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I learned how to dance like Beyonce from her choreographer and it was surprisingly difficult

Feb 14, 2019, 22:30 IST

The following is a transcript of the video:

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Manny: That's JaQuel Knight. He's a dancer and choreographer. He's also the creative mind behind many of Beyoncé's iconic performances. I caught up with JaQuel at the Monsters Dance Convention in New Jersey. He was teaching choreography to literally hundreds of kids. I quickly got a sense of the talent and work ethic that made him successful.

Manny: The story goes that you were teaching Beyoncé choreography at age 18.

JaQuel: Yeah.

Manny: How did you get to meet Beyoncé? How did that whole thing start?

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JaQuel: So I moved to LA right outta high school. And literally maybe a year into LA, I was at this audition for Michelle Williams with Frank Gatson. He enjoyed me, my freestyle, he was like, "Hey I got this Beyoncé record, can you come to New York tonight?" "When you get here if she likes you you'll stay, if not we'll get you back on a plane to LA."

Manny: What was your reaction?

JaQuel: Yeah, hell yeah, get me on that goddamn flight.

Manny: JaQuel went on to choreograph stars like J. Lo, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and more.

Manny: Who was your favorite to work with?

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JaQuel: They're all very special, ya know.

Manny: That's like a parent saying all of their kids are special, though.

JaQuel: 'Cause these are all stars. All your kids aren't superstars.

Manny: Most recently, JaQuel collaborated with Beyoncé for her famous Beychella performance. The choreography incorporated homecoming moves made popular by historically black colleges and universities It was a smash hit.

After the convention, JaQuel agreed to give me a personal dance lesson. Um, just watch for yourself.

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Manny: JaQuel, I want to know how to dance like Beyoncé. This is me right here. This is where I wanna grow from.

Manny: How was that?

JaQuel: That was good.

Manny: It was good?

JaQuel: That was really good actually.

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Manny: You don't have to lie.

JaQuel: Okay, it was okay.

Manny: Okay, it's painfully obvious that I'm not gonna be dancing like Beyoncé any time soon, but I did have one more question for JaQuel.

Manny: Will you say "hi" to Beyoncé for me?

JaQuel: Negative! Hah!

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