Fatima Robinson, who put collectively the performances for Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, pulls again the curtain on the primary hip hop halftime.
Fatima Robinson — well-known for her choreography for the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince, Aaliyah, Rihanna, Britney Spears and the Oscars — was the thoughts behind the strikes for Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl LVI halftime present, starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.
Her second Tremendous Bowl, after having additionally choreographed the Black Eyed Peas’ 2011 efficiency, proved to be significantly particular, with its dwelling base at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium and the primary hip hop artists to headline the long-lasting present. After months of prep however solely two and half weeks of rehearsal, Robinson tells The Hollywood Reporter about honoring Compton, combining six completely different performances (with a particular look by 50 Cent) into one and the most important challenges alongside the way in which to creating an instantaneous traditional.
First off, what has it been like seeing the response to the present?
It’s been superb. You go into it desirous to do the perfect job you are able to do and also you go into it desirous to symbolize hip hop in such a significant approach as a result of it’s the most important stage I feel it’s even been on. So there have been undoubtedly duties and obligations to the tradition and stuff that I felt like we had been actually making an attempt to remain true to, however to get the response that we’ve gotten has simply been so nice.
With 5 particular person artists and these elaborate set items, what was your total imaginative and prescient?
Es Devlin was the manufacturing artistic on this. She’s primarily based out of London and she or he principally did a tour of Compton and she or he felt like there’s elements of Compton which can be so iconic. She wished to identical to, “What if we pull a avenue from Compton or pull the completely different common locations there that individuals go to,” like Dre used to DJ at Eave’s After Darkish and Tam’s Burgers is the place everybody would hang around and the Martin Luther King constructing was one other one which that she put there. It was like in the event you can have a look at town from an overhead shot, what would that appear like and really feel like? And that’s why they did the tarp on the ground, so that you simply actually felt like we purchased a block of Compton within SoFi Stadium. She was like, “Fatima, I’m an English girl, you must be my avenue information and let me know what we must always populate these rooms with to make it make sense.”
So I discovered, and I had labored with earlier than, a drill group known as the Black Diamonds Drill Group primarily based out of South Central. After which Dre and I had been exchanging Instagram hyperlinks of various bands that we favored, and there was one group that he favored I despatched known as The Glitch Mob. We acquired them in a single room in order that Dre can simply stroll by the room and like hit somewhat piece with them, and Snoop can stroll by a room and dangle with the drill group somewhat bit. And it was Es’ concept to additionally create a Snoop’s home — the primary music video that he had, it was shot in his home in order that [inspired] when he comes down the steps into the homes. It was simply all acquainted locations for the fellows to hang around in and carry out on prime of.
What had been your conversations like with every performer?
Dre had known as me on the very starting and was like, “Fatima, I really need you to come back on board and do that and I had an concept of doing the C-Stroll, a choreographed C-Stroll,” which was so superb as a result of we had by no means seen the C-Stroll achieved like that. That proper there I used to be hooked, I used to be like depend me in. After which Mary J. Blige, I labored along with her for years and I used to bounce for her after I was 19. We’ve simply identified one another eternally and it was simply nice working along with her once more. I included within the choreography strikes that I do know are her go-to staple strikes and that she could be comfy and be happy in. After which I’ve been working with Kendrick and I simply love his power. These days he’s been doing like guys on stage being troopers in a approach, so we simply took that vibe of them simply in soldier poses and simply introduced it to life extra. He shared with me the picture of a bunch of fellows bending down in containers, so we simply took that picture after which simply introduced all of it to life. We didn’t understand how we’re going to do away with the containers or how the containers had been going to work with the choreography, we simply determined to work with the containers after which create how it might all circulation round him. I’m simply so pleased the way in which his efficiency got here out. It got here out so naturally, but additionally he’s simply such a strong performer that it simply actually felt like every little thing aligned in his efficiency.
