About
"For me, it was really a mission to get hip-hop dance to be considered a true art form of dance."
In her two-and-a-half-hour interview, Fatima Robinson discusses her early interest in dance and hip-hop, and how she got her start dancing in and choreographing music videos. She talks about meeting John Singleton and appearing as an extra in his film Boyz N the Hood, and later working with Singleton when she choreographed the music video for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time." She describes choreographing music videos for Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Brandy, Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, Busta Rhymes, and Aaliyah. Robinson then discusses working with the Backstreet Boys, choreographing the play Radiant Baby directed by George C. Wolfe, and how that experience helped her when she choreographed the films Dreamgirls and The Color Purple. She recalls taking classes at the New York Film Academy and how she began directing music videos. She talks about choreographing episodes of The Drew Carey Show and Black-ish, the TV movies Lackawanna Blues and Their Eyes Were Watching God, and being director of choreography for Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour. Robinson speaks about the craft of choreography, being a choreographer/executive producer on We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, and teaching a master class at the White House alongside Debbie Allen, Judith Jamison, and Virginia Johnson. She outlines choreographing the NBC special The Wiz Live!, being a creative director/segment producer on The Voice, and on working on several music videos and performances with Pharrell Williams. She recalls choreographing the halftime shows for Super Bowl XLV (Black Eyed Peas) and for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars), and choreographing American Soul, several performances for the Grammys, and Beyoncé's performance at the 2022 Oscars. She discusses her role as a segment producer for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop performances at the 2023 Grammys, and concludes with remarks on how the industry has changed since she first started out and advice to aspiring choreographers. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on October 5, 2023 in Ojai, CA.
Highlights
Fatima Robinson on teaching Michael Jackson the choreography for the music video for "Remember the Time" and working with him
Fatima Robinson on choreographing for Aaliyah -- including her music videos for "One in a Million," "Are You That Somebody?", "Try Again," and "Rock the Boat" -- and on her legacy
Fatima Robinson on working with Pharrell Williams on the music video for "Happy"
Fatima Robinson on Blue Ivy Carter's dance solos during Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars) and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the show
Fatima Robinson on advice to an aspiring choreographer
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her childhood and early interest in dance and hip-hop; on how she got her start dancing in and choreographing music videos; on some of the first music video sets she was on; on John Singleton making her an extra in his film Boyz N the Hood; on meeting Lionel Martin and on how she became a choreographer; on Rosie Perez encouraging her to call herself a choreographer
On choreographing the music video for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" and on how that impacted her career
On choreographing music videos for Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Brandy, Dr. Dre, and Tupac Shakur
On choreographing for Busta Rhymes and Aaliyah; on Aaliyah's legacy
Chapter 2
On choreographing for the Backstreet Boys; on her work being in demand by a wide array of artists; on choreographing the play Radiant Baby, directed by George C. Wolfe, and how that helped her when she choreographed the films Dreamgirls and The Color Purple
On taking classes at the New York Film Academy and getting more interested in directing and creative directing; on directing music videos; on choreographing episodes of The Drew Carey Show and Black-ish; on choreographing the TV movies Lackawanna Blues and Their Eyes Were Watching God; on her research for choreographing the films Dreamgirls and The Color Purple
On the craft of choreography -- the role of a choreographer and how choreography can impact storytelling; on the importance of footwear, costumes, and rehearsal in choreography; on the space where she feels freest as a creative person -- concerts; on being director of choreography for Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour
On being a choreographer/executive producer on We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial; on teaching a master class at the White House alongside Debbie Allen, Judith Jamison, and Virginia Johnson; on choreographing the NBC special The Wiz Live!; on the process for choreographing performances on music competition shows; on being a creative director/segment producer on The Voice; on working on several music videos and performances with Pharrell Williams
