Pop Culture

When you imagine a video game studio, you probably think of rows of programmers at rows of computers and a fleet of gaming consoles, rather than mirrored dance studios. But at Ubisoft Paris, there are both: The Paris branch of the video game company leads the creation and development of Just Dance, a game in which players are scored for how precisely and musically they can reproduce choreography to popular songs.

Originally published in 2009 for the Nintendo Wii console, Just Dance has since sold 80 million copies and engaged more than 140 million players all over the world. And while the game, which released its 2024 edition at the end of October, aims to make dance fun and accessible for anyone who picks up a remote, there are dozens of professional dancers and choreographers who help to make it happen.

Real Dancers, Really Dancing

For every Just Dance song and its attendant choreography, players follow along with at least one “coach,” digital avatars with unique character design. You might assume these coaches are computer generated, but the routines that unfold in each Just Dance “map” start out as videos of dancers performing the choreography in full costume and makeup on a green screen. Though animation is added in postproduction, what you’re watching in the final game are real dancers, really dancing. The 2024 edition worked with 38 dancers and 17 choreographers, 7 of whom performed their own routines as coaches, to create the 40 new maps.

Finding the Right Choreographer

Estelle Manas, Just Dance’s director of choreography, began working at Ubisoft four years ago after over 20 years as a professional dancer in France’s commercial and musical theater scenes. She’s one of the creative leads involved in the process of creating each map from inception. “My role is to make the bridge between all the production needs and the artists,” she says.

Once the number of characters, mood, and story for a given song are determined, Manas puts together a brief with that information, as well as the planned difficulty (easy, medium, hard, or extreme), whether there are any accessories or props to be integrated, and an initial storyboard breakdown with the music. She then references Just Dance’s go-to list of freelance choreographers and finds the best fit. The selected choreographer goes into the studio with Manas and her assistant to create and film a prototype of the choreography.

Unique Choreographic Constraints

The choreography for a Just Dance map has to work within unique constraints. Because the console remote, which tracks the players’ movements to produce their final score, is held in the right hand, the choreography has to ensure that the right hand is always visible and actively involved in the dance. The movement has to be oriented to the front and be easily legible; keeping players facing the screen makes it easier for them to mirror the 2-D avatar’s moves, and makes for clearer pictograms, which scroll across the bottom of the screen in time with the choreography to cue players on which positions and motions are being scored for accuracy. Player ease is also why the choreography unfolds in relatively straightforward patterns: lots of repetition, fairly square musicality. Adjustments to accommodate the needs of other departments—from costume design to video artists to level design—also have to be seamlessly incorporated into the final version.

Casting “Coaches”

Just Dance has a roster of dancers primarily found through periodic open-call auditions. Manas and her team consider the style of dance and the personality and look of the “coach” when deciding who to tap. Across the board, the dancers have to be not just good, clean technicians but also excellent at emoting, projecting energy, and conveying a story in a three-minute routine. Most important to the rehearsal process: “We need the dancer to have a really good memory, because we change the steps, the energy, the eye contact, all the time,” Manas says. They have, at most, four three-hour rehearsals in which to master the choreography as it’s being workshopped to accommodate notes from other departments.

What’s New in 2024

One new feature that will be beta-tested this winter is camera scoring, which will allow players to set up their smartphone to track them as they perform the routines from 15 tracks and score them based on their full body movement, rather than tracking just the remote in their right hand. (This gets at an early criticism of Just Dance: Couldn’t you just sit on the couch and wave your right arm around, rather than attempting the choreography?) The grading for this mode is based on an artificial-intelligence model trained on team members performing the choreography.

Another first for the 2024 edition: Collaborating with Baroque-dance expert Pierre-François Dollé for a new map set at the Palace of Versailles. Brought about thanks to the Cultural Olympiad program ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, “A Night in the Château de Versailles” celebrates a location that looms large not just in the popular imagination (Marie Antoinette, anyone?) but also in the history of Western classical dance. (Remember Louis XIV and Ballet de la Nuit from dance history class?) When Manas interviewed Dollé at the start of the collaboration, she was surprised to learn that Baroque dances like the minuet were not unlike the Macarena or Cupid Shuffle of their time, albeit for courtiers: “It was a really fun and sharing space, like: ‘I’ve heard this song, I know this choreography, let’s go!’ ”

The final result, set to a remix integrating a pair of contemporaneous compositions, evolves from a fairly straightforward homage to paired Baroque dances into a syncopated, hip-hop–inspired riff on the genre as the onscreen coaches move through the grounds and halls of the opulent palace. And the new Versailles map is a tidy encapsulation of what Just Dance is all about: taking something that might seem elite and out of reach—a Baroque dance performed by aristocrats, or, more broadly, dance as an art form—and transforming it into a contemporary, accessible, fun experience.

The post Real Dancers, Really Dancing: The Making of Just Dance 2024 appeared first on Dance Magazine.

