- 7/22/2025
Ever wonder who's behind some of the most iconic dance moves in pop culture? From music videos to movies, we're highlighting famous dances that surprisingly share a choreographer. Get ready for a mind-blowing revelation! Discover the dance connections between "Thriller" and "Sister Act II", "Single Ladies" and "Body", "High School Musical" and "Material Girl" and so many more! This countdown is a must-see for all dance lovers!
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00:00I told you get out of here!
00:04Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for pairs of dance routines
00:08and scenes that you never realized share a choreographer.
00:21Number 20, Thriller, Michael Jackson and Joyful Joyful Finale, Sister Act 2 Back in the Habit,
00:28Michael Peters. When it comes to legendary 80s music videos,
00:31Michael Peters is the choreographer behind Some of the Greatest.
00:43From Lionel Richie to Billy Joel, his resume is packed with hits,
00:46but he's best known for his work with Michael Jackson.
00:49More than just memorable moves, his contributions to the thriller film
00:52help to take the art of the music video to the next level.
00:58After taking his talent to the big screen,
01:03Peters went from the gang members of Beat It to the nuns of Sister Act 2.
01:07Using a fusion of styles, his spirited choreographies bring the 90s comedy praise scenes to life.
01:13Joyful, joyful Lord, we adore Thee, God of glory Lord.
01:20Number 19, The Lady Marmalade, Can Can, Moulin Rouge, and That's How You Know, Enchanted.
01:26John O'Connell.
01:27When John O'Connell first collaborated with Baz Luhrmann on a low-budget music video,
01:31the two instantly clicked.
01:32O'Connell would go on to choreograph for all of the director's biggest hits,
01:36from Romeo and Juliet to The Great Gatsby.
01:38For the jukebox musical Moulin Rouge, his award-winning numbers skilfully combine a wide array of dance genres.
01:45His work with Luhrmann is characterized as edgy and experimental,
01:59so you might not guess he's also the brains behind the romantic flash mob in Enchanted.
02:04From a routine about absinthe to turning Central Park into a dance floor,
02:08the choreographer doesn't shy away from pushing the boundaries.
02:11That's How You Know, That's How You Know, That's How You Know, That's How You Know.
02:22Number 18, Single Ladies, Put A Ring On It, Beyonce, and Body, Megan Thee Stallion.
02:28Jekyll Knight.
02:29Few people make pop culture history at just 18 years old, but Jekyll Knight is an exception.
02:33Shout out to Frank Gatson, who sort of led me, mentored me into this life.
02:41Taking inspiration from a 60s Fosse routine, Knight choreographed the well-known single ladies dance from Beyonce when he was just a teenager.
02:56Since his early start, he's worked with all kinds of influential female artists,
02:59from his hit 2010s music videos to creating the viral hot girl summer moves of the 2020s.
03:05Working with rapper Megan Thee Stallion as a choreographer and creative director,
03:09Knight's genius is adapting his style to highlight the star power of the artist that he works with.
03:14Number 17, Everybody, Backstreet's Back, Backstreet Boys, and Try Again.
03:24Aaliyah, Fatima Robinson.
03:26Another choreographer who started young, Fatima Robinson was only 20 when she worked on the music video for Michael Jackson's Remember The Time.
03:33This paved the way for her to work on some of the biggest 90s artists from Mary J. Blige to the Backstreet Boys.
03:47One of her many well-known dances, Everybody, Backstreet's Back, is still an undeniable boy band classic to this day.
03:54Nobody, Backstreet's Back, Nobody, Backstreet's Back.
03:59Robinson was also the mind behind many of Aaliyah's choreographies, including the routine for her hit song Try Again.
04:05Though the styles of these numbers aren't polar opposites, they do show just how wide-spanning Robinson's hip-hop influence became.
04:11Dust yourself up and try again. You can dust it up and try again and try again.
04:17Number 16, An American in Paris Ballet, An American in Paris, and Jailhouse Rock.
04:22Jailhouse Rock, Alex Romero.
