Wade J Robson
"Ordinary
Guy...Extraordinary talent."
In
1998, a chance meeting with pop princess, Britney Spears, at the age of
16 would forever cement Robson's place on the pop culture map. Spears,
at the time, had been searching for a choreographer for an upcoming tour
when the two were introduced by one of her back-up dancers - a mutual friend.
Upon learning the dance prodigy's age, she freaked. "He's going to do my
tour??!! "He can't! He's just a baby!" she said appallingly. But it didn't
take much convincing to hire him shortly after witnessing the unspeakable
genius of his work. "She gave me a chance to prove myself. After that,
she wanted to use me for everything she did! " recalled the Australian
native with a giggle. Robson thus became the powerful, creative force behind
her famous career and stage shows - doing everything from choreographing
her intricate dance moves, remixing the music, and directing video segments,
down to planning costume designs, designing set details, and directing
her tours ("Oops! I Did it Again" 2000, and "Dream Within A Dream" 2001).
Off tour, he was busy choreographing and directing Spears' music videos,
awards show appearances (he was one of her dancers in her 1999 MTV Video
Music Awards performance), and was even credited with helping her shed
her "squeaky clean, bubblegum pop image" which came evident with the [now]
infamous "Oops! I Did it Again" performance at the 2000 MTV Video Music
Awards (evoking quite a stir as she gyrated and pranced around onstage
in a barely there, flesh-toned, sparkly pants suit) . He choreographed
and danced in her first Pepsi commercial, and went on to co-direct, produce
and even write the jingle for her second Pepsi Commercial, "Now and Then",
which aired during the 2001 Super Bowl. Now an accomplished music producer
and song-writer, he co-wrote and produced the track, "What It's Like To
Be Me" for Spears' third, self-titled cd. Later that year at the MTV Video
Music Awards, Spears took center stage and performed the Robson choreographed
and conceived, jungle-inspired number, "Slave 4 U", flanked by live cheetahs
and a huge albino python on her shoulders.Though no longer involved with
Spears' career anymore these days, he remains a close friend and mentor.
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