Chapter 3
On choreographing the halftime shows for Super Bowl XLV (Black Eyed Peas) and for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars)
On choreographing American Soul, several performances for the Grammys, and Beyoncé's performance at the 2022 Oscars; on being a segment producer for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop performances at the 2023 Grammys
On how choreographing for television has changed since she first started; on how opportunities have changed since she started working; on how hip-hop has changed since she first started out; on her mentors and on mentoring others; on the value of oral history interviews; on her proudest career achievement and career regrets; on a dream project she'd love to do, where she sees herself in ten years, and how she'd like to be remembered
Shows
Academy Awards, The
Fatima Robinson on working with Pharrell Williams on his performance of "Happy" at the Oscars
Fatima Robinson on receiving her first choreography Emmy nomination for Beyoncé's performance at the 2022 Oscars
American Soul
Fatima Robinson on choreographing American Soul
Black-ish
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the "Juneteenth" and "Purple Rain" episodes of Black-ish
Dancing With the Stars
Fatima Robinson on the process for choreographing performances on music competition shows
Drew Carey Show, The
Fatima Robinson on choreographing an episode of The Drew Carey Show called "Drew Gets Out of the Nuthouse"
Grammys, The
Fatima Robinson on working with Pharrell Williams on his performance of "Happy" at the Grammys
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Kendrick Lamar's performance at the 2016 Grammys
Fatima Robinson on being a producer of the 2021 Grammys and working with Lil Baby on his performance
Fatima Robinson on being a segment producer for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop performances at the 2023 Grammys
Lackawanna Blues
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the TV movie Lackawanna Blues
Super Bowl
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl XLV (Black Eyed Peas) and the challenges of working on a halftime show
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars) and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the show
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the TV movie Their Eyes Were Watching God
Voice, The
Fatima Robinson on the process for choreographing performances on music competition shows
Fatima Robinson on being a creative director/segment producer on The Voice
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
Fatima Robinson on being a choreographer/executive producer on We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
Wiz Live!, The
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the NBC special The Wiz Live!
Topics
Advice
Fatima Robinson on advice to an aspiring choreographer
COVID-19 Pandemic
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars) and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the show
Creative Influences and Inspiration
Fatima Robinson on her mentor, Sylvia Rhone, and on mentoring others
Emmy Awards
Fatima Robinson on receiving her first Emmy nomination for producing the 2021 Grammys, and her first choreography Emmy nomination for Beyonce's performance at the 2022 Oscars
First Big Break
Fatima Robinson on John Singleton asking her to choreograph the music video for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time"
Health and Medicine
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars) and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the show
Historic Events and Social Change
Fatima Robinson on working with Pharrell Williams on his performance of "Happy" at the Grammys
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the "Juneteenth" and "Purple Rain" episodes of Black-ish
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars) and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the show
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Kendrick Lamar's performance at the 2016 Grammys and working with Lil Baby on his performance at the 2021 Grammys
Fatima Robinson on receiving her first choreography Emmy nomination, for Beyoncé's performance at the 2022 Oscars
Pivotal Career Moments
Fatima Robinson on John Singleton asking her to choreograph the music video for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time"
Fatima Robinson on her mentor, Sylvia Rhone, and on mentoring others
Pop Culture
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the music video for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" and on how that impacted her career
Fatima Robinson on choreographing music videos for Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Brandy, Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, Busta Rhymes, and Aaliyah
Fatima Robinson on directing the music video for "Hey Mama" and working with Will.i.am
