WADE ROBSON: What’s his story?
By age three, he was memorizing the dance moves of MTV music videos. By age five he was monopolizing local competitions and winning his way to a Michael Jackson concert. By the time he was nine, he had appeared in three hit MTV videos, catapulting him into Academy Awards performances, television appearances, rap albums, teaching dance classes, acting roles in major motion pictures, choreography, music writing and production.
By age 18, Wade Robson, of MTV's hit Wade Robson Project, was producing entire stage shows for Britney Spears, choreographing her every move, remixing the music, directing the video segments and designing the sets. He even appeared with Britney in her first Pepsi commercial and produced the jingle and co-directed the second.
He's also worked for N'SYNC, having masterminded the band's 2001 MTV Music Awards performance, 2001 Pop Odyssey Tour, 2000 Billboard Music Awards performance and 2000 No Strings Attached Tour. Mandy Moore, Pink, Usher, Tyrese, Youngstown, IMX, Mya and Dream are among the many other artists who have also been inspired and coached by Wade Robson in his young dance career.
He's only 21. What's next? And what advice does he have for dancers aspiring to the industry? BNT recently had the opportunity to interview Wade and found out.
What
is your earliest memory of being inspired by dance?
When I was about three, I remember watching Michael Jackson's "Thriller"
video and even though the monsters scared me I was mesmerized by his body
movement. From then on I watched the video over and over and my body just
started moving.
Having
appeared in three hit MTV music videos by age nine, you became a professional
long before most people reach amateur status. How did you achieve your
big break? What was your secret to success? What classes did you take?
What specific kind of training did you pursue?
My
mom saw that I could imitate Michael (Jackson) so she entered me in talent
competitions throughout (my native) Australia and made me costumes that
resembled Michael's. In one competition, the prize was to go to Michael's
concert, and I won. And when I got to the concert, Michael invited me on
stage to dance with him. When the concert was over, Michael had walked
off, but I was still dancing in the middle of the stage, and he had to
come and drag me off. From there we stayed in touch with Michael and eventually
moved to California.
I
have never really taken any dance classes; I learned everything from watching
music videos. As far as my secret? I don't feel I have any secret -- just
drive and determination. Once I started dancing I knew that I never wanted
to stop. From there I started dreaming of bigger things, and I would actually
set a timeline for them to be reached.
Was
it difficult to be a kid in a world of adult professionals? What obstacles
did you hit, and how did you overcome them?
Of
course. A lot of people would look at me and think, 'I am not going to
take directions from this kid.' Especially when I was tour director for
Britney (Spears) and N'SYNC. I was only 18 years old and most of the crewmembers
were old enough to be my parents. The first couple of days were especially
difficult because I had to prove to hundreds of people that I knew what
I was doing and that I was not an average 18 year old. But by the third
day I had earned everyone's respect and the show turned out to be amazing.
Who
is your idol? Who inspires you with their own dance abilities and techniques?
Most
of my idols are deceased. But I still 'til this day watch their movies
for inspiration: Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Donald O'Conner, Bob Fosse,
and of course Michael Jackson.
You
have choreographed for immensely popular artists including Britney Spears,
Mandy Moore, Pink, Usher, Tyrese, Youngstown, IMX, Mya and Dream. How do
you go about choreographing and developing a dance style for each individual
performer?
I
make it a point to get to know the artist first. I'll sit and talk to them
and see where they are in their life at that moment. Then, I listen to
their music, close my eyes and visions just pop in my head. I collaborate
with the artist very closely because it has to be a concept that they will
feel and perform comfortably.
Where
did you get the idea for your hit MTV show, the Wade Robson Project?
Being
in the dance world I have seen how hard it is to make it, and there are
more dancers who struggle rather than work. So I thought it would be great
to have a show that wasn't cheesy, but really looked for that raw talent
and helped true dancers make their dreams come true.
What
was it about Tyler Banks that captured him the win?
I
think that Tyler had a different dance style but also his corky personality
won the viewers over. A lot of dancers are amazing, but when they get on
stage they are so serious and they have no personality. Tyler had it. He
smiled and made jokes and made the audience feel comfortable.
Beyond
your talents as a dancer and choreographer, you have aspirations for writing
and directing feature films. In particular, you'd like to bring back the
movie musical for good. How are you pursuing these goals? We've heard a
movie musical for Disney and a short film produced by Danny DeVito's Jersey
Films are already in the works?
I
am working on the script for my first musical with Disney right now. I
always have about four different things going on at the same time, but
my focus right now is writing and directing musicals.
What
classes do you feel are absolutely necessary for a dancer who wants to
have a career in music videos?
I
believe that as many classes as you can take the better. It is better to
master all styles of dance -- ballet, jazz, tap, salsa, musical theatre,
swing and hip hop. Learning all different styles will help you in the end.
Combining all of the styles will make you unique, and in the dance world
that will always be a plus.