You have this close artistic partnership with Megan Thee Stallion, and you were intimately involved in creating the performance that she gave on Saturday Night Live just a month ago, which combined music with a message to "Protect Black Women." Tell me about how you incorporate video, music, movement, stillness and speech to create something that is more than just entertainment.įor me it's about being present in the moment: feeling all the things, feeling the ups, feeling the downs, and then allowing that to translate into my work. Live Updates: Protests For Racial Justice Megan Thee Stallion Protests Breonna Taylor Ruling On 'SNL' What copyrighting does is allow you to still have your hand on it, even after the work is done - so as people go and want to use your IP, use your choreography in feature films, commercials, even on video games, you still have ownership and you should still collect some sort of residual payment for such usage. I felt like it validates our positioning and ownership. So why was it important to you to get copyright protection? Why did you think this is something a choreographer should have? The notation for "Single Ladies" is 40 pages long, and that's the choreography from top to bottom. Let's talk about your move to copyright some of your work, which is uncommon for choreographers - and incredibly involved. When you look at the video, as much as it's about the moves, it's also about the feeling and the intent. Now that I'm picturing Beyoncé as your grandmother, I'm never going to look at this video the same way again. You tap on your cheek just a little bit, you look at it, and then you go back into your choreography. you clap your hands and your arms go around your head, and you kind of stick your butt out like your grandmother would do when her favorite part of her favorite song would come on - she'd make that good ol' stank face. Hear the radio version at the audio link, and read on for an edited transcript.Īri Shapiro: For non-dancers, will you break down some of the movements in the "Single Ladies" video? Just to give us a sense of what you think about as a choreographer? He spoke with NPR's Ari Shapiro about the potential of dance as a form of activism and the challenges and benefits of protecting it as intellectual property. Knight is defining the way some of today's biggest stars move, and he's getting recognition in a way that many choreographers never do - by copyrighting his work. And also, I grew up in Atlanta - the streets of Atlanta, being in a marching band and having that mix of culture there." "I'm from a small town in North Carolina where we frequent family reunions, family cookouts, on the weekends. "For me, it was all about tapping into my upbringing," Knight says. Hum a few bars of " Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," and your hand might start flipping back and forth on its own.Ĭhoreographer JaQuel Knight created that dance for Beyoncé when he was just 19 years old - and this summer, he did it again with the routine for the monster hit by Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, " WAP." There are certain hit songs that are almost inseparable from the dance moves that go with them. "It's to protect the creator from these huge corporations that come in and take advantage," he says. Choreographer JaQuel Knight is on a mission to copyright his dance routines.
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