04:24After he was hired by MGM Studios, Alex Romero had the chance to work with some of the movie musical greats.
04:35As the 50s rolled around, Romero helped movie star Gene Kelly choreograph An American in Paris,
04:41where he's even featured as a dancer in the famous ballet sequence.
04:44Unlike Kelly, classic dancing training doesn't come to mind when you think of Elvis Presley.
04:49Everybody let her rock. Everybody let her rock. Everybody in old self-rock was dancing through the Jailhouse Rock.
05:00However, we have Romero to thank for encouraging the legendary musician's instantly recognisable moves.
05:06While Presley was initially resistant to being turned into a Hollywood boy, his performance of Jailhouse Rock went on to become a groundbreaking musical scene.
05:15Rock, rock, rock, rock to Jailhouse Rock. Rock, rock, rock, rock to Jailhouse Rock.
05:24Number 15, The Machine Gun, Hustle, Boogie Nights, and The Final Contest, Bring It On, Ann Fletcher.
05:31Working alongside Adam Shankman, Ann Fletcher got her start in the film industry as an assistant choreographer.
05:36Together, the duo created routines for several recognisable 90s movies, including the dance floor scene in the award-winning Boogie Nights.
05:43A few years later, Fletcher took on her first job without Shankman, the cheerleading classic Bring It On.
05:57Working with stunt and hip-hop specialists, she ran a pseudo-cheer camp to come up with those famous all-out performances.
06:11Even with a wide range of films under her belt as both a choreographer and director, Fletcher still says Bring It On is one of her favourites.
06:17Number 14, Hoedown Throwdown, Hannah Montana The Movie, and Final Dance, Step Up, Jamal Sims.
06:33After he was hired as part of Ann Fletcher's choreography team, Jamal Sims played a big part in launching the successful Step Up franchise.
06:39The dance film fuses street and studio styles, allowing Sims to bring his hip-hop background to the routines.
06:57In front of the camera, you might recognise him from RuPaul's Drag Race, but behind the scenes he's also been a long-time Disney collaborator.
07:04From Descendants 3 to Aladdin to Encanto, he's even behind the catchy darts to Hannah Montana's Hoedown Throwdown.
07:20Whether he's working as a director or choreographer, Sims has grown his expertise to span both genres and mediums.
07:26Leading back to clap three times Shake it out, get your toes, throw it all together, that's how we roll to the showdown.
07:35Number 13, Cell Block Tango, Chicago, and Ten Minutes Ago, Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.
07:43Rob Marshall Building on his foundation as a Broadway dancer, Rob Marshall is well known for his work on musicals.
07:48Though Chicago marked his first time directing a feature film, he also served as the project's choreographer.
08:05Hot off his Academy Award-winning debut, Marshall would continue to work on an array of well-received productions, including several Disney blockbusters.
08:12However, one of his earliest jobs with Disney was working on the 1997 Cinderella television movie.
08:30Though the ballroom scenes are a far cry from the more salacious moves of Chicago, the choreographer shared that the fairy tale film is what ultimately taught him how to craft dances for the screen.
08:40And I like it so well that for all I can tell, I may never come down again.
08:49Number 12, Nasty, Janet Jackson, and African Dance, Coming to America, Paula Abdul.
08:54After she was discovered as a courtside choreographer, Paula Abdul quickly became a dance sensation.
08:59Even while still working as a Laker girl, she was simultaneously creating an award-winning routine for Janet Jackson's Nasty.
09:06Nasty Boys, I don't mean to think.
09:13Thanks to both her collaborations with other artists and her own record-breaking music career, her name has become synonymous with the iconic era of late 80s dance videos.
09:22Nasty!
09:29However, her resume also expands to movies and TV, including taking on the show-stopping African dance scene in Coming to America.
09:37Whether it's a live performance or a behind-the-scenes role, Abdul's goal has always been to make sure everybody wanted to dance along.
09:43Number 11, We're All In This Together, High School Musical, and Material Girl, Madonna, Kenny Ortega.