Eminem’s music is fairly rock and roll in a way, which was actually superb that they added Anderson .Paak to play the drums to it. On the first place we had been rehearsing we weren’t in a position to see the entire crowd rush in on him, so he was watching everyone else with choreography and was like, “I type of have somewhat choreography envy.” And I’m like, “I acquired you, I promise you.” So when he noticed everyone like nodding to his music and waving their palms after which speeding the stage, he was like, “OK, that is nice.” After which 50 Cent being our shock, within the unique [“In da Club”] music video he did the the other way up entrance so we determined to replay that and simply have him in a leaping, enjoyable membership with horny individuals. Every individual had their very own vibe and power. Mary’s dancers had been type of stomping on 50 Cent’s membership after which they had been all wanting up like, who’s that? And that was type of how we tied these two worlds collectively. It was so cool as a result of inside this block we had been in a position to function everyone, it virtually felt like a play and a live performance on the identical time with Dre and Snoop strolling by the completely different rooms to get to locations. I actually loved that idea.
What was your prep time like?
There’s a whole lot of prep time with regards to simply speaking in regards to the stage and going by edits of the music and simply even the collection of songs — every one has such a listing it’s like, what songs can we do? There’s months of dialog of that, and getting on Zooms and simply going over the completely different variations of the stage because it begins to take form and we determine what we will really match within the carts that may get on the market in time and all these issues. However then the precise bodily going into the rehearsal area, we had round two and a half weeks of rehearsal for it.
Wow that’s actually not a lot.
No, no, particularly as a result of after we get to the stadium we don’t have many instances to run it by, you get possibly three in a day. You actually should be on level of what you need to change and repair and all of that.
Have been you in a position to rehearse on these large units?
The primary week of rehearsal was simply within the dance studio after which we arrange the levels at Barker Hangar [in Santa Monica]. We didn’t actually have the ground, we solely had simply the large avenue items so we had been in a position to go to the rooftops and determine the steps and the timing of that. Fortunately we had 5 stand-ins to be our artists in order that I can transfer the stand-ins round and time it so my music director on the spot can create extra time in the event that they wanted to rise up to the steps or to the roof. We had been in a position to simply map all of it out with stand-ins after which when Dre and the crew will get there, we present them with the stand-ins to allow them to perceive it and see it. At one level, I put all of them on a forklift and raised all of them up to allow them to actually get to know the scope and scale of it, as a substitute of on the ground wanting up at it.
How did the set items and the Compton ground map play into what you wished to do and will let you work off of these visible parts?
It was really actually tough to work with the the mapping of Compton as a result of that they had these lights in it they known as nodes. It was a really difficult piece of tarp to put out and in the event you broke one of many nodes, it’s like Christmas lights, you break one and like 100 exit. And so all of the dancers, we needed to actually stage round them and make it possible for they didn’t break them. That first day was actually robust. They had been in a position to really reinforce a few of the pathways the place the dancers had been doing most of their dancing with carpet in order that it had a stronger, stiffer floor for them to bounce on. It was a whole lot of adjusting strikes that simply didn’t work with the tarp as a result of it pulled the tarp up and you'd see a few of the inexperienced grass beneath. A number of discussions in regards to the tarp however in the long run, it was so price it. At some factors individuals had been speaking about ought to we lose it? And I used to be like, no, it’s simply too superb.
Dre has spoken in regards to the significance of lastly having hip hop represented on the halftime present, what did that imply to you?
I feel it means rather a lot for everybody who grew up on hip hop. I’ve at all times stayed true to that — my roots are in hip hop, I’m a hip hop choreographer, I began off dancing within the golf equipment. And so for me, it was so nice to see. The music is so superb and enjoyable and simply nice to see hip hop on such a giant scale as a result of it simply exhibits that it's a part of common music and that’s okay. Earlier than hip hop was such its personal style of music and it nonetheless has its underground taste and vibe however seeing it right here like this with these artists, I feel lots of people had been pleasantly stunned and actually simply loved listening to the music like that.
What was it like so that you can watch from the gang?
I went into one of many containers with pals and I watched it as a fan. I wasn’t critiquing it, I had somewhat cocktail in my hand. I simply wished to take pleasure in it like everyone else will get to take pleasure in it. It was so superb. I watch it on TV and it’s enjoyable to see on TV, however stay there was simply unbelievable. The stadium simply erupted and cheered when it got here on and I feel it was simply a lot anticipation for it due to L.A. moving into the Tremendous Bowl and being at SoFi for the primary time. Everybody was so excited for it. It was such a second. I actually, actually had an exquisite time.
Interview has been edited for size and readability.