At the last KCON New York, a convention for South Korean pop music and culture, one of the most popular events didn’t include any K-pop stars. Instead, when the music started and the room erupted into ecstatic cheering, it was the fans themselves who stepped forward to perform—swaying their hips, twirling their arms and waving […]

There’s something about Sean Bankhead‘s choreography that moves you to your feet. Through intricate footwork, a twerk moment or a groove typical to Atlanta dance styles, he makes the lyrics, the melody and every instrument playing come alive. “He wants you to feel the music exactly how he hears it in his head,” says JaQuel […]

If choreographer/creative director/movement director Tanisha Scott has any one specialty, it’s making dance moments that stay memorable long after going viral. Award-winning videos like Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” Cardi B’s “Money” and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” came to life under her watch. “You don’t know how many times I’ve tried to explain what we […]

When was the last time you saw a dance company on “The Late Late Show with James Corden”? Or on an NPR Tiny Desk concert? Or one that became a band’s in-house creative director? JA Collective has done all this through their work with the band half•alive, seemingly rewriting the rules for what a dance […]

If you’ve gone gaga for Lady Gaga’s elaborate and out-there music videos, you’ve probably admired Richy Jackson’s work. Jackson has been by Lady Gaga’s side for almost a decade, and since late 2011, he’s been the superstar’s lead choreographer and visual director. (Jackson has also worked with other artists like Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and […]

As dancers, we all hop on “the track.” We attend class every day at 10 am, we go to summer intensives every year, we regularly show up at audition after audition. It’s what we think we need to do to achieve our dreams. But other things come up—maybe we change or what we want out […]

The term “backup dancer” might bring to mind the army of women on Beyoncé’s Formation tour, or the men who didn’t miss a beat during Mariah Carey’s recent New Year’s Eve performance, maintaining flawless unison as she dealt with technical difficulties. Choreography for concerts tends to be almost aggressively slick and synchronized, a sea of […]