10:02When it comes to genre, Kenny Ortega's choreography knows no bounds.
10:06We're all in this together.
10:09Once we know that we are, we're all stars, and we see that we're all in this together.
10:18With a career that spans decades, his credits include Michael Jackson's tours, Olympic ceremonies, and popular children's franchises.
10:25Just to name a few.
10:26In the 80s, he worked with some of the biggest stars, including choreographing Madonna's hit, Material Girl.
10:39After working under director John Hughes, Ortega also went on to direct his own hit movie musicals, like the Disney Channel classic, High School Musical.
10:47Though he definitely has a recognisable style, comparing something like Xanadu to The Cheetah Girls 2 shows the award-winning choreographer's ability to bring all kinds of worlds to life.
11:06Number 10, Applause, Lady Gaga and Karma, Jojo Siwa.
11:09Ricky Jackson
11:10After getting his start in the industry as a dancer, Ricky Jackson found his footing when he joined Lady Gaga's team as an assistant choreographer.
11:24As a duo, he and Laurieann Gibson brought some of the star's biggest hits to life.
11:29In 2011, Jackson took over as a principal choreographer, continuing Gaga's out-of-the-box visuals with music videos like Applause.
11:36I live all the applause, applause, applause, I live all the applause, applause, live all the applause, applause.
11:43So while Karma might feel random, it isn't.
11:46Jackson actually first met Jojo Siwa on Abby's Ultimate Dance competition.
11:50Years later, she tapped him to create a head-turning routine for her rebrand.
11:55And just like that, the viral head-banging choreography was born.
11:58Karma's a bitch, I should've known better.
12:02Number 9, Opening Credits, Austin Powers.
12:05And Super Freak, Little Miss Sunshine, Marguerite Derricks.
12:09Originally, Marguerite Derricks was set to be a go-go dancer in the first Austin Powers film.
12:13However, thanks to her vision for the opening sequence, her choreography became an iconic hallmark of the franchise.
12:18On the heels of the groovy movie and a famous Go-Go Gap commercial, Derricks launched an award-winning career in film and television.
12:34She's the genius behind some of cinema's most iconic dance scenes, including the beloved performance in the Oscar-winning Little Miss Sunshine.
12:41In fact, she pitched the idea that instead of a pageant routine, Olive should perform the age-inappropriate moves her grandfather taught her.
12:55Number 8, Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar.
12:58And All About That Bass, Meghan Trainor.
13:00Charm La Donna.
13:02In 2024, Kendrick Lamar took things to the next level with Not Like Us.
13:05But it was longtime collaborator, Charm La Donna, who brought his storytelling to life.
13:10Atlanta, what's the mecca? Buildin' railroads and trains, bear with me for a second, let me put y'all on game.
13:15From the Grammy-winning music video to Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show, she expertly pays homage to their shared Compton roots.
13:22However, this isn't the only smash hit on her resume.
13:25A decade earlier, the choreographer gave Meghan Trainor her pop-style moment with All About That Bass.
13:37Though you'd never connect the bubblegum pink scenes to the green room in Squabble Up, it's clear La Donna has a knack for catchy choreographies.
13:44Mr. Get Off, I get off at my feet.
13:47When I hear music, it makes me dance.
13:52Number 7, Rhythm Nation, 1814.
13:55Janet Jackson and Eye to Eye.
13:57A Goofy Movie.
13:58Anthony Thomas.
13:59When imagining the visuals for her 1989 album, Janet Jackson knew that she wanted to create something powerful and unexpected.
14:05Looking to resonate with the youth, she tapped Anthony Thomas to choreograph her long-form video.
14:18The huge success of Rhythm Nation propelled him from an under-the-radar dancer to an award-winning and culture-shaping artist.
14:25A few years later, Disney wanted to give their character Powerline in a goofy movie the pop-star treatment.
14:35Thomas was a natural choice to choreograph and his moves were also reportedly captured and translated into animation to create those iconic dancing scenes.
14:44Number 6, Oops, I Did It Again, Britney Spears and The Dance Off, White Chicks.