There’s no shortage of dance-based nonfiction on seemingly endless topics, but fiction shelves have seen a recent influx of stories set in the studio and backstage. Whether you’re craving an escapist romance or a historical thriller, a dreamy fantasy or a piece of contemporary literary fiction, these novels keep one toe in the dance world as they paint vivid imagined realities.

Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

Set in 1930s Chicago, this darkly romantic fantasy follows Grace Dragotta, an orphan who rises to become the prima ballerina of the fictional Near North Ballet. Her world takes a turn for the uncanny when the troupe’s new, mysterious patron takes an interest in her career, and the fairy tales and folklore of the ballets she dances are revealed to hold more than a sliver of truth in reality. Pitched as Phantom of the Opera meets Beauty and the Beast, Alyssa Wees’ lyrical second novel explores grief, friendship, and the power of art to soothe, heal, and build a path forward in the wake of life’s inevitable tragedies.

Dances by Nicole Cuffy

At a fictionalized New York City Ballet, 22-year-old Cece Cordell is catapulted to a new level of visibility when she becomes the first Black ballerina promoted to principal in the company’s history. From the outside, she seems to be at the pinnacle of everything she’s ever wanted, but her interior life reveals a more complex landscape: nagging perfectionism, a constant questioning of whether she truly belongs, the daily physical negotiations of life in ballet, the shifting nuances of her relationships—in particular, her memories of her older brother, who had encouraged her interest in dance as a child but vanished from her life shortly after she landed her apprenticeship. At turns lyrical and raw, grounded and ephemeral, Nicole Cuffy’s debut novel offers a finely etched character study of a dancer learning to embody her whole self.

Pas de Don’t by Chloe Angyal

Chloe Angyal, author of the incisive Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers Is Saving Ballet From Itself, brings her deep knowledge of the ballet world to a romantic comedy set at two fictional elite companies. When her onstage partner and fiancé is caught cheating with a young corps member, New York Ballet principal Heather Hays takes a guesting gig at Australian National Ballet—the only company willing to hire her without her “American ballet royalty” ex—and meets Marcus Campbell, a soloist working his way back after a horrific onstage injury. Sparks fly as Marcus shows her around Sydney, but there’s one problem: Pas de Don’t, the nickname for the company’s strict no internal fraternization policy. Like many of the best works in the genre, Pas de Don’t uses romance to explore a broader range of experiences— grief, healing from emotionally abusive relationships—while also celebrating the power of dance and unpacking pervasive issues in ballet culture, including unhealthy power dynamics, sexual harassment, and sexist double standards.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis

Marion Brooks risks estrangement from her father, sister, and soon-to-be fiancé when she bucks expectations of what a pretty young woman in the 1950s should do with her life and accepts a gig as a Rockette. But when the infamous “Big Apple Bomber” targets Radio City Music Hall, Marion is drawn into the investigation alongside psychologist Dr. Peter Griggs, placing her exhilarating and exhausting new life as a Rockette at risk as they race to unravel the bomber’s identity. Inspired by the real-life “Mad Bomber” case and steeped in the storied history of the Rockettes, Fiona Davis’ intricately woven thriller is, at its core, a love letter to Radio City Music Hall and the families found and made backstage.

The post Beach Reads: 4 Recently Released Novels Set in the Dance World appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Bringing Disney’s animated classics to live-action life has taken more than a dusting of pixie dust over the years. The latest adaptation, The Little Mermaid, may be the most extravagant yet: It features a star-studded cast that includes Halle Bailey (Ariel), Daveed Diggs (Sebastian), and Melissa McCarthy (Ursula). But the finished product has been a long time coming. After the pandemic forced a seven-month abandon-ship in the middle of shooting, the film will finally hit theaters on May 26.

Director Rob Marshall tasked choreographer Joey Pizzi and co-choreographer Tara Nicole Hughes with creating movement for sea creatures and humans alike. Hughes—who’s also made her mark on the dance-forward films Chicago, Burlesque, and Mary Poppins Returns—talked about the process of bringing The Little Mermaid’s dancing into the deep end.

When did you come onboard The Little Mermaid?
I joined the creative team in May of 2019. Our first task was to discover which marine animals would best lend themselves to movement, specifically for the film’s biggest number, “Under the Sea.” We went through an entire casting process to choose our main sea creatures. They ended up including feather stars, ribbon eels, sea turtles, and even a mimic octopus.

What else inspired your choreography?
The original film’s Caribbean setting and music were definitely driving forces, as well as observing the sea creatures’ natural movement. For instance, when they’re swimming, feather stars look like showgirls, so that’s what they became in “Under the Sea,” dancing around Halle. The underwater world is already dancing—we just don’t normally see it.

How did that then translate to animation?
Rob had the brilliant idea to bring 16 dancers from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to set “Under the Sea.” We used multiple 360-degree cameras to capture every angle of the dancers’ movement. That became the framework for the visual-effects artists to use for the sea creatures.

