Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Williamson.
Hi Todd, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a Kiwi born and bred out of Wellington, New Zealand. From a young age, I knew that dance and the performing arts was something that was going to be a big part of my life. The obsession with dance started with musicals starring Gene Kelly, I was in awe of his energy and skill and promptly began doing performances for my family or anyone who would give me attention, I was around 5. It was a natural progression into starting dance classes; my parents were very supportive and signed me up ASAP.
I began to take dance more seriously in my teens and decided this was it, it was my calling. I then moved to Auckland and danced in Parris Goebel’s Royal Family for three years where I discovered that choreography was the next big step for me. This was largely due to teaching regular open classes at The Palace Dance Studio in 2014-2016, where I got to teach my combos to some of the best dancers in the world.
I then worked as a dancer, booking jobs throughout Asia, and performing for Taiwanese pop star Jolin Tsai thank you to Kiel Tutin (Choreographer). Once I had felt satisfied with my time on stage I decided it was time to pursue a career in choreography. I had dreams of creating choreography for music videos and live performances. From there, I spent a lot of time developing my own sense of style choreographically and began to post a lot of this process on social media, which gained some traction internationally, opening many doors for me, including working for megastar Karol G, She reached out via Instagram and the rest was history! One very important door that opened for me was getting signed to Jam Republic, an agency based in Singapore with many connections to the giant K-pop industry. This is where my choreography career truly began working for artists such as LE SSERAFIM, Twice, HyunA & Aespa.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing good ever comes easy. There have been many challenges along the way, Creativity is something that ebbs and flows which can be difficult if there is a time crunch or many jobs happening at once which require you to perform at your best.
We can’t always control when we feel most inspired and ready to create, so this is something I have found challenging whilst stepping into this role as a choreographer. In the beginning, it was hard for me to deliver when I didn’t feel like I had anything in the tank, but with some practice, I have definitely managed to combat it as best I can. Focusing on what inspires me or keeps me in a steady state of inspiration has been key to being consistent as a choreographer.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m definitely most well-known for my group choreography work. I have a unique take on formations and love to create visual patterns that satisfy the eye of the viewer. This skill took a while for me to figure out and I had to spend a lot of time in the studio working with dancers trying different things until my style began to generate.
Being so focused on the visual effects created by my formation work really helped set me apart from other choreographers and works perfectly when creating for music Artists. I can frame the artist and give them different shapes that draw the audience’s eye directly to them seamlessly.
I am most proud of the fact that I have been able to inspire people to dance, recently I have been teaching a lot in Europe and have met many dancers that have said my videos are the reason they started going to classes. Knowing that I can bring joy and inspiration into people’s lives in the most fulfilling part of the whole journey.
What matters most to you?
Connection, we are all here to connect with one another so I try to do this as fearlessly as I can. In my relationships but also with dancers. When I am teaching I try really hard to connect with dancers and generate an energy within the class that connects us all. I find this is when people shine the brightest.
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