Choreographer Christopher Scott was first exposed to dance after moving to Hollywood at age 13, where he attended Hollywood High’s Performing Arts Magnet Program. His experience performing “Cool” in West Side Story unleashed a lifelong passion for dance. Scott’s dance journey has since been shaped by key moments and people he’s met along the way. One such person is director John Chu, who he first met while starring in Step Up 2: Journey to the Streets. This relationship launched The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD), and opened doors for Scott to become a regular choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance, Associate Choreographer for 2021’s In the Heights and, most recently, the movie musical sensation Wicked. Dance Informa chatted with Scott about his experience choreographing Wicked, where he drew inspiration from, and why he’s so excited for fans to see the film.
Although Scott had his own approach to choreographing Wicked, he drew inspiration from Wayne Cilento’s original Broadway choreography. “I had probably seen the musical five or six times before I got the job,” Scott recalls. “In the very early stages, John and I saw it again in New York and it reignited all that magic and fun of the show. Though there was a ton of pressure, I couldn’t take myself too seriously because there’s a joy that’s baked into the show that needs to be preserved. I wanted to honor Wayne and create something that didn’t feel completely out of nowhere. There are so many beautiful lifts in Wicked, and so it was in the back of my mind to incorporate those into the movie. They’re sprinkled in little pockets that you might not even catch, but they’re there as a bit of a love letter to Wayne and all who created the show.”
The world of Wicked is traditionally boxed onto a stage, but on the screen, it became massive, spanning from the Emerald City to Shiz. Scott shares about the process of creating unique movement languages for the big screen.
“When you go to Oz, there are no rules – it’s a world that we’re building. I definitely explored with movement that wasn’t my normal stuff. I wanted to go into kind of a quirky movement language and develop something. What we do have in Oz are different parts of the world – Winkie Country, Munchkinland, Emerald City, Shiz – so, you have these different areas which each has its own movement language. We built the movement based on where they’re from. Munchkinland is very grounded to the earth. Fiyero has a lot of dancing and he’s from Winkie Country, which is a military based culture, and what’s military? Boots and stomping and percussion – so we started playing with rhythmic things and a lot of footwork.”
Something unique about this movie adaptation, is that it spans two parts. This created a fuller and deeper connection to the actors, their character’s story and, in turn, the choreography. “On paper, when you see how many dance numbers I was responsible for in Wicked Parts 1 & 2, it’s similar to In the Heights,” Scott explains. “But there’s something about stretching it out over that amount of time where the work felt never-ending. What was incredible about doing two movies was watching the actors develop their characters. When I choreograph, I connect with the actors and make sure I listen to their versions of the characters before I get set on any ideas for them. Over these two movies, they have quite a journey. You have to give them time to find that journey, so you have to be flexible and willing to shift and listen to the actors.”
When asked about picking his favorite number, Scott chuckles and admits he should have known that question was coming. “It’s really hard and going to sound like I’m picking every number, but I will say when I came into this job I thought ‘Dancing Through Life’ is a major responsibility. It’s a long number, so I started with it and it holds a special place in my heart. Then we get to the Oz Dust. That moment with Glinda and Elphaba in the Oz Dust was probably the most special process I’ve ever experienced. It started with myself and Comfort Fedoke working together. Then we started working with Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), who is an incredible dancer. We created it in private, and then introduced Ariana Grande (Glinda) to the number in the rehearsal space, and it felt like the real moment at the Oz Dust. One other number that became a favorite was ‘Popular’. I would come in with ideas of choreography, but ultimately, I just let Ariana play, and that woman is so funny, smart and creative. I mean, we could still be choreographing it today and coming up with new stuff! When I watch it in the movie now, I’m like, ‘Wow, it really worked.’ She is absolutely phenomenal in that number.”
Wicked is arguably the most well-known story Scott has worked on, and when asked if he felt the weight of the undertaking, he answers with a resounding yes. “That was probably the biggest thing I was not prepared to feel. At first, it’s just so exciting, and then you start making decisions and creating. It really felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so the weight did start to feel heavy. But what John does so well, is take the pressure off. He’s so fun when you get in the room with him, and it feels like we’re back in the early days of doing LXD in his living room. John is a master at pulling in really good people – there’s no ego in the room. His philosophy is best idea wins, and we just go and play and the weight goes away.”
When asked what Scott was most excited for audiences to see, his eyes light up and his love for all things Wicked is obvious. “I’m most excited for them to see that classic Hollywood movie magic that everybody brought to this world. It’s nostalgic – the simple image of the Yellow Brick Road and you get emotional. I didn’t know it was going to feel this massive with all of the beautiful images online and posters and merch. It’s getting me really excited to know I’m a part of something that has so much Hollywood history.”
As we wrap up the conversation, Scott can’t hold back from sharing a little more about what the collaboration on Wicked meant to him. “Every movie is a giant collaboration, but Wicked is so big that I’d never felt collaboration at this level before. There were moments when I’d walk onto a set to get a feel of it before it was finished being built, and I’d look around and there were these incredible craftspeople painting miniatures or building giant structures. It reminded me how much work goes into these films. Now when I watch the movie – that’s what I see, these people in every frame creating the world. And then a dance comes up, and it’s our piece of the puzzle.”
Scott concludes, “Oz is even beyond Wicked; it’s the Wizard of Oz, and you have these iconic images that are so much bigger than any little piece of the puzzle. When you treat it like that, that’s when you get the best results and that’s what everybody did in every department. Everybody put so much care into this movie to honor this world that’s so much bigger than any of us and has been around for longer than all of us.”
It’s easy to see, Scott has been changed for good by his experience on Wicked. To keep up with Scott, follow him on Instagram @chrislxd. Wicked is in theatres now.
By Melody McTier Thomason of Dance Informa.
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