Britney Spears: Remember when she danced like this?

“I genuinely love what I do,” Britney Spears told MTV last Sunday in a pre-taped special for new album, Femme Fatale.

But lately, it hasn’t been entirely easy to feel that love in Spears’ low-impact live performances (see: Good Morning America) and videos (“Til the World Ends”). Maybe that’s why we found it surprisingly fun, and even a little poignant, to uncover this YouTube flashback (below) of Britney at her turn-of-the-millennium prime:Rehearsing a routine to The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (which she covered in 2000), a youthful Brit is all smiles and snap-perfect moves, hamming it up, squealing at her own small goofs, and clearly loving every minute.

It’s a time capsule of an era, for sure: It’s impossible to imagine a modern-day pop star like, say, Rihanna, doing steps half as corny as these. But it’s also a sweet glimpse back at a talented teenager who looks like she really would love to dance till the world ends.

Does it bring back fond memories for you too, readers? Are we too harsh on Spears’ dancing today? And what are your own favorite clips of Spears in action?