Lady Gaga showed off her affinity for extreme fashion as she took to the stage at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on Thursday night.
The singer, 36, showed off several cyberpunk–inspired costumes throughout the performance, including a red jacket with structured sleeves which she wore over a see-through breastplate.
Gaga’s tour has been steeped in controversy after it emerged five dancers who dropped out of the production had accused the head choreographer of bullying, yet the singer didn’t let the backstage drama impact her performance.
Born to perform: Lady Gaga, 36, showed off her affinity for extreme fashion as she took to the stage in Stockholm, Sweden on Thursday night
Elsewhere among the eye-catching ensembles, Star Is Born actress Gaga donned a black PVC bodysuit with a mask with long tentacles.
The stage costume was One of Gaga’s oddest outfits, with the boomerang-shaped hat covered in black spots that reached down to cover her eyes with translucent fabric. It featured long, insect-like stalks that dangled down to her waist.
She later wore red cropped jacket with pointy shoulder pads that rose up into the air.
Gaga donned a matching skirt with thigh-high splits on both sides, completing the looks with some over-knee boots and some long fingerless gloves.
Catching the eye: The singer showed off several cyberpunk–inspired costumes throughout the performance
Out of this world: Star Is Born actress Gaga donned a black PVC bodysuit with a mask with long tentacles
The Born This Way hitmaker took to the stage as it emerged her choreographer Richard ‘Richy’ Jackson has been accused of toxic behaviour by five dancers.
The 43-year-old is said to have been abusive and used his power to demean staff ‘just because he could’.
Dancer Caroline Diamond claimed in a video: ‘He abused me, he embarrassed me, he made me feel terrible in the workplace, just because he could.
Stand-out style: Elsewhere, the star wore red cropped jacket with pointy shoulder pads that rose up into the air
‘Gaga was my dream… I chased it and I got it, and she is the dream, and then you get there, and this man makes your dream a nightmare.’
Music publication Rolling Stone claimed on Thursday that 10 dancers had spoken out against Jackson.
Reporters spoke with five dancers who echoed claims Jackson created a toxic working environment and what they labelled an ‘unsafe’ and ‘unhealthy’ workplace.
Claims: Several of Lady Gaga’s former dancers have accused her head choreographer Richard ‘Ricky’ Jackson (left) of abusing them over their decade long career working for the star
Two of the dancers said it led to them voluntarily quitting what was otherwise a dream job.
All the dancers who made allegations against the choreographer spoke highly of Gaga and stressed she ‘had nothing to do with the situation, as she wasn’t present for much of the dancers’ rehearsals with Jackson’.
Gaga’s team is now understood to be taking the dancers’ concerns seriously and looking into their allegations, according to Rolling Stone.
Speaking out: Caroline Diamond (left) said Jackson ‘abused me, he embarrassed me, and he made me feel terrible in the workplace. Graham Breitenstein (right) had a ‘close’ friendship with Jackson since becoming his assistant in 2016, until last year when it ‘abruptly ended.’ He also said he tried to give dancers a positive experience
Hones: Sloan-Taylor Rabinor (left) said Jackson’s leadership was ‘detrimental’ to her health and Montana Efaw (right) – who was the first to come forward – said Jackson was a ‘horrible person to work for’
The claims come as Gaga embarked on her twice-delayed The Chromatica Ball tour – the singer’s first since 2017’s Joanne.
Former Gaga dancer Knicole Haggins told Rolling Stone hitting out at Jackson was an ‘opportunity for things to change for the better and for people to feel that they don’t have to be quiet in order to keep their job’.
Ex-dancer Sloan-Taylor Rabinor added: ‘My point in coming forward about this is seeking change.
‘If I can positively impact or save a dancer from having an experience like this, so when these red flags come up, whether it’s with (Jackson) or it’s somebody else, that they can step outside and be like, “Oh, I know what this looks like, I know how to remove myself from that situation”.’
Jackson has held the position of Gaga ’s head choreographer since 2011.
He took over from his former boss Laurieann Gibson, 53, who created routines for Gaga ’s music videos Poker Face, Born This Way and Telephone.
Taking to the stage: The claims come as Gaga embarked on her twice-delayed The Chromatica Ball tour – the singer’s first since 2017’s Joanne
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