14-Year-Old Hoop Dancer Story Lowe Stars in Laura Veirs’ New Video for “Freedom Feeling”

Laura Veirs has unveiled a brand new video for her song “Freedom Feeling” that stars 14-year-old hoop dancer and sensation, Story Lowe. In addition to starring in the clip, Lowe also choreographed all of the dancing sequences in the “Freedom Feeling” video.

The video, which was both directed and edited by Devin Jane Febbroriello, opens with a dark-lit shot of Lowe–dressed in all white–pirouetting through a hanging hoop. As Veirs’ stirring vocals and the track unfolds, so does Lowe’s complex dance moves and aerobic talents. While the song builds up toward a triumphant pace, Lowe’s performance gets even more staggering. As the track comes to a close, we see Lowe spinning out of the hanging hoop before a final shot of her staring straight into the camera. The emotive vocal track from Veirs and striking dance performance from Lowe make for a very powerful collective artistic expression and visual.

Discussing the concerted effort, Veirs said the process for the “Freedom Feeling” video started last year. “About a year ago I was hanging out at the lodge at Breitenbush Hot Springs in the Oregon mountains and a woman came up and said hi. The woman’s name was Molly. Molly’s daughter was there, too, and we got to talking. Her name is Story Lowe and she’s a 14-year-old hoop dancer and choreographer,” explains Veirs. “A few months later I chose my song ‘Freedom Feeling’ for this treatment and Story took on the challenge of working on this piece. She worked for the entire summer of 2020 under lockdown, spinning safely at her community studio in Bellingham, WA. I love how this video turned out! Thanks to all who made it happen, especially Story, who threw her heart, soul and body into it.”

“Freedom Falling” appears on Veirs’ recent album My Echo, which was released via Veirs’ own label Raven Marching Band (North America) and Bella Union (global). The album was produced by Veirs’ ex-husband Tucker Martine and features guest appearances from Jim James, Bill Frisell, Karl Blau and Matt Ward, among others. “Freedom Falling” follows other My Echo tracks, “Another Space and Time” and “Turquoise Walls” from last year.