I created my own style of what I thought should be right for the movie, and John Landis loved it. “When you think about it, back then we didn’t have the Internet, so there was no research you could really do, other than going to the library. I said, ‘I know a lot!’ And he goes, ‘Hmm, I don’t think so, because I was expecting someone like Debbie Allen to come in.’ And I said, ‘I may be young, but I know what I’m doing.’ So he left me alone. I went in and he looked at me and said, ‘What are you, a teenager?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I am!’ He basically was telling me, ‘What do you know about African dancing?’ And this is my whole thing when becoming a choreographer: ‘I’ll just tell everyone yes, I know exactly what I’m doing, and then I’ll figure it out later.’ That’s basically what I did. John Landis, the director, wanted the person that choreographed Janet Jackson. “This was one of my moments of having to really prove myself, because I was still pretty new in my career as a choreographer. It was insane! But it was so rewarding, and every member of that video - from production to every single extra to every dancer - felt like something huge was accomplished. I had a ton of extras, character actors, fire hydrants going off at the right timing. It was a lot of rehearsal I think we had four days altogether on the soundstage. We used an entire soundstage on the Fox lot. “There were so many performers in that video, and just being able to get every scene knocked out and timed perfectly… oh my God, we probably spent an entire day just mapping it out, without a camera at first, and then an entire day working with the steadicam operator. We brought him in to work with us to really make it seamless, and it was incredible. At the time I think Michael was in his late sixties, and it was an honor to be able to work with someone who was around during the MGM classics, who understood what we were trying to do. I worked with Julian Temple, who was the director, and we brought in Michael Kidd. “There was only one edit in this entire video. Janet Jackson, “When I Think of You” (1986) There was no room in this little old apartment, and I choreographed it with a mirror that I could see from my waist up. I shared an apartment with some Laker Girls and there was no floor-length mirror, so I did it in the bathroom. I choreographed ‘Nasty’ - this is the craziest thing - in a half hour. But I picked the best in the business, and everything came into place perfectly. “This video was nerve-wracking for her, because she had never danced with just all guys. You don’t hear ‘Nasty’ and go, ‘Oh, this is a dance jam.’ It was a very different kind of song, kind of like how ‘Straight Up’ was for me: This could define an artist completely, and I wanted to create something that would be signature moves but also define her as being in charge. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wrote genius music, and Janet had a really important voice in it. I felt like I had a chance here to really create something big for her. When I was introduced to Janet, I was told by A&M Records that Control was going to be an important album for her, and when I started hearing demos, I was really, really excited to work with her. “I’m very grateful, because this was really the big start to my career. Come dance down memory lane, as she dishes about what happened onstage and behind the scenes. In preparation for the Dizzy Feet Gala as well as the fourth annual National Dance Day on July 26, Yahoo Music asked Paula to pick her favorite routines from her amazing three-decade career.
#Paula abdul straight up live american idol tv#
Paula also been a guest judge on Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance (and a regular judge on SYTYCD Australia) has masterminded her own TV dance competition, Live to Dance and will be participating in “ Celebration of Dance,” a gala presented by Nigel Lythgoe’s Dizzy Feet Foundation, in Los Angeles on July 19. After her humble start as a Laker Girl, she went on to win multiple Emmys and VMAs for her groundbreaking choreography, and her routines in music videos (for herself as well as other artists), film, and television have become iconic. While some fans may think of Paula Abdul as a “Straight Up” pop starlet or original American Idol/ X Factor judge, her true entertainment legacy lies in dance.
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