Ep 58: Paul Becker, Choreographer, Director

How do dancers become choreographers? What goes into choreography for film and TV? Who casts the dancers?

This week’s guest on Hometown to Hollywood, Paul Becker, answers all these questions and more in one of my most inspiring and fascinating interviews ever.

Paul is a Hollywood choreographer and director, and his credits are incredible: he’s worked closely with everyone from Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, The Muppets, Michael Bublé, Ciara, and has even directed and created for Kanye West.  In the musical theatre world he’s staged numbers for Broadway legends like Ben Vereen, Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris. Paul has choreographed over 200 film and TV projects, like “Twilight”, “Mirror Mirror” “Sucker Punch” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid 1-3”, & he is currently the series choreographer for “A Series of Unfortunate Evens”(Netflix), “Once Upon a Time”(ABC), CW's hit show "Riverdale,"and Deadpool 2.

Paul recently was nominated for the World Choreography Award for his work with his mentor, director Kenny Ortega, as his choreography partner for Disney Channel's mega hit musical Descendants.

Paul talks about training, what the work of a TV and film choreographer really entails, gives advice for dancers, actors who dance, dancers who act, and choreographers, as well as sharing some extremely inspiring stories and wisdom. Don’t miss this—even if you have two left feet!

Some of my favorite quotes from our conversation:    •    “I took 3 classes a night, training like an athlete.”    •    “Out of 1,000 dancers, there’s usually 15 guys.”    •    “Opportunities for guys in dance are greater, but they need the drive.”    •    “You have to make things happen for yourself.”    •    “There’s always a way to achieve your outcome.”    •    “You can see it in someone’s eyes when they’re hungry for it.”    •    “Being easy to work with is huge.”    •    “I was rock bottom when I met Kenny Ortega.”    •    “Stay positive and be nice to everyone.”    •    “It’s the job of a choreographer to be a ‘dance-writer’.”    •    “I like to create scenes diverse in ethnicity and all different types.”    •    “Study filmmaking and acting if you want to choreograph for film and TV.”    •    “Be able to use Excel, create budgets, and pitch if you want to choreograph for film and TV.”    •    “You hold the key to your future.”You can follow Paul and his work HERE:Website: https://www.beckercreations.com/Masterclass: https://www.pbmasterclass.com/Twitter: @ThePaulBeckerInstagram: @ThePaulBecker1Breaking Brooklyn