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Tory BarronESPN Editor
To say the 2022 Oscars got off to a strong start would be putting it mildly. Before Regina Hall even had a chance to slander LeBron James‘ hairline, er — joke that “Space Jam: A New Legacy” should have been nominated for Best Special Effects, Serena Williams and Venus Williams took the stage.
All eyes were on the tennis legends as they teed up Best Original Song nominee Beyonce, who performed “Be Alive” from the Best Picture nominee “King Richard” on their famed hometown tennis courts. In the Will Smith-starring film about the Williams sisters’ upbringing, Beyonce’s song that she co-wrote with Dixson (real name Darius Scott), plays under the end credits. The lyrics are an ode to the struggles, determination and love of family that defined the rising tennis stars.
The power in the photo is UNMATCHED. #Oscars
(📸: Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/ovyaIuX63g
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) March 28, 2022
“In the heart of beautiful Compton, where we truly came alive as professional athletes,” the Williams sisters said in reference to the setting of Beyonce’s performance. It was perfectly fitting that Beyonce would perform on the Lueders Park courts that were officially rebranded as the Venus and Serena Williams Court of Champions in 2016.
The choreography began with dancers, in outfits with a tennis ball aesthetic, walking down a Compton street toward the courts. Then, the camera panned to the court, where Beyonce was accompanied by dozens of dancers and musicians, including her and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy.
Beyoncé killed that 🐝 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/QxOBQ9oApI
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) March 28, 2022
This was far from the first collaboration between Beyonce and the Williams sisters, with Serena famously making a cameo in the singer’s 2016 music video for “Sorry.”
If there were an award category for Best Oscars Performance it would be game, set, match: Beyonce. Yeah, we said it.