- 5/24/2025
From Broadway to music videos, these iconic dance moments share more than you'd think! Join us as we reveal surprising choreography connections that will make you see these performances in a whole new light. Get ready to discover the creative minds behind some of your favorite dance routines across different genres and decades.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for surprising pairs of iconic
00:09dance moments that you'd never guess share a choreographer.
00:13Well, no offense to Stevie, but you gotta have Mojo, baby. Yeah! Hit it!
00:21Number 10. Applause. Lady Gaga and Karma. Jojo Siwa.
00:25Ricky Jackson. After getting his start in the industry as a dancer,
00:29Ricky Jackson found his footing when he joined Lady Gaga's team as an assistant choreographer.
00:40As a duo, he and Laurieann Gibson brought some of the star's biggest hits to life.
00:45In 2011, Jackson took over as a principal choreographer,
00:48continuing Gaga's out-of-the-box visuals with music videos like Applause.
00:52I live for the applause, applause, applause. I live for the applause, applause.
00:57So while Karma might feel random, it isn't. Jackson actually first met Jojo Siwa on Abby's Ultimate Dance competition.
01:06Years later, she tapped him to create a head-turning routine for her rebrand.
01:11And just like that, the viral head-banging choreography was born.
01:14Karma's a bitch. I should've known better.
01:19Number 9. Opening Credits. Austin Powers.
01:21And Super Freak. Little Miss Sunshine.
01:23Marguerite Derricks.
01:25Originally, Marguerite Derricks was set to be a go-go dancer in the first Austin Powers film.
01:29However, thanks to her vision for the opening sequence,
01:31her choreography became an iconic hallmark of the franchise.
01:34On the heels of the groovy movie and a famous Go-Go Gap commercial,
01:47Derricks launched an award-winning career in film and television.
01:50She's the genius behind some of cinema's most iconic dance scenes,
01:54including the beloved performance in the Oscar-winning Little Miss Sunshine.
01:57In fact, she pitched the idea that instead of a pageant routine,
02:07Olive should perform the age-inappropriate moves her grandfather taught her.
02:11Number 8. Not Like Us. Kendrick Lamar.
02:14And All About That Bass. Meghan Trainor.
02:16Charm La Donna.
02:18In 2024, Kendrick Lamar took things to the next level with Not Like Us.
02:22But it was longtime collaborator Charm La Donna who brought his storytelling to life.
02:26Atlanta, what's the mecca? Buildin' red roads and trains.
02:29Bear with me for a second. Let me put y'all on game.
02:31From the Grammy-winning music video to Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show,
02:35she expertly pays homage to their shared Compton roots.
02:38However, this isn't the only smash hit on her resume.
02:41A decade earlier, the choreographer gave Meghan Trainor her pop star moment with All About That Bass.
02:46Because you know I'm all about that bass, about that bass.
02:49No trouble, I'm all about that bass, about that bass.
02:53Though you'd never connect the bubblegum pink scenes to the green room
02:56in Squabble Up, it's clear La Donna has a knack for catchy choreographies.
03:00Mr. Get Off, I get off at my feet.
03:03Like your music, it makes me dance.
03:07Number 7. Rhythm Nation, 1814.
03:11Janet Jackson and Eye to Eye.
03:13A goofy movie.
03:14Anthony Thomas.
03:15When imagining the visuals for her 1989 album,
03:18Janet Jackson knew that she wanted to create something powerful and unexpected.
03:21Looking to resonate with the youth, she tapped Anthony Thomas to choreograph her long-form video.
03:35The huge success of Rhythm Nation propelled him from an under-the-radar dancer
03:39to an award-winning and culture-shaping artist.
03:42A few years later, Disney wanted to give their character Powerline in a goofy movie
03:50the pop star treatment.
03:52Thomas was a natural choice to choreograph,
03:54and his moves were also reportedly captured and translated into animation
03:58to create those iconic dancing scenes.
04:01And baby, love is the reason why
04:05Award-winning choreographer Tina Landon has worked with everyone from Rihanna and Jay-Z
04:21to Janet and Michael Jackson.
04:22She's responsible for so many memorable music video dances from the 90s and 2000s,
04:28including Britney Spears' intergalactic performance of Oops, I Did It Again.
04:32However, her work in the cult classic White Chicks shows that she can deliver humour as well.
04:46You'd never guess that Marlon and Sean Wayans' hilarious moves
04:49come from the same mind who choreographed Britney, Shakira and Christina Aguilera.
04:54But there's no debating that the dance-off scene is comedy gold.
05:02No.5, Sorry, Justin Bieber, and Super Bowl 57th halftime show, Rihanna.
05:16Paris Goebel
05:17After capturing the world's attention as a dancer,
05:19Paris Goebel made her mark by choreographing one of YouTube's most viewed videos.
05:23Originally, her crew was set to make a lyric video for Justin Bieber's Sorry,
05:33but their performance was so impressive that it was released as a dance video.
