When Christopher Scott became the choreographer for the film evilhe wasn’t in a meeting or on the phone. He was at the home of his old friend, film director Jon M. Chu. Chu just handed Scott a hat decorated with evil sign and said, “Are you ready?” That’s how Scott knew it was true, he said, “And then the ride began. It’s been one of the craziest rides of my life.”
According to Scott, the path to evil It started 16 years ago when he collaborated with Chu Upgrade 2: Street. Since then, the Emmy-nominated choreographer has completed numerous television and film projects and worked with celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
On the Arrangement of Movie Star Line-ups
Scott gets closer to the process of creating a movement for evil As a collaborative exploration. First, he sat down with each actor to discuss their vision for the character so that his choreography would enhance rather than conflict with their vision. “It’s amazing how much information they had from the start and how thoughtful they were from the day of the first rehearsal.”
Scott recalled one specific aspect of adapting Elfaba’s choreography with Cynthia Erivo and associate choreographer Comfort Fedoke: While Elfaba was in a She was mocked for dancing in the scene, but the three agreed it wasn’t because she was a bad dancer. She is elegant and comes from a wealthy family. The choreographer must focus on what makes her different. “Elphaba does make sounds through movement, but it’s a very specific sound and it’s different,” Scott said. “That’s who she is, she’s just different.”
For Ariana Grande’s Glinda, Scott said humor, experimentation and play led to many breakthroughs, citing Grande’s excellent comedic timing. He recalls trying out some seemingly “far-fetched” ideas and watching them come to fruition in her. “When you focus on the authenticity of the character, it helps to weed out what works and what doesn’t.”
Scott notes that his experience arranging hip-hop influences everything he does, including evil. “What I love about hip-hop is that it was born out of the BIPOC community, it comes from a place of oppression, so I think being able to draw inspiration from those styles when you’re representing a world in a film is very powerful… it allows Something as legendary and surreal as Oz becomes real in this film, where he blends a variety of dance styles to create relatable moves, then avoids the choreography feeling too familiar. , he added some little twists to create an “Ozian” feel.
Scott has created a kind of movement map that carefully considers each region of Oz from a historical, functional and even socioeconomic class perspective. Emerald City, for example, is a true melting pot of styles—fashion, pop, and African dance—while Gillikin Country is vibrant, sophisticated, and balletic. Munchkinland is ritual-based and communal, while Winkie country is rhythmic, conjuring the image of boots pounding the ground, inspired by the influence of the military presence in Winkie culture.
On Choreography for Screen and Stage
When asked about how he works evil Having seen the Broadway show (at least) seven times over the years, Scott explains, “I wanted to create something original for this movie because we have the opportunity to do a lot of things that we can’t do on stage. But at the same time, I want to pay tribute to Wayne’s incredible work as much as possible [Cilento] Did.
Scott said there was one moment during filming that left him truly in awe. Most of the time, he and his assistants and assistant choreographers stare at the monitor, focusing on what small changes can make the next shot better than the last. But he said he sat back and felt proud after filming the spinning, sliding footage of parkour performer Ed Scott flipping through the air from one platform to another.
There are a few things that Scott hopes audiences take away from this film. He hopes people will be moved by his story evil And feel seen. He also hopes audiences will understand the stories he tells in his choreography. “It’s a craft that’s so closely tied to storytelling, with so many nuances…it’s not just about someone making up a bunch of dance moves.” In fact, in Scott’s life and in the film, dance feels like a A language or an emotion with the innate ability to connect people and express the inexpressible. “It’s the human thing we do.”