What was the approach to scenes that took place in or under water?
If a water scene involved anything above the waterline, we shot it in the water as normal. We shot all of the underwater scenes with a technique called “dry for wet,” which is a full blue-screen environment. Every single frame had to be choreographed or staged—not just the dance sequences. The actors used different kinds of rigs to simulate swimming, which required an entire stunt team to operate. Everyone had to know exactly what was supposed to happen on each count of music. We had to rehearse everything almost as much as a stage show, because there couldn’t be any surprises on filming day.

How did the cast handle those challenges?
Halle has such a natural grace about her and she was great in the water. It was more about building strength, learning the choreography, and getting used to the rigs. And Melissa, she’s fearless. She wanted to slide down Ursula’s clamshell right away and swim all over her lair. Everybody had to put in work, of course, but the whole cast was so naturally skilled that it made our jobs easier.

You’ve worked with Rob Marshall for a long time. How has that relationship evolved?
Joey, Rob, and I have worked together since my first project in 1996, which is hard to believe. Because of our history, we understand each other. Rob always has a clear vision, and he’s a master communicator, so we just follow his beacon of light. He also has a way of attracting the very best casts.

What were your biggest takeaways from this project?
With such huge technical challenges, you just have to stay the course. Every frame had blood, sweat, and tears poured into it, but all you see onscreen is joy, elegance, and love, which means we did our jobs well.

The post Tara Nicole Hughes on How The Little Mermaid Brings Dance Under the Sea appeared first on Dance Magazine.

You may recognize freelance ballerina Madison Keesler from her former positions with San Francisco Ballet, English National Ballet, and Hamburg Ballet. But this Tuesday, April 11, at 9 pm EST, you may be surprised to see her on television as a guest star in the CBS police procedural “FBI: International.”

In reality, there’s little reason to be surprised. The principal guest artist, who struck out on her own last June to begin a freelance career in New York City, has always loved acting (she trained at American Conservatory Theater during her time in San Francisco) and has already made strides onscreen. She had a speaking role in the feature film TEST (2013), appeared in a music video for musician Julian Lennon, and has danced in several video projects for SFB, the BBC, and filmmaker Henry Thong. A self-proclaimed “tech geek,” Keesler has also gained experience directing and filming as a co-founder of FreelyMad, a small dance film company she leads with Benjamin Freemantle. Now, with newfound flexibility thanks to her freelancing schedule, she’s been enjoying the chance to pursue additional film opportunities while continuing her ballet career.

Keesler will appear in episode 217 of “FBI: International,” titled “Jealous Mistress,” in which she plays a beloved American prima ballerina, Nicolette Clarke. In the episode, Clarke becomes subject to a violent acid attack on the eve of her principal premiere in Vienna and finds herself in the center of an international criminal investigation led by the show’s core FBI International Fly Team. Viewers can tune in on the CBS channel or stream it on Paramount+—but if you’re not caught up on the show, says Keesler, there’s no need to worry, as the episode is self-contained.

We spoke with Keesler to learn more about her TV debut experience, what she’s gained from her work in acting, and more.

How did you land this role?

This was the universe giving me a reminder that community is very important! A few months ago, I met up with my friend Courtney Lavine, who’s a dancer with American Ballet Theatre, and mentioned how I was looking for agents. I’d finished several programs through the acting school I’ve been going to, T. Schreiber Studio, and felt like I was ready to do more auditions. She suggested the agency CESD, who she’d worked with before. I emailed them immediately after lunch on Thursday, and they responded on Friday saying that there was a unique opportunity—and that if I was available and interested, the self-tape audition was due on Monday.

I jumped on it, and it turned out to be this episode. I immediately had a feeling it would be a good fit. These shows are cast so last-minute, so to have an actual trained professional dancer who’s available is a rare thing. I submitted the audition and heard back right away. By that next Saturday, I was on a plane to Europe!

That’s so exciting! What was it like to film on set for TV?
It was fantastic! These shows are well-oiled machines, and I was treated so well. I was there for about 17 days in total and loved meeting the cast members, because of course, I’d started watching the show right away! It was also really nice meeting the other guest stars. We got to explore Vienna, and since we were there during Valentine’s Day and away from our sweethearts, the six of us had our own celebration. It was a great bonding moment!

There were a lot of similarities with ballet. I realized on set how familiar it felt in the sense that you have a big team surrounding you, and everyone has the same common goal. It’s very similar to being in the theater and how everyone becomes a team, whether they’re the ones you see onscreen, onstage, or behind the scenes. So in that way, it felt like I was stepping into a mini company.

I’ve always been a dancer who’s gravitated towards acting roles. When I was 16, I remember wondering if I should move to Los Angeles and act or if I should dance. So that question has always been in the back of my mind, and I’m grateful for these opportunities where I’ve been able to marry the two.

What were some of the challenges you faced?

It was a challenge reminding myself to stay in the present and not overthink. It was easy to have impostor syndrome and say, “Do you know what you’re doing?” I had to trust my training. And I really did feel prepared, which is a testament to all the classes and teachers I’ve worked with here in New York so far.

