Wade Robson

Wade Robson

Robson in 2008
Born Brisbane, Australia
Residence Maui, Hawaii
Occupation Dancer, choreographer, film director, producer, songwriter.
Spouse(s) Amanda Rodriguez (2005–present)[1]
Children Koa
Website http://www.waderobsoncreations.com

Wade Robson is an Australian dancer and choreographer. He began performing as a dancer at the age of five. He has directed music videos and world tours for numerous music artists such as NSYNC and Britney Spears. Robson found success not only as a choreographer and tour director but also as the host and executive producer for The Wade Robson Project which aired on MTV in 2003. In 2007, he joined the Fox television dance series So You Think You Can Dance as both a judge and choreographer.

Career

Early career

Robson was in a talent troupe called Johnny Young's Talent School and the group did 14 shows a week, usually at venues like shopping malls. When he was nine, Robson moved to the United States with his mother and sisters. Michael Jackson assisted them in the move and recruited Robson to appear in three music videos: "Black or White," "Jam," and "Heal the World."[2]

At the age of 11 Robson had an agent. Along with friend DeWayne Turrentine, he formed the hip-hop duo Quo and by the end of the year released an album on Jackson's MJJ Music label[3] through Epic/SME Records. The following year, he was teaching dance classes in Hollywood.[2] He formed a troupe of dancing children which performed internationally.[4] He received his first choreography job for the R&B group Immature at 14. The job led to others, for artists such as Britney Spears. Clients were sometimes reluctant to take direction from Robson, a self-described "skinny little white kid".[2] When Spears first interviewed Robson to choreograph her tour, she exclaimed, "He's a friggin' baby!"; she had expected him to be in his 30s or 40s.[3]

During the late 1990s, while still a teenager, Robson choreographed Spears's Pepsi commercials including one which aired during the 2001 Super Bowl. He choreographed the performance by NSYNC and Spears at the 1999 Video Music Awards and he co-directed Spears's 1999–2000 world tours as well as NSYNC's 2000 No Strings Attached Tour. In 2001, he choreographed Spears' I'm a Slave 4 U video and was choreographer and director of NSYNC's 2001 "PopOdyssey Tour". In the NSYNC music video "Pop", Robson had to fill in for NSYNC member Joey Fatone during several of the dance sequences because of an injury that Fatone sustained at an NSYNC concert the night before the video shoot. That same year, he directed Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour.

Professional career

Robson was the creator and host of MTV's The Wade Robson Project, a talent search competition for hip-hop dancers.[5] The program was sponsored by Juice Batteries.[6]

In 2002, Robson was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch".

Dance clothing company Power T Dance developed a line of name-brand consumer dance shoes with Robson. The shoes were distributed in the U.S. through the Ralph Libonati Co.[7]

Robson appeared as himself in the 2004 urban dance film You Got Served, which won "Best Dance Sequence (Feature Film)" at the 2004 American Choreography Awards.[8]

Robson has joined several other choreographers such as Mia Michaels and Shane Sparks on the PULSE Tour, a series of nationwide weekend workshops designed to give dancers the chance to train under top choreographers.[9]

Dancers from So You Think You Can Dance (Season 2) performing the Zombie dance or the "Ramalama (Bang Bang)" which won Wade his first Emmy in 2007.

In 2007, Robson began choreographing the American Idols LIVE! Tour. He has also choreographed both group and partner pieces for the second and third seasons of So You Think You Can Dance.

In September 2007, Robson was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for the dance number "Ramalama (Bang Bang)" on (Season 2) of So You Think You Can Dance.[10] The choreography continues to be one of the show's most memorable and favorite group performances to date.

Robson was awarded his second Primetime Emmy Award the following year in 2008 on Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance for the jazz routine "Humming Bird and the Flower". The performance was lauded by the show's executive producer Nigel Lythgoe calling it "absolutely genius, brilliant, and one of those routines that we will remember on this series for a very long time."[11]

In 2008, Cirque du Soleil hired Robson to choreograph "Believe", starring illusionist and magician, Criss Angel. It debuted to rave reviews at the Luxor Hotel.

Robson and NSYNC's Justin Timberlake partnered in 2001, co-writing the hit singles "Pop", "Gone", and "See Right Through You" on NSYNC's final album Celebrity. Robson had initially written "Celebrity" for his own album, but was persuaded to let NSYNC record it instead. They also co-wrote Britney Spears' "What It's Like To Be Me", on which Timberlake sang back up vocals. The song's copyright is held jointly by Robson and Timberlake's respective companies, WaJeRo Sound and Tennman Tunes.

Robson co-wrote the song "Movin' On" for the Backstreet Boys' album Never Gone with Backstreet member Howie Dorough. The song was released as a bonus track.

Robson has also written songs for the singing groups Dream and Youngstown. He also remixed two of Mandy Moore's songs from her album I Wanna Be with You.

Robson choreographed the animated feature film Happy Feet Two, which was released in 2011. He was originally set to direct Step Up Revolution, (released in 2012), but dropped out of the project for personal reasons. He was replaced by Scott Speer.[12]

In 2011, Wade was hired to direct his first theatrical motion picture "Step Up 4".

