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.
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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.
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