05:36Yeah, I know all that I let you down is to do it, because I'm sorry now.
05:43The New Zealand choreographer combines Polynesian influence with dancehall,
05:48hip-hop, and an incredible attention to detail, Rihanna can attest.
05:52The two had collaborated before staging the singer's Super Bowl comeback,
05:55where once again, Goebel's distinctive choreography took the world by storm.
06:10Number 4, Another Day of Sun, La La Land, and The Era's Tour, Taylor Swift, Mandy Moore.
06:16An Emmy-winning choreographer who is well-established in film and television,
06:20Mandy Moore is best known for her show-stopping scenes in La La Land.
06:24In the opening traffic jam-turned-all-out dance number,
06:27Moore puts on a masterclass in elevating everyday movements into narrative choreography.
06:31So, how did she end up working with Taylor Swift?
06:46Turns out, we have Emma Stone to thank for connecting the two.
06:49Moore was then able to bring her own expertise to the tour,
06:52transforming Swift's concert into a cinematic experience.
06:55Together, they brought each era to life with eye-catching stagings and storytelling performances.
07:16Number 3, Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson, and Vogue at the 7th MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna.
07:35Vincent Patterson
07:36After working with Michael Jackson as a dancer and assistant choreographer,
07:40the Smooth Criminal short film was a project where Vincent Patterson could take the reins.
07:44And are you okay?
07:46Are you okay?
07:51As Jackson continued to add in more dancers and more music,
07:54Patterson's outside-the-box thinking led to a series of iconic moments, including the famous Lean.
08:05His bold ideas carried over into his work with Madonna,
08:08who had originally planned to perform Vogue at the 1990 VMAs with gender-bent clothing.
08:13However, Patterson suggested the fans, wigs, and hoop skirts that made the Marie Antoinette number a standout.
08:28Number 2, Pitch Perfect franchise and Black Panther franchise.
08:32Arkhamon Jones
08:33From getting his start touring with Monica and TLC to becoming Usher's creative director,
08:38Arkhamon Jones has done it all.
08:40He's even behind the moves in some of your favourite films,
08:43including the Pitch Perfect franchise.
08:52Jones was brought in for the cast's a cappella boot camp,
08:55and his iconic choreography takes the comedy to the next level.
08:58From the Bard and Bellas to Wakanda,
09:16Jones then got connected to Marvel through Chadwick Boseman,
09:19who he'd previously worked with on Get On Up.
09:22Boseman personally requested he help to bring the tribal movements to life,
09:25and the thrilling waterfall scenes prove the choreographer's talent has no limits.
09:35Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
09:39Greedy, Tate McRae,
09:40and Work From Home, Fifth Harmony,
09:43Sean and Bankhead.
09:44Bankhead boasts an impressive resume of pop and R&B girl hits.
09:48Hoedown Throwdown,
10:06Hannah Montana in the movie,
10:07and Tyler's Moves,
10:09Step Up,
10:09Jamal Sims.
10:11Sims had the world dancing to iconic scenes.
10:13Pop it, lock it,
10:14polka dot it,
10:16country fly,
10:16then hip hop it,
10:17put your heart in the sky,
10:19and side to side,
10:20jump to the left,
10:21stick it,
10:22climb.
10:30Chandelier,
10:31Sia,
10:32and all of us,
10:33and holding out for a hero,
10:34Euphoria,
10:35Ryan Heffington.
10:36Heffington spins compelling narratives with these unique choreographies.
10:40I'm gonna live
10:44like tomorrow
10:46doesn't exist
10:48like it doesn't exist
10:52Give you the world
10:55on a laser smile
10:58Single Ladies,
11:01Put A Ring On It,
11:02Beyonce,
11:02and Body,
11:03Megan Thee Stallion,
11:05Jekyll Knight.
11:06Beyonce's longtime collaborator has choreographed decades of hits.
11:09Try Again, Aaliyah, and Everybody, Backstreet's Back, Backstreet Boys, Fatima Robinson.
11:27Robinson has shaped culture with her well-known routines for the biggest stars.
11:39Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
11:51You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
11:56If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:59Christopher Scott
12:08While the world fell in love with Christopher Scott's incredible choreography in Wicked,
12:12this wasn't his first John M. Chu collaboration. The two had worked together on projects like
12:17The Step Up Films and In the Heights before taking on the 2024 musical blockbuster.
12:29Even before that, Scott choreographed some of Disney Channel's biggest musicals from
12:38Lemonade Mouth to the Teen Beach Movie franchise.
12:53He's best known for his large ensemble numbers, but they aren't just for show. He focuses on the
12:59all-important details, making sure his routines weave into the storytelling as naturally as possible.
13:16Which of these pairings surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
13:29You
13:31You
13:33You
13:35You
13:37You
13:39You
13:41You
13:43You
Recommended
11:51
|
Up next
11:32
19:33
26:34
13:20
39:26
12:43
15:59
12:16
27:03
16:00
1:00:08
13:02
31:01
16:05