In 2012, Robson was the creative director for Demi Lovato's "Summer Tour 2012".

Routines for So You Think You Can Dance

Season Week Dancers Dance style Music Routine title Notes
2 6 Top 10 Group routine "Ramalama (Bang Bang)"—Róisín Murphy Ramalama Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography 2007
8 Heidi Groskreutz
Travis Wall		 Afro-Pop "W'Happy Mama"—Zap Mama W'Happy Mama
9 Top 4 Group routine "SexyBack"—Justin Timberlake SexyBack
3 1 Sara Von Gillern
Jesús Solorio		 Pop-Jazz "Cabaret Hoover" from Les Triplettes de Belleville Vagabond Cabaret Chosen as Tony Meredith's favourite routine of the season
Top 20 Group routine "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See"—Busta Rhymes Busta Mod
3 Jaimie Goodwin
Hokuto "Hok" Konishi		 Jazz "The Chairman's Waltz" from Memoirs of a Geisha The Hummingbird and the Flower Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography 2008
Chosen as Nigel Lythgoe's favourite routine of the season
4 Lauren Gottlieb
Neil Haskell		 Jazz "Night of the Dancing Flame"—Róisín Murphy Good VS Evil
6 Top 10 Individual solos "Waiting on the World to Change"—John Mayer Peace
8 Top 6 Group routine "2:19"—Tom Waits Swamp
9 Sabra Johnson
Lacey Schwimmer		 Jazz "Koyal (Songbird)"—Nitin Sawhney Foxes
4 1 Top 20 Group routine "Cobrastyle"—Robyn Cobrastyle
9 Katee Shean
Joshua Allen		 Lyrical Jazz "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"—John Mayer Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Cirque du Soleil Guest performance "Homage to the Rabbits"—Éric Serra Homage to the Rabbits
5 1 Ashley Valerio
Kūpono Aweau		 Jazz "Felt Mountain"—Goldfrapp Crash Test Dummies
5 Janette Manrara
Brandon Bryant		 Jazz "Ruby Blue"—Róisín Murphy Ruby Blue
6 Top 10 Jazz "So Much Betta"—Janet Jackson So Much Betta
9 Top 4 Pop-jazz "Boys Boys Boys"—Lady Gaga Boys Boys Boys
6 1 Top 20 Jazz "Comanche"—The Revels Comanche
2 Pauline Mata
Peter Sabasino		 Jazz "Little Green Bag"—George Baker Selection Little Green Bag
4 Top 14 Group Routine "Aha!"—Imogen Heap Aha!
7 1 Top 11 + All Stars Group Routine " Fame "— David Bowie Fame

Personal life

On Michael Jackson's death: "His music, his movement, his personal words of inspiration and encouragement and his unconditional love will live inside of me forever."

Robson, June 2009[13]

In August 2005, Robson married Amanda Rodriguez, a former fashion designer and creative directing partner on So You Think You Can Dance.[14] The couple have a son, Koa Robson, and live in Maui, Hawaii.[15]

Robson testified in Michael Jackson's defense at the People v. Jackson trial in 2005.[16] In 2013, Robson stated Jackson had sexually abused him as a child, and he is suing the Jackson estate.[17]

Career credits

Discography

Videography

Filmography

Television

References

  1. ↑ Maria, Santa (14 June 2005). "Aussies bolster Jackson's defence case". Melbourne: The Age. Retrieved 2 July 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 Roth, Kristin (14 September 2000), "Wade Robson" Rolling Stone (849):120
  3. 1 2 Chiu, Alexis (22 September 2003). "Flash Dancer". People. 60 (12):173–174
  4. ↑ Margot Dougherty (August 2004). "Dancer-Choreographer-Re mixer-Director Kevin Tancharoen Is Still Evolving". Los Angeles Magazine.
  5. ↑ Isabel C. Gonzalez (9 February 2004). "Inspired by hip-hop traditions, dance battles are catching on at nightclubs". TIME magazine.
  6. ↑ Linnett, Richard; Halliday, Jean; Stanley, T.L. (6 October 2003), "Adages". Advertising Age. 74 (40):44
  7. ↑ Newman, Melinda (31 January 2004), "The Darkness Creeps Into The Limelight". Billboard. 116 (5):16
  8. ↑ Segal, Lewis (19 October 2004). "Winning moves" – via LA Times.
  9. ↑ No byline (November 2006), "PULSING with WADE ROBSON". Dance Magazine. 80 (11):16
  10. ↑ "Primetime Awards" Emmys.tv. Retrieved 31 August 2007
  11. ↑ So You Think You Can Dance, 27 June 2007
  12. ↑ "'Step Up 4' Lands Director Scott Speer". Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  13. ↑ (27 June 2009) "Jackson's Australian confidant speaks out". smh.com.au. (accessed 2009-06-29)
  14. ↑ "Wade Robson". imdb.com.
  15. ↑ Amanda Robson MJ Accuser Wade Robson’s Wife. showbizdaily.net
  16. ↑ Martin Kasindorf (6 May 2005). "Former houseguests take stand in Jackson's defense". USA Today. pp. 6a.
  17. ↑ Sisario, Ben (14 May 2013). "Negligence Is Debated in Jackson Death Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
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