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| Cassidy dances with Gaga at The Monster Ball. |
You ever wonder why one of Lady Gaga’s most popular dancers Cassidy Noblett dances so passionately to the point that you can feel the sweat on his body, the warmth of his skin and his pounding heart that’s almost as loud as the bass of the music? Well, Cassidy explains everything in an interview where he answers my questions and talks about the artistry behind his dancing and the stories he wants to tell with his body. Read up.
1. When did you first start dancing?
My mother is a dance teacher so I actually started dancing in the womb. The day I saw those hospital lights, I knew life was my stage and its journey would be my performance.
2. Who were your dance influences growing up and who influences you to this day?
Growing up, my sister was my biggest influence as well as my mother. My sister was/is a talent to the dance industry and she always explored greatness in how she challenged herself and how she created herself. Jacques d’Amboise was one of my teachers, and he taught me that there is no limit to hard work and motivation. It’s endless and that there is no 100% because that is a personal perspective. It can always be better and can always grow. Janet Jackson, Dana Foglia, Victor Rojas, Amanda Balen, Lady Gaga, Bjork, Dalai Lama, any artist who seeks to discover themselves and express that individuality in their own way
3. What was your first professional job?
Club Dancer in Britney Spears/ Madonna music video, “Me Against the Music”
4. How would you describe your dance style?
I think the best answer is that it’s evolving, ever changing, and a feeling more than a set of words to describe it. It is a life form that isn’t perfect, but it finds breath in its uncertainty. (Big modern influence on it from a technical aspect)
5. I read in an interview you did that you want to bring a classical element to commercial dance, so when you say that, do you mean that you apply a classical technique even to non-classical choreography? If so, how do you apply it?
I want to bring a classical vocabulary that is seasoned with an urban understanding, a fellowship of abstract and city sidewalks together. An appreciation that isn’t tampered with by appearance and money, but by concept, art, individual voice, feeling, controversy, and new perspective. On that note, I completely respect what we have in the industry, I just want to find a new lens to view it through and to open the world’s view on it by taking a different approach.
6. I know that you also choreograph, so what is your creative process for creating choreography?
It changes depending on inspiration and task. And it’s a secret that I’m still developing and creating. Sometimes the beauty in art isn’t necessarily knowing how you get there (because that’s the artist’s own craft and happiness and personal journey) but what feeling it can produce once it’s offered. For me, I just want to keep that to myself. One day I will share I’m sure.
7. I’ve noticed that there’s a strong narrative element to your dancing, so how do you figure out the story that you want to tell?
The story I want to tell is a mixture of what vision the choreographer, creator, artist, director, etc. has and who I want to be to fit into that mold. How do I want to portray myself as this character. How can I be my own voice within someone else’s framework. And it comes with trial and error and also comes with being a character and changing your character as time passes. One’s moods can dictate the persona that comes to life. It varies day to day for me.
8. For inspiration, do you watch the videos of the artists you’re dancing for?
In order to offer my spirit and artistry to the fullest, it’s very important to be educated with all elements of the project you are involved with. The videos are a wonderful place to find inspiration especially when you need to revamp your approach. Because in the video, generally speaking, the vibe, the image, the content of what the song and vision is about is laid out for you through the layers of its footage.
9. What’s the next step in your career? For instance, do you plan to work primarily as a choreographer similar to Laurie Ann Gibson or is there acting in your future?
I would love to be an actor. That is a road that I hope to venture on throughout the rest of my life. It only makes you a better dancer and unlocks a whole new area of art that I know my life is interested in. As far as dancing, I am very happy to be where I am. The future plans will just have to be a surprise ;-)
10. Other than Gaga, do you have any other projects in the works for 2010 and 2011?
No idea yet ;-)
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