14:59Tina Landon.
15:00Award-winning choreographer Tina Landon has worked with everyone from Rihanna and Jay-Z to Janet and Michael Jackson.
15:06She's responsible for so many memorable music video dances from the 90s and 2000s, including Britney Spears' intergalactic performance of Oops, I Did It Again.
15:24However, her work in the cult classic White Chicks shows that she can deliver humour as well.
15:29You'd never guess that Marlon and Sean Wayan's hilarious moves come from the same mind who choreographed Britney, Shakira and Christina Aguilera.
15:38But there's no debating that the dance-off scene is comedy gold.
15:42Number 5, Sorry, Justin Bieber and Super Bowl 57th halftime show Rihanna.
16:00Paris Goebel.
16:01After capturing the world's attention as a dancer, Paris Goebel made her mark by choreographing one of YouTube's most viewed videos.
16:07Originally, her crew was set to make a lyric video for Justin Bieber's Sorry, but their performance was so impressive that it was released as a dance video.
16:28The New Zealand choreographer combines Polynesian influence with dancehall, hip-hop and an incredible attention to detail, Rihanna can attest.
16:36The two had collaborated before staging the singer's Super Bowl comeback, where once again, Goebel's distinctive choreography took the world by storm.
16:55Number 4, Another Day of Sun, La La Land and The Era's Tour, Taylor Swift, Mandy Moore.
16:59An Emmy-winning choreographer who is well-established in film and television, Mandy Moore is best known for her show-stopping scenes in La La Land.
17:08In the opening traffic jam-turned-all-out dance number, Moore puts on a masterclass in elevating everyday movements into narrative choreography.
17:15So, how did she end up working with Taylor Swift? Turns out, we have Emma Stone to thank for connecting the two.
17:33Moore was then able to bring her own expertise to the tour, transforming Swift's concert into a cinematic experience.
17:38Together, they brought each era to life with eye-catching stagings and storytelling performances.
17:59Number 3, Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson and Vogue at the 7th MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna.
18:19Vincent Paterson. After working with Michael Jackson as a dancer and assistant choreographer, the Smooth Criminal short film was a project where Vincent Paterson could take the reins.
18:28Are you okay? Are you okay?
18:35As Jackson continued to add in more dancers and more music, Paterson's outside-the-box thinking led to a series of iconic moments, including the famous lean.
18:44His bold ideas carried over into his work with Madonna, who had originally planned to perform Vogue at the 1990 VMAs with gender-bent clothing.
18:57However, Paterson suggested the fans, wigs and hoop skirts that made the Marie Antoinette number a standout.
19:03Number 2, Pitch Perfect franchise and Black Panther franchise, Arkhamon Jones.
19:17From getting his start touring with Monica and TLC to becoming Usher's creative director, Arkhamon Jones has done it all.
19:23He's even behind the moves in some of your favourite films, including the Pitch Perfect franchise.
19:28Spin my head right round, right round, when you go down, when you go down, down.
19:36Jones was brought in for the cast's acapella boot camp and his iconic choreography takes the comedy to the next level.
19:42From the Bard and Bellas to Wakanda, Jones then got connected to Marvel through Chadwick Boseman, who he'd previously worked with on Get On Up.
20:05Boseman personally requested that he help to bring the tribal movements to life, and the thrilling waterfall scenes proved the choreographer's talent has no limits.
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20:43While the world fell in love with Christopher Scott's incredible choreography in Wicked, this wasn't his first John M. Chu collaboration.
20:49The two had worked together on projects like The Step Up Films and In The Heights, before taking on the 2024 musical blockbuster.
21:08Even before that, Scott choreographed some of Disney Channel's biggest musicals from Lemonade Mouth to the Teen Beach Movie franchise.
21:15He's best known for his large ensemble numbers, but they aren't just for show. He focuses on the all-important details, making sure his routines weave into the storytelling as naturally as possible.
21:37Which of these pairings surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
21:54We'll see you in the comments below.
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