Fatima Robinson on directing music videos for Meghan Trainor, including "All About That Bass"
Fatima Robinson on the power of live concerts and being director of choreography for Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour
Fatima Robinson on choreographing for the Backstreet Boys
Fatima Robinson on how hip-hop has changed since she first started out
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars) and how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the show
Representation on Television
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the "Juneteenth" and "Purple Rain" episodes of Black-ish
Television Industry
Fatima Robinson on how choreographing for television has changed since she first started
Fatima Robinson on advice to an aspiring choreographer
Underrepresented Voices
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the "Juneteenth" and "Purple Rain" episodes of Black-ish
Professions
Dancer/Choreographer
Fatima Robinson on how she started dancing in music videos
Fatima Robinson on her dance style: hip-hop
Fatima Robinson on on some of the first music video sets she was on and on meeting Lionel Martin and Hype Williams
Fatima Robinson on her process for coming up with choreography
Fatima Robinson on her timeline and process for creating choreography for the music video for "Remember the Time" and on her process for auditioning actors
Fatima Robinson on her process for working with an artist for the first time
Fatima Robinson on what makes for a good relationship between a choreographer and a director
Fatima Robinson on the process of choreographing for episodic television
Fatima Robinson on the role of a choreographer and how choreography can impact storytelling
Fatima Robinson on the importance of footwear, costumes, and rehearsal in choreography
Fatima Robinson on the space where she feels freest as a creative person -- concerts
Fatima Robinson on the process for choreographing performances on music competition shows
Fatima Robinson on how choreographing for television has changed since she first started
Fatima Robinson on how opportunities have changed since she started working
Fatima Robinson on advice to an aspiring choreographer
Directors
Fatima Robinson on taking classes at the New York Film Academy and getting more interested in directing and creative directing
Performers
Fatima Robinson on how she started dancing in music videos
Fatima Robinson on her dance style: hip-hop
Fatima Robinson on on some of the first music video sets she was on and on meeting Lionel Martin and Hype Williams
Fatima Robinson on her process for coming up with choreography
Fatima Robinson on her timeline and process for creating choreography for the music video for "Remember the Time" and on her process for auditioning actors
Fatima Robinson on her process for working with an artist for the first time
Fatima Robinson on what makes for a good relationship between a choreographer and a director
Fatima Robinson on the process of choreographing for episodic television
Fatima Robinson on the role of a choreographer and how choreography can impact storytelling
Fatima Robinson on the importance of footwear, costumes, and rehearsal in choreography
Fatima Robinson on the space where she feels freest as a creative person -- concerts
Fatima Robinson on the process for choreographing performances on music competition shows
Fatima Robinson on how choreographing for television has changed since she first started
Fatima Robinson on how opportunities have changed since she started working
Fatima Robinson on advice to an aspiring choreographer
Producers
Fatima Robinson on being a choreographer/executive producer on We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, and on what she brings to a project as a producer
Genres
Awards Shows
Fatima Robinson on working with Pharrell Williams on his performances of "Happy" at the Grammys and the Oscars
Fatima Robinson on the challenges of working on live awards shows
Fatima Robinson on choreographing and/or producing segments for the Grammys and the Oscars
Comedy Series
Fatima Robinson on choreographing an episode of The Drew Carey Show called "Drew Gets Out of the Nuthouse" and the "Juneteenth" and "Purple Rain" episodes of Black-ish
Commercials
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the "Khaki Soul" commercial for Gap, appearing in the commercial, and having a long relationship with the company
Drama Series
Fatima Robinson on choreographing American Soul
Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials
Fatima Robinson on choreographing music videos for Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Brandy, Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, Busta Rhymes, and Aaliyah
Fatima Robinson on directing music videos for "Hey Mama" and for several Meghan Trainor songs
Fatima Robinson on being a choreographer/executive producer on We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the NBC special The Wiz Live!
