24 Transcendent Moments From Beyoncé's VMAs Performance

By Ryan Roschke

Updated on 8/25/2014 at 3:31 PM

MTV

It goes without saying that Beyoncé tore down the house with her performance before accepting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. The 16-minute medley, which was riddled with songs from her new album, was filled with so many hair flips, so much popping and locking, and so much general fierceness that it felt more like 16 seconds. And don't even get us started on that Blue Ivy appearance. You can, of course, watch the full performance, but we're reliving the most iconic moments in GIFs.

01
When She Showed Us Exactly How a Diva Breaks It Down

When She Showed Us Exactly How a Diva Breaks It Down

02
When She Became the Physical Manifestation of Waking Up Like This

When She Became the Physical Manifestation of Waking Up Like This

03
When She Sang to Her Own Hand Because We Weren't Worthy

When She Sang to Her Own Hand Because We Weren't Worthy

04
When She Made Us Entirely Forget About Nicki Minaj's Booty

When She Made Us Entirely Forget About Nicki Minaj's Booty

05
When She Doled Out One of the Most Epic Hair Flips Ever

When She Doled Out One of the Most Epic Hair Flips Ever

06
When She Did This and Everyone Was Practically Electrocuted by the Power of It All

When She Did This and Everyone Was Practically Electrocuted by the Power of It All

07
When She Casually Pulled Out This Sexy Move

When She Casually Pulled Out This Sexy Move

08
When She Shut It Down Like This

When She Shut It Down Like This

09
When She Stopped Being Fierce and Started Being Effervescent and Beautiful

When She Stopped Being Fierce and Started Being Effervescent and Beautiful

10
When This Flawless, Epic, Historical Moment Happened and We Were Just in Awe

When This Flawless, Epic, Historical Moment Happened and We Were Just in Awe

11
When She Popped It and Locked It Like It Was Nothing

When She Popped It and Locked It Like It Was Nothing

12
When This Happened and Our Hearts Skipped a Beat

When This Happened and Our Hearts Skipped a Beat

13
When There Were Two Beyoncés Doing the Same Thing, and One of Them Was Giant

When There Were Two Beyoncés Doing the Same Thing, and One of Them Was Giant

14
When She Did a Double Hair Flip, Leaving Everyone Bewildered

When She Did a Double Hair Flip, Leaving Everyone Bewildered

15
When She Rode on Her Surfboard and All Was Right With the World

When She Rode on Her Surfboard and All Was Right With the World

16
When Her Fierceness Was Easily More Than Everyone Else's Combined

When Her Fierceness Was Easily More Than Everyone Else's Combined

17
When She Casually Stood Out Among the Scores of Backup Dancers

When She Casually Stood Out Among the Scores of Backup Dancers

18
When She Looked Exactly Like a Beyoncé Music Video and We Were Beside Ourselves

When She Looked Exactly Like a Beyoncé Music Video and We Were Beside Ourselves

19
When She Stomped It Out Like No One Had Stomped Before

When She Stomped It Out Like No One Had Stomped Before

20
When She Blinded Us With Her Sequins and Beautiful Hair

When She Blinded Us With Her Sequins and Beautiful Hair

21
When She Was Silhouetted by Adorable Home Videos

When She Was Silhouetted by Adorable Home Videos

22
When the Videos Kept Coming and We Never Wanted the Performance to End

When the Videos Kept Coming and We Never Wanted the Performance to End

23
When We Were Beyoncé, and Beyoncé Was All of Us, and Everything Felt Like It Would Be OK

When We Were Beyoncé, and Beyoncé Was All of Us, and Everything Felt Like It Would Be OK

24
And Finally, When She Stood There in All of Her Glory, and She Was Eternal

And Finally, When She Stood There in All of Her Glory, and She Was Eternal