I also had to say some German words and speak in a Viennese accent! I have lived in Hamburg, which helped, but I’m also American, and we’re historically bad with languages. [Laughs.] But they did provide a session with a dialect coach, which was great.

How did you approach the role of Nicolette Clarke?

I wanted to go with my instincts. For the audition, I basically shut myself away for those couple of days and dove through Nicolette’s background—and, honestly, a lot of it could easily align with my own life. My acting teachers have said, especially at the beginning, not to be afraid of that or to overact. So a lot of the process was diving into my own history.

But there are definitely some pure Nicolette twists. She’s a rising U.S. ballerina who’s even caught the attention of the First Lady. She has lots of fans in Vienna and is a big deal, which was fun to play! She also forms a pretty close bond with [Fly Team member Cameron] Vo. They find a common ground over similar histories, Vo’s being a passion for piano and Nicolette’s being ballet. The scenes delving into their relationship were probably my favorite to film.

Are you excited to watch the show?

I’ve only seen bits and pieces of scenes where we had to refilm dialogue, so now I’m even more excited to see the rest! The whole experience has been exciting—there was a lot of jumping up and down when I got the call from my agent. I’ve been trying to soak up every moment!

What are your future plans or goals for your career?

I want to do everything! I definitely still want to continue dancing as a classical ballet dancer. I’m not retired, just freelancing in a way that gives me space and time for other opportunities. New York City is a great place for that.

We can’t dance forever, so long-term I’d love to keep acting and share different stories. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for future TV shows and films, and I’m dipping my toes into musical theater—I’ve been working on my singing voice! I find humans and the brain so fascinating, and I think there are endless stories we can tell.

The post Ballerina Onscreen: Madison Keesler Guest-Stars in “FBI: International” appeared first on Dance Magazine.

The 2023 Academy Awards ceremony was a particularly memorable one—and not just because the iconic “red carpet” was, for the first time in decades, not red. With outstanding stage performances, history-making wins for talents of underrepresented communities and tight races across the board, last night’s broadcast kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

As for us dance enthusiasts, we especially awaited the performance of “Naatu Naatu,” the exceedingly catchy track from the Telegu film RRR that later that evening would make history as the first Indian film song to win an Oscar, claiming the award in the Best Original Song category. The anticipation for this performance was noticeable throughout the night, even well before the ceremony began—during the preshow broadcast, ABC news reporter Chris Connelly shared that he had worn his suspenders in anticipation of dancing along with the ensemble, and during a preshow interview, “Naatu Naatu” star Ram Charan got anchors Linsey Davis and Whit Johnson moving with a bit of the viral choreography.

The evening’s first onstage dance moment was both hilarious and unexpected. To wrap up his opening monologue, ceremony host Jimmy Kimmel joked that if any awardee’s speech went on too long, rather than being played offstage with the typical music, they would instead be danced off by a group of “Naatu Naatu” performers. The audience burst into laughter as six of the dancers surrounded Kimmel doing the hallmark hook step, enthusiastically edging him off to kick off the awards.

Next was the weirdly wonderful performance of best picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once’s track “This Is a Life,” which was nominated for best original song alongside “Naatu Naatu.” An ensemble of dancers in white costumes reminiscent of martial arts uniforms joined the band Son Lux, singer/songwriter David Byrne and best supporting actress nominee (and former Broadway performer) Stephanie Hsu in their delightful and wacky performance of the song, complete with an onscreen cameo from EEAAO digital star Raccacoonie. In a quirky number studded with extraordinary martial-arts–esque feats, slow-motion moments and an ending contraction held for an impressively long time, the dancers of “This Is a Life” took the multiverse track to the next level.

About an hour and a half into the ceremony came the much-awaited performance of “Naatu Naatu,” featuring Prem Rakshith’s film choreography. Expectations were high for this anti-colonial “banger,” as described by presenter Deepika Padukone, but the cast—which included a surprisingly low number of South Asian performers—exceeded nearly all with its rip-roaring Technicolor performance fit for the Broadway stage (RRR: The Musical, anyone?). The dancers’ infectious energy and powerful execution of the iconic choreography added to the list of the evening’s triumphs—for film, song, South Asian representation and, inarguably, dance.

The Oscars may historically be all about the little gold man, but after nights like last night it is clear to us the power that strong performances make. While we’ll still wonder why there isn’t a category for best choreography yet, the dance world has a lot to be proud of from this year’s crown jewel film event.

The post Most Memorable Dance Moments: The 2023 Academy Awards appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Disney lovers, this one’s for you. On December 15, Belle, Lumière, Mrs. Potts and the rest of the crew behind the 1991 classic returned to the screen in “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration,” filmed before a live audience and airing on ABC at 8/7c. The special, which blends the original animation with live-action performances, will then be available to stream on Disney+ starting December 16.

