LaVelle Smith Jnr
Encyclopedia
LaVelle Smith Jnr is an American choreographer
. Known for his work in the music videos of singers such as En Vogue
, Michael Jackson
, Janet Jackson
and Beyoncé Knowles
, Smith has won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
five times.
in Louisville, Kentucky
. Upon failing the audition, Smith was given the option to study dance. Graduating from YPAS in 1983, Smith moved to Chicago
and was employed by Gus Giordano
in the dance troupe Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. Unhappy with the level of pay, Smith auditioned for numerous dancing roles, whilst facing racial prejudice. "When that happens, you realize that you have to be even better or move to L.A. where it doesn't matter," he said later.
Noticed by singer Michael Jackson
, Smith landed a job as a dancer before becoming his choreographer. Smith has worked on three of Jackson's world tours; Bad
, Dangerous
and HIStory
. Smith was also a choreographer for the musical Thriller - Live.
Smith appeared on the concert tours of The Rolling Stone's, Diana Ross
and Janet Jackson
's Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour
. Smith also worked for Victoria Beckham
after the Spice Girl made a return as a solo artist.
Smith was awarded four MTV Video awards for co-choreographing En Vogue's music videos "My Lovin'" (1992), "Free Your Mind
" (1993), "Whatta Man
" (1994) and Michael Jackson's duet with sister Janet, "Scream
" (1995). The music video for Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" won Smith his fifth MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
in 2003.
His other awards include a SSDC Bob Fosse award and an Emmy award
. Smith was also the youngest inductee into the Millers Gallery of Greats.
back to Louisville in 2001, the choreographer wanted to get away from the expensive party lifestyle of the city.
In his leisure time, Smith enjoys inspiring others to pursue their dreams and holds a free dance class at the Home of the Innocents
. The free entry is due to Smith recalling "being young and not being able to afford dance classes. I just want to inspire them. There are opportunities out there, and it may just be a sentence that you say that they latch on to and that sparks them."
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
. Known for his work in the music videos of singers such as En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
and Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Smith has won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Choreography in a Video....
five times.
Biography
Smith had originally wanted to pursue a career in drama, auditioning at the Youth Performing Arts SchoolYouth Performing Arts School
The Youth Performing Arts School is a performing arts school in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, that concentrates on various music, theatre and dance disciplines for high school students. Students who attend have a two-hour block of arts studies, with the balance of their classes at duPont Manual High...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. Upon failing the audition, Smith was given the option to study dance. Graduating from YPAS in 1983, Smith moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and was employed by Gus Giordano
Gus Giordano
Gus Giordano was an American jazz dancer. He was a performer on and off Broadway, in television, film and stage, and he is a master teacher, a gifted choreographer, founder of his company , creator of the Jazz Dance World Congress and the author of Anthology of American Jazz Dance, the first book...
in the dance troupe Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. Unhappy with the level of pay, Smith auditioned for numerous dancing roles, whilst facing racial prejudice. "When that happens, you realize that you have to be even better or move to L.A. where it doesn't matter," he said later.
Noticed by singer Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Smith landed a job as a dancer before becoming his choreographer. Smith has worked on three of Jackson's world tours; Bad
Bad World Tour
The Bad World Tour was the first solo concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson that visited Japan, Australia, the United States and Europe. Sponsored by Pepsi and spanning 16 months, the tour included 123 concerts to 4.4 million fans across 15 countries...
, Dangerous
Dangerous World Tour
The Dangerous World Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. The tour, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola, included 69 performances to an audience of 3.5 million. All profits were donated to various charities including Jackson's own "Heal the World Foundation". The...
and HIStory
HIStory World Tour
The HIStory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts and was attended by approximately 4.5 million fans, beating his previous Bad Tour...
. Smith was also a choreographer for the musical Thriller - Live.
Smith appeared on the concert tours of The Rolling Stone's, Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
and Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour
Rhythm Nation 1814 Tour
The Rhythm Nation World Tour is the debut concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. It was launched in support of her fourth studio album Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 , and also contained material from her third studio album Control...
. Smith also worked for Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
after the Spice Girl made a return as a solo artist.
Smith was awarded four MTV Video awards for co-choreographing En Vogue's music videos "My Lovin'" (1992), "Free Your Mind
Free Your Mind
"Free Your Mind" is the name of a Grammy Award-nominated hit single released by the American all-female R&B group En Vogue. Released on September 24, 1992 "Free Your Mind" is the third single released from En Vogue's critically acclaimed album Funky Divas...
" (1993), "Whatta Man
Whatta Man
"Whatta Man" is a 1994 single by Salt-n-Pepa and En Vogue from Salt-N-Pepa's 1993 album Very Necessary. It was issued by Next Plateau/London Records and produced by Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor. It also appears on En Vogue's Runaway Love EP...
" (1994) and Michael Jackson's duet with sister Janet, "Scream
Scream/Childhood
"Scream"/"Childhood" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I where "Scream" is the first song and "Childhood" is the tenth song on the second disc of the album HIStory Continues. The A-side, "Scream", is a duet with his younger sister...
" (1995). The music video for Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" won Smith his fifth MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Choreography in a Video....
in 2003.
His other awards include a SSDC Bob Fosse award and an Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. Smith was also the youngest inductee into the Millers Gallery of Greats.
Personal life
Moving from Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
back to Louisville in 2001, the choreographer wanted to get away from the expensive party lifestyle of the city.
In his leisure time, Smith enjoys inspiring others to pursue their dreams and holds a free dance class at the Home of the Innocents
Home of the Innocents
The Home of the Innocents is a nonprofit shelter and pediatric convalescent center in Louisville, Kentucky.-Services:The Home operates the only dedicated pediatric nursing unit in Kentucky, giving care to children from birth to age 21 with a variety of birth defects and medical problems...
. The free entry is due to Smith recalling "being young and not being able to afford dance classes. I just want to inspire them. There are opportunities out there, and it may just be a sentence that you say that they latch on to and that sparks them."