Camille A. Brown (‘Hell’s Kitchen’ choreographer) brings ‘spirit’ of new Alicia Keys song ‘Kaleidoscope’ to life [Exclusive Video Interview]
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
“It’s not just about setting time and space, but it’s also about the dancers being time and being space,” explains Camille A. Brown of her work on “Hell’s Kitchen.” The choreographer found that the 1990s setting of the script, combined with music from Alicia Keys, allowed her to explore movement from multiple entry points. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“Hell’s Kitchen” tells the story of Ali (Maleah Joi Moon), loosely adapted from Keys’ own coming-of-age journey in New York City. She lives in Manhattan Plaza, an artist residence in Hell’s Kitchen, under the eye of her over-protective mother (Shoshana Bean). Ali longs to dive into the beating heart of the city and live on her own terms. A chance encounter with a pianist in the building (Kecia Lewis) sets her on a path of self-discovery.
More from GoldDerby
Brown is a native of Jamaica, Queens, and took the subway in the 90s on her way to LaGuardia High School, so tapping into the era of the show felt natural for her. “These are social dances that I grew up doing. So it was an opportunity to bring all the experiences that I had as a teenager,” notes Brown of her connection to the story. “It was just a wonderful world to dive into…and just really pay homage to the city where I was born and raised.”
Not only does Brown bring movement to Keys’ mega-hits