One of the creative forces bringing this project to life is Jamal Sims, the much-lauded choreographer behind the Step Up movies, 2011’s Footloose, Netflix’s 13: The Musical, Miley Cyrus’ Wonder World Tour and so much more. With Jon M. Chu (the director of the In the Heights film and Crazy Rich Asians) executive producing, the anniversary celebration features an absolutely start-studded cast: H.E.R. and Josh Groban will play the titular roles with Martin Short as Lumière, Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts, Broadway sensation Joshua Henry as Gaston and David Alan Grier as Cogsworth. And, saving the best for last, Rita Moreno (who appeared in both the 1961 and 2021 West Side Story films) will serve as the narrator. Dance Magazine chatted with Sims to find out all about his Beauty and the Beast nostalgia, his vision for the project and what it was like working with a cast of such luminaries.

How did you get involved in this project?

Jon Chu, our executive producer and a dear friend of mine, gave me a call earlier this year and asked if I would be interested in jumping in on the project. Of course it was a big YES!

Does Beauty and the Beast hold any special significance for you?

I was a teenager when the film came out, and it reminds me of babysitting my younger sisters. We would watch it together, and I feel like I loved it more than they did.

Were there parts in particular that you had an immediate vision for or were most excited to work on?

I was so excited to work on Gaston. The opportunity to have a different take on the number that has been done so many different ways was challenging yet exciting.

What does an animated and live-action blended project entail, and what does that mean for you as the choreographer?

It entails careful planning on our part. Figuring out transitions and to make sure we are continuously surprising the audience. The difference between Broadway and television is with television we are able to use more space to create our world.

What was it like working with such a star-studded cast? Were any of them particularly suited to dancing?

Working with this star-studded cast was a dream. I was a huge fan of them all individually, so it was amazing bringing them together as a team. Rita Moreno is a dance legend, and it was such a humbling experience just to know we had her on set. I was surprised how game the whole cast was to step outside of their comfort zones. We really pushed them to dig deeper.

What in particular should dance lovers watching be on the lookout for?

There are so many beautiful dance moments. Dance lovers should be looking for numbers that have never been told through dance are now being interpreted by a skilled cast of dancers.

Why do you think it’s important to breathe fresh life into classics like Beauty and the Beast? 

I think the new audiences deserve their own version of Beauty and the Beast while being educated on the process of what it took to create the original.

Are you working on any new projects? 

I directed and choreographed “Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl” which will also be on Disney+ at the end of the month. I choreographed the new “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies” where I also directed an episode. Life has been busy, but so much fun!

The post Jamal Sims on Working On “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Zachary Frongillo thought he had left dance behind. Then, one fateful day last summer, the owner of the Savannah Bananas, a Coastal Plain League baseball team, asked him to coach first base. Reluctantly, the former Erick Hawkins Dance Company member agreed, and, in addition to telling Bananas base runners when it was safe to steal second, he executed a series of pirouettes between pitches. The clip of the ballet dancer in uniform went viral.

As the director of entertainment for the Bananas, Frongillo is responsible for ensuring crowds don’t just see a baseball game, but a variety show that includes every­thing from a 65-and-up line-dance squad (the Banana Nanas) to a batter walking up to the plate on stilts—and, yes, dancing first-base coaches, which has become something of a tradition for the team.

“Everything that’s normal, we do the opposite” is the Bana­nas’­ mantra, Frongillo says. His viral moment was the result of him subbing in for Maceo Harrison, a dancer whose resumé includes music videos and who replaces the cryptic hand signals you’d normally see from a first-base coach with freestyle hip hop.

“It’s becoming this giant show because it’s making baseball fun, and dancing is a big part of that.”  Zachary Frongillo

Frongillo’s “Waltz of the Flowers” clip was seen by Savannah Ballet Theatre artistic director Suzanna Braddy, who recruited him to join the company as a guest artist. Now, he’s back to taking class three times a week, and planning to incorporate more dance into baseball games for the Bananas’ 2022 season.

The post Dance Finds a Place in Baseball With the Savannah Bananas appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Can you remember the last time you thought of a clock when you heard the word “ticktock”? We can’t either. The TikTok app has brought new meaning to the word—and a new space for dancers to create and share the moves they’re making with the world.

TikTok has definitely evolved since it first launched in 2016—and living through quarantine brought droves to the platform out of pure boredom. But what’s remained true from the start is the popularity of dance-challenge videos. These “challenges” are less of a social competition to determine who is the best dancer, but serve as more of a call to the TikTok community to join in on the fun by recreating the movements they see. They typically follow a fairly standard format of simple, front-facing choreography, mostly consisting of upper-body movements that are usually fit for any beginner to learn.

Although the dance challenge “aesthetic” has undoubtedly fed the app’s popularity, there’s more going on in the dance world of TikTok. Some artists and choreographers are creating more than just viral challenges that turn with the wind. They are making works that aren’t meant to be duplicated (or, in proper TikTok terms, “duet”-ed), but instead stand alone as their own pieces of art, made specifically for the platform and to be appreciated as they are.

