn, A. (2013). The kineikonic mode: Towards a multimodal approach to moving image media.
Canclini, N.G. (2001) Consumers and citizens: globalization and multicultural conflicts. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Said, Edward. Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978.
