When Christopher Scott became the film choreographer WickedHe was not in a meeting or on a phone call. He was at the home of his longtime friend, director Jon M. Chu. CHU simply gave Scott a hat decorated with Wicked Logo and said, “Are you ready?” This is how Scott knew it was real, he said, “and then the trip started. And it was one of the wildest trips in my life.”
According to Scott, the path to Wicked started 16 years ago when he worked with CHU Step up 2: the streets. Since then, the choreographer nominated at the EMMY has produced many television and film projects and has worked with celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
On the choreography for the starry distribution of the film
Scott tackled the movement creation process for Wicked as collaborative exploration. First of all, he sat with each actor to discuss their version of their character, so that his choreography can improve, rather than confronting their vision. “It was incredible how much they had at the beginning, how thoughtful they were from the day they entered the first rehearsal.”
Scott remembers the adaptation of a particular facet of Elphaba's choreography with Cynthia Erivo and the associated choreographer Comfort Fedoke: although Elphaba is ridiculed for his dance in a scene, the three have agreed that it is not a bad dancer. She is elegant and comes from a rich family. The choreography must focus on the fact that it is different. “Elphaba has a voice through movement, but it's a very specific voice and it's different,” explains Scott. “And that's what she is, she's just different.”
For Glinda d'Ariana Grande, Scott says that humor, experimentation and game have led many of their breakthroughs, citing the brilliant comic timing of large. He remembers trying ideas that seemed “far” and watching them come to life beautifully on her. “When you focus on the authenticity of the characters, it helps to eliminate things that work and things that don't work.”
Scott notes that his experience choregraphing hip hop informs everything he does, including Wicked. “What I like in hip hop is that it was born from bipocan communities, and it came from a place of oppression, so I think that when you are dealing with representing a world on the film, it is very powerful to be able to draw from these styles … It brings a reality to something bigger than life and surreal than Oz.” For the film, he joined many dance styles to create a relatable movement. Then, to prevent the choreography from feeling too familiar, he added small twists and turns to create an “Ozien” feeling.
Creating a kind of movement map, Scott has carefully reflected each region of Oz in terms of history, function, even socioeconomic class. The Emerald City, for example, is a real crucible of styles – inspired by Vogue, Popping and Afro Dance – while Gillikin's country is lifted, delicate and balletic. Munchkinland is anchored in the ritual and is common, and Winkie Country is rhythmic, evoking the image of boots trampling on the ground, inspired by the influence of the military presence of Winkie culture.
On the choreography for the screen compared to the scene
When asked for his approach to work Wicked After seeing the Broadway show seven times over the years (at least), Scott explains: “I wanted to create something original for the film because we have had the opportunity to do a lot of things that you cannot do on stage. But at the same time, I wanted to pay tribute when I could for incredible work in this way (Cilento). ”
There was a moment, said Scott, during the shooting when he was really impressed. Most of the time, he and his associated assistant and choreographers were glued to the instructor, zoned on the tiny changes could make the next take better than the previous one. But after having nailed a swirling and slippery plan of the interpreter Parkour Ed Scott, returning to the air of one platform to another, he said, he sat down and felt really proud.
Regarding what Scott hopes that public members withdraw from the film, there are a few things. He wants people to be moved by the history of Wicked And feel seen. He also hopes that the public takes up the woven story throughout his choreography. “It is a job that is so linked to narration and that has so many nuances … It is not only that someone invents a pile of dance steps.” Indeed, in Scott's life and in the film, the dance looks like a language or an emotion, something with an innate ability to connect people and express the inexpressible. “It's a human thing we do.”