Lea Tucker & Emry Wride, aka “El Choreography”

(@elchoreography) 51k TikTok followers

Lea Tucker and Emry Wride are two sisters who have mastered the art of creating a theater-like dance experience to be witnessed via your phone screen. Their dancers are often in full costume to give viewers the complete concept as it was visualized in their minds. With pure intention and emotion, they’ve showcased dancers—sometimes as soloists, other times in a small group—passionately bringing the lyrics from the soundtrack of the “Bridgerton” Netflix series to life through choreography that effortlessly communicates the message of each song.

When they joined: “We started using TikTok in January 2021. What drew us was definitely the #BridgertonMusical trend started by two extremely talented songwriters, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. We fell in love with the music, and it inspired us to start creating content on the app. In the beginning, the content was all ‘Bridgerton’-focused. Today, we’re branching out.”

The pros and cons: “The pros are how vast the audience range can be, and how quickly content can spread. People are very interactive, and creators are very collaborative on TikTok. The cons are how apparent view count is, and how the app values and rewards it. It can add unnecessary pressure to constantly produce viral videos.”

The inspiration: “During the pandemic, live performances stopped and TikTok provided a way for people to enjoy dance and theater safely. We were inspired to provide a theatrical experience through a screen and retell a story that so many people loved (‘Bridgerton’) through movement. We loved the Netflix series. After we heard one of Barlow and Bear’s songs, ‘Ocean Away,’ we knew that we had to choreograph to it. After we posted the first TikTok, the songwriters reached out, and from there we continued to collaborate through the app.”

The creative process: “First, we conceptualize and plan details, like dancers, costumes, etc. Then, we choreograph on the spot when the dancers are in the studio, which can take three to four hours. Right after learning the choreography, we begin the filming process.”

The payoff: “We’ve been able to connect with people all over the world, and also have been fortunate enough to have been interviewed and featured by a multitude of renowned media outlets.”

Jose Ramos, aka “Hollywood”

(@ayhollywoood) 57k TikTok followers

Known for working with names like Rihanna, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, hip-hop choreographer Hollywood has found his niche on TikTok, which he likes to call “organized chaos.” As the creator of the viral #LightFlexChallenge, there’s no doubt that he can produce fun, easy-to-learn choreo. But what sets him apart on the app are the videos in which he films himself performing his choreography, along with eight or more other dancers, while seamlessly flowing in and out of frame, creating a full artistic experience specifically for a phone screen.

When he joined: “I started using TikTok two years ago once I saw where social media was heading. I was mostly drawn in by the dance challenges at first.”

The pros and cons: “Unlike Instagram, you can easily gain a new audience and cultivate a following outside of your friends, mutuals and colleagues. You can also upgrade your brand by experimenting with different content strategies to find and connect with people from so many different regions. A con is definitely that trends become repetitive, and it can be hard to find ‘your thing’ without feeling like you’re selling yourself short.”

His creation process: “What inspired me was the already-established concept of framework that you see in dance videos on TikTok. I felt really inclined to up the ante by adding unique transitions, more choreography to fill the camera frame, and create ins and outs that are appealing to the eye. Each dancer is a student of mine, so we set up a date to meet and rehearse, and in exchange, I give them free classes. We take about two and half hours each rehearsal to prep everyone for a constantly moving routine. Whatever comes out in the moment while choreographing is what I piece together for the world to see on TikTok.”

What he hopes to gain: “I have definitely pitched the concept to some artists and brands, and I’m crossing my fingers that one day, some major brand(s) will pay us good money.”

Jack Ferver, aka “Little Lad”

(@thereallittlelad) 2.1M TikTok followers

If you hear the phrase “berries and cream” and think of the Starburst commercial that went viral during the early 2000s, then you’ll immediately envision­ one of the most memorable characters to ever grace your TV screen. (If not, a quick YouTube search will get you up to speed.) But what most viewers probably never would’ve guessed was that the actor playing the “little lad” was actually an experimental choreographer in real life. Jack Ferver is now bringing the Little Lad character back into the limelight more than a decade later—serving eerily humorous performance art on TikTok that is simply unrepeatable and just as viral, if not more, as the commercial that started it all.

Life as the Little Lad: “When I did that Starburst commercial, I was just starting to make my own dance work. I would have some of my students saying ‘Oh my gosh, you were in that commercial!’ which I loved. (What I didn’t love was people just saying ‘Do the dance!’) I always appreciate when art slows me down, and I feel that freedom and pleasure with playfulness when I am creating as the Little Lad.”

What made them want to join: “It wasn’t until this past summer that my friend Reid Bartelme, who I used to do the Dance and Stuff podcast with, started sending me things that people were making on TikTok about the Little Lad character. Reid said, ‘Well, what are you going to do?’ And initially I said ‘Nothing,’ but eventually I saw one that I felt was making fun of the Little Lad, and I thought ‘Well, the Little Lad should appear themselves and take up their own space.’ So, one day I went to this wig store on 14th Street in New York City, held up the photo from the commercial, and said, ‘I need something that looks like this.’ ”

TikTok opportunities: “I’ve gotten requests for everything from appearing at a child’s birthday to making a cameo to cheer up someone that was going through a breakup. I also had a doctor reach out who wrote an incredibly kind note expressing their team’s fatigue during COVID, and how sharing one of my videos created a positive impact for them. Humor creates so much ventilation, and we all need to just breathe a lot more.”

