He is 25, she is 84. An unusual dance team – meet Barbara and Spencer.

Coldplay seems to be pleased with the attention this Youtube video is getting. Though they are called dancers, it is apparent that Spencer is the dancer and Barbara his very flexible prop. At 84 she is unlikely to have the sure-footedness and strength to really dance, but what she does she does well. With amazing trust, she allows Spencer to flip her, lift her,  spin her and drape her. It would be really interesting to learn how she was able to maintain such flexibility at her age. Her posture and figure are striking, though she wears a flesh-colored garment to smooth out her body.

It is not easy to find out much more about the pair — how are Barbara and Spencer (or Gene) related? Was she at one time a dancer? Did she even have a last name?  I would love to know the backstory on this team.   Anyone?

Coldplay have revealed the inspiration behind the surreal new music video for their new single and current [V] Ripe clip, ‘The Hardest Part’. Of course, the hardest part for viewers is understanding the band’s motivation of using footage of a scantily-clad geriatric dancer and a buffed mullet-boy. There’s no doubt the video has generated more discussion and laughs than any previous Coldplay video and already lapped the world several times over via email. In an interview with the clip’s director Mary Wigmore in the band’s e-zine, she reveals the original dance routine by Spencer and Barbara was taken from a morning talk show called ‘Attitudes’ filmed in Miami, Florida in 1990. The band were then blue-screened in as the house band, with great care taken to replicate the original talk show camera angles. Similar plants were brought in and huge fans used to recreate the wind effect. According to Wigmore, Barbara passed away several years ago, but Gene still resides in California. Wigmore had been sitting on the video footage (not literally) for over five years, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it. While it may have viewers scratching their heads as they watch captivated, Coldplay, by all reports, were thrilled with the result. “They were very enthusiastic about the idea from the beginning,” says Wigmore. (Source)