Fatima Robinson on the process for choreographing performances on music competition shows, and on her work on specific programs
Reality TV
Fatima Robinson on the process for choreographing performances on music competition shows, and on her work on specific programs
Sports
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime shows for Super Bowl XLV (Black Eyed Peas) and Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars)
TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the TV movies Lackawanna Blues and Their Eyes Were Watching God
People
Aaliyah
Fatima Robinson on choreographing for Aaliyah -- including her music videos for "One in a Million," "Are You That Somebody?", "Try Again," and "Rock the Boat" -- and on her legacy
Debbie Allen
Fatima Robinson on teaching a master class at the White House alongside Debbie Allen, Judith Jamison, and Virginia Johnson
Backstreet Boys
Fatima Robinson on choreographing for the Backstreet Boys
Beyoncé
Fatima Robinson on the power of live concerts -- and Beyoncé's "mute" during her Renaissance World Tour
Fatima Robinson on being director of choreography for Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour
Fatima Robinson on Blue Ivy Carter's dance solos during Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour
Fatima Robinson on Beyoncé's goal with the Renaissance World Tour
Fatima Robinson on receiving her first choreography Emmy nomination, for Beyoncé's performance at the 2022 Oscars
Mary J. Blige
Fatima Robinson on working with Mary J. Blige
Fatima Robinson on working with Mary J. Blige for the Super Bowl LVI halftime show
Brandy
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Brandy's music video for "Baby" - directed by Hype Williams
Bobby Brown
Fatima Robinson on working with Bobby Brown
Blue Ivy Carter
Fatima Robinson on Blue Ivy Carter's dance solos during Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour
Dr. Dre
Fatima Robinson on working with Dr. Dre on a tango-inspired sequence for the music video for "Been There Done That"
Fatima Robinson on appearing in Tupac Shakur's music video for "California Love"
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the halftime show for Super Bowl LVI (Dr. Dre and West Coast hip-hop All-Stars)
Fatima Robinson on working with Dr. Dre for the Super Bowl LVI halftime show
Whitney Houston
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Whitney Houston's music video for "I'm Every Woman" with Sean Cheesman
Michael Jackson
Fatima Robinson on her early love of Michael Jackson, and on choreographing his music video for "Remember the Time"
Fatima Robinson on working with John Singleton and Michael Jackson on the music video for "Remember the Time"
Fatima Robinson on choreographing for camera for the "Remember the Time" music video and the sequences she choreographed
Fatima Robinson on teaching Michael Jackson the choreography for the music video for "Remember the Time" and working with him
Fatima Robinson on dancing with Michael Jackson in the music video for "Remember the Time"
Kendrick Lamar
Fatima Robinson on working with Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl LVI halftime show
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Kendrick Lamar's performance at the 2016 Grammys
Lil Baby
Fatima Robinson on being a producer of the 2021 Grammys and working with Lil Baby on his performance
Lionel C. Martin
Fatima Robinson on meeting Lionel Martin and on how she became a choreographer
Fatima Robinson on Lionel Martin's directing style
Prince
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the "Purple Rain" episode of Black-ish, and on working with Prince
Rosie Perez
Fatima Robinson on Rosie Perez encouraging her to call herself a choreographer
Michael Peters
Fatima Robinson on her research for choreographing the film Dreamgirls
Fatima Robinson on the value of oral history interviews
Busta Rhymes
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Busta Rhymes' music video for "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"
Tupac Shakur
Fatima Robinson on appearing in Tupac Shakur's music video for "California Love"
John Singleton
Fatima Robinson on John Singleton making her an extra in his film Boyz N the Hood
Fatima Robinson on John Singleton asking her to choreograph the music video for Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time"
Fatima Robinson on working with John Singleton and Michael Jackson on the music video for "Remember the Time"
Fatima Robinson on John Singleton's storyboards for the music video for "Remember the Time" and on how she developed the choreography for the video
Fatima Robinson on working with John Singleton as the director of the music video for "Remember the Time" -- and on how much of the movement came from John's direction versus her input
Meghan Trainor
Fatima Robinson on directing music videos for Meghan Trainor, including "All About That Bass"
Will.i.am
Fatima Robinson on directing the music video for "Hey Mama" and working with Will.i.am
Hype Williams
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Brandy's music video for "Baby" - directed by Hype Williams -- and on how much time she had to shoot the video
Fatima Robinson on appearing in Tupac Shakur's music video for "California Love"
Fatima Robinson on choreographing Aaliyah's music video for "Rock the Boat" - directed by Hype Williams
Pharrell Williams
Fatima Robinson on being a creative director/segment producer on The Voice, and on working on several music videos and performances with Pharrell Williams
George C. Wolfe
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the play Radiant Baby, directed by George C. Wolfe, and how that helped her when she choreographed the film Dreamgirls
Fatima Robinson on choreographing the TV movie Lackawanna Blues