What they love most: “I love how interactive it can be. Early on, I would open the app and just chat into people’s livestreams. I really love seeing the younger generation pushing forward important issues on the app, and I’ve likewise really enjoyed getting to see people of all ages express themselves or show us some new aspects of life. I also love that the app has some sense of mental-health check-in so that people don’t just fall into doom scrolling. And, of course, I appreciate that TikTok has a Creator Fund, which puts money back towards the people who are creating the amazing content that we get to experience.”

Their number-one goal when creating content: “As a queer kid who grew up in rural Wisconsin, an important part of my practice as an artist is questioning, ‘How do I get through to the child who suffers?’ Especially having a character like the Little Lad, I try to think, ‘Where could kids who might feel like they’re an outlier feel like they have a mirror, someone to play with, or someone to feel less alone with?’ My main goal is to make people feel less alone.”

The post Beyond Dance Challenges: 4 Choreographers Share Their Unique Approaches to TikTok appeared first on Dance Magazine.

Have you ever watched figure skating and wondered who choreographs the athletes’ programs? Well, meet Sam Chouinard, a Canadian choreographer who works with some of the world’s highest-ranking skaters. For the Beijing 2022 Olympics, he’s collaborated with athletes from the U.S., Canada, China, Spain, France, Great Britain and Japan. Most notably, Chouinard choreographed the “Rocket Man” free program for gold medalist Nathan Chen and worked with the French ice dance team, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, on their waacking short program, which helped them achieve gold overall.

How did you begin choreographing for figure skating?

Figure skating is not my background. I was able to move on ice with skates, but just for fun. Seven years ago, I was introduced to the sport through my ballet teacher, who was already coaching athletes at the Ice Academy of Montreal. It was one of the first years that hip hop was used. The owner of the school asked me if I wanted to play with their skaters, and they loved the job that I did.

What was your dance background?

I was trained in contemporary, jazz, musical theater and hip hop. I was not a master of any of them, but I was a good chameleon for any type of show. That was very helpful when I started to choreograph for ice skating, synchronized swimming and gymnastics. Working with Cirque du Soleil touched all of those dance styles.

What was it like helping Nathan Chen move from a more balletic style to hip hop on ice?

This guy is a genius, he’s just so brilliant. For sure, we wanted to bring the party vibe out of this program. It’s the Olympics—you want to make people feel something. When you know your competitors, if you want to stand out, you need to think differently.

What is your process like?

We always start with a bunch of choreo and mapping it to the music. Once we have a big enough chunk of moves, we go and play on the ice. When I started, I had the tendency of wanting to put dance breaks everywhere, but it was just cutting the flow. I realized that what looked the best in figure skating is that speed and glide.

Do you find choreographing for figure skating challenging?

There are so many rules. The biggest challenge is making sure we can score the notes and then elevate the dance to another level. So, they can dance the technique and not look like they’re trying to replicate a dance, but really dance it. That is one of our strengths. I feel like the Russians are very strong technically, but when you take a look at their programs, the way the choreography is made, it’s more based on the technical side of it.

How do you help skaters develop their artistry?

It’s really the work of making them understand the weight transfer and being grounded. How can you feel your rib cage, your core, and use it so we don’t look too straight or stiff? The more you dance, the more you sell your program and the more you sell it, the more you can polish your technique.

What is it like to choreograph for skaters who are competing against each other?

That’s really hard for me because I want to give myself 100 percent to all of the couples. But it’s up to them what they’re going to do with the material I give them. It’s fun to see my moves, but then it’s fun to see how they digest it and make it their own.

What are some of your favorite programs you’ve choreographed?

Moulin Rouge for Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir has a special place in my heart because it was my first Olympic program and we won gold. One of the coolest to create was the Chock/Bates free program. Another was the Janet Jackson one. The Great Britain one to The Lion King was very fun to choreograph to a Broadway vibe, and then there’s Gabby/Guillaume with the waacking.

How did you also start choreographing for the Canadian synchronized swimming team?

The Olympic and sports world is a small world. I knew nothing about synchronized swimming, but I watched a lot of videos, and even if I’m not physically able to do it, I can have a big enough imagination. We work on formations and cleanliness of the arms. At the Olympic Stadium in Montreal where they train, if you go down a couple of stairs, there’s a window underneath the pool, so I get to see underwater.

What are you working on now?

We’re still with our teams that are not at the Olympics but are going to Worlds and we are also prepping the junior teams. I booked a Disney movie as a choreographer—it’s going to be a Christmas movie. I also booked a Cirque show in Montreal. The most exciting thing recently is I’ve been hired to be the main choreographer of a full season for a TV show in Japan. They also asked me to be the artistic director, which is my first time being an artistic director. I’m so excited and nervous but also ready to jump into the challenge.

Any advice for dancers?

Don’t limit yourself. Dance can be used in many different ways and many different artforms. Figure skating is not the lane I thought my life would go, and it turns out by just being open, it brought things into my life I never thought would be possible.

The post Meet Sam Chouinard, Choreographer for Olympic Gold Medalist Figure Skaters appeared first on Dance Magazine.

For dance-inclined fans, singles figure skating can be a frustrating sport to watch. Sure, choreography, music and costumes are part of it; but over the past decade, they have often felt like an afterthought in the race to pack programs with increasingly hard (meaning quadruple) jumps.

At the Beijing Winter Olympics, which opened today, technical content will again be key to determining podium placement. Yet there is one man you won’t want to miss, regardless of his ultimate ranking: Jason Brown, the American wonder who treats the ice like a dance stage and will no doubt go down as one of the sport’s greatest and most versatile performers.

Brown broke through in 2014, and not just because he earned a bronze medal in the team event at the Sochi Olympics: His exhilarating “Riverdance” free skate went viral in a way few skating programs do, garnering millions of views. A perfect match of choreography and performer, it built anticipation exquisitely, from the elegant opening arm movements to the effervescent, Irish-dance–inspired footwork sequences that start around the two-minute mark. (The standing ovation at the U.S. Championships began before Brown had even hit the final note.)

While he won the U.S. national title the next year, the quadruple-jump race heated up internationally post-Sochi. More and more skaters brought multiple “quads” to the table, leaving Brown—who has occasionally included one in his programs, but never achieved consistency with them—in a difficult position.

Still, while he has no individual world or Olympic medals, he has consistently placed in the top 10 internationally. “Artistry” doesn’t fully capture the quality of Brown’s work. Outside ofjumps, his technical skills are widely recognized as some of the finest in figure skating. His spins, for instance, are lightning-fast and perfectly centered. (And they include gorgeous flourishes: Just watch the free arm in some of them, with the balletic placement of the fingers and curved lines complementing the legs.)

Brown also scores very high program component scores (PCS), which count toward a skater’s total along with technical elements—a reward for the speed, flow, effortless transitions and performance quality he brings to the table. Yet under the current system, PCSs don’t differentiate enough between skaters to compensate for a lack of quadruple jumps; in fact, they even tend to rise along with the technical content.

That seemingly unavoidable ceiling nearly led Brown to retire in 2018, after he failed to make the last Olympic team. “I really didn’t see a future for me in this sport, unless I could do quads,” he told NBC last year. Instead, he moved to Toronto to train with the renowned Tracy Wilson and Brian Orser, whose long list of protégés includes two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu (one of the top medal prospects in Beijing) and the 2018 bronze medalist Javier Fernández.

And figure skating should be very grateful that this fan favorite stuck around. Over the past four years, Brown ditched his trademark ponytail and achieved new levels of artistic maturity. In 2019, he came back with “Love Is a Bitch,” a slow-burning short program subtly tailored to Two Feet’s sensual song. As always, Brown doesn’t merely cross the ice to get to the next big element: Every step is three-dimensional, with quick changes of direction, head tilts and développés all perfectly timed to either the melody or the bass line. (Imagine doing all of this not on marley but on actual ice.)

Again in black, at the Winter Olympics this year he will skate to Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman”—another fully realized piece that has earned Brown renewed standing ovations. Just watch the recurring hand motifs, from the jazzy start to claps matching the song, or his expressive use of the torso in the extremely fast step sequences. Also, the casual over-split jump (a Brown trademark) to over-split développé. And the arm briefly coming up to his heart in the final spin. The list of details goes on, and speaks to the level of finesse that goes into his work.

As with “Riverdance,” the choreography is by Rohene Ward, Brown’s longtime choreographer. A former skater himself, Ward also learned tap, hip hop and ballet from a young age. Since Brown’s move to Toronto, Ward has choreographed only his short programs, with David Wilson taking over the longer free ones: after Simon & Garfunkel and “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” programs, Brown brings “Schindler’s List” to Beijing. It’s a more traditional choice for figure skating, but Brown, who is Jewish, said he waited until he “felt capable of conveying that story.”

The 27-year-old, who came out as gay last year, is without a doubt the total package at this point in his career. He has persevered in a sport that doesn’t really reward artistic excellence with medals, putting huge amounts of energy into the quality of his programs where others might have held back a little to focus on nailing quads. (He is also fun and fabulous in exhibitions, as this carefree Justin Timberlake number suggests.) Brown has been called a skaters’ skater; he is also arguably the ultimate dancers’ skater. Whatever happens in Beijing, an artist will have graced the Olympic ice once more.

The post Jason Brown Is the Ultimate Dancers’ Skater at the Winter Olympics appeared first on Dance Magazine.