You may have heard, but Madonna has something she wants to talk about: Dance.
The “Confessions II” singer walked away from the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards as the big winner on Sunday night, taking home seven awards — including Artist of the Year, Best Album and Best Collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter. However, Madonna also won Best Dance as the category returned to the awards show for the first time in seven years.
“I came to New York to be a dancer and dance is where everything happened for me in my life. I came to life on the dance floor, I found my community on the dance floor, I fell in love with people on the dance floor … and I lost many people I loved on the dance floor,” she told the VMAs crowd at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. “Dance brings everybody together. We’re all equal on the dance floor.”
Best Dance was presented by BACARDÍ, who teamed up with pro dancers Dexter Carr, Gabi Barra and Dario Boatner to choreograph fresh moves for some classic, winning tracks — with a new twist, of course.
The 6 Best Moments From the 2026 VMAs
“Madonna’s generational impact on dance music and pop culture speaks to exactly why this category deserves to be celebrated: dance is an ever-evolving form of connection that continues to bring people together through shared rhythm and movement,” Lisa Pfenning, Vice President of BACARDÍ in North America, told TheWrap. “This is the fourth year we’ve partnered with the VMAs, and each year we look for new ways to build upon the collaboration, so it feels fresh and meaningful while staying authentic to both brands.”
“When we learned Best Dance hadn’t been awarded in seven years, we immediately saw an opportunity to bring it back in a way that made sense for BACARDÍ, especially at a moment when dance music is seeing a strong cultural resurgence,” she added. “We wanted to celebrate dance music beyond the award itself, which is what inspired our work with DJ Caleb Calloway to reimagine three iconic Best Dance-winning tracks from years past and introduce them to a new generation in a fresh way. Presenting the return of Best Dance recognizes the genre’s lasting impact while giving a new generation of fans an opportunity to discover, celebrate and participate in dance music.”
Indeed, the trio of dancers could not be prouder to once again celebrate their art after all performing on the VMAs stage in the past — naming Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Rihanna, Missy Elliott, Michael Jackson and Madonna as some of their favorite live moments from MTV history.
“VMAs is such an iconic thing as a dancer because we watch every single one growing up wanting to be there one day. So to be celebrated as a dancer and to be a guest is such an amazing feeling,” Carr shared. “The VMAs is dance. You watch the performances to see what crazy things people are going to do; it’s how you feel the music. To bring back the category in such a big way is an honor.”
“For us, dance is an emotional release; it’s therapy. I feel like dance is coming back around as an expression of movement and music. The time is right, there’s something in the air that is bringing the dance community higher,” Barra agreed. “It’s an honor to be involved in these events as a dancer. When we see these performances and really look at them, you have to admire the artists behind the artist, because we are artists … at the end of the day, we as dancers really do help elevate a performance.”
“It means the world. Dance as the art form that it is can just be on a level on its own,” Boatner echoed. “And also, video is timeless, so you gotta get it right.”
Other notable guests at Sunday’s ceremony included Charli xcx, Troye Sivan, Debi Mazar, Julia Garner, Seth Rogen, Harry Jowsey, Aniya Harvey, Nezza, Andrew Licout, Scarlett Magaña-Singh, Thaís Rodriguez and Emely Moreno, just to name a few. The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are now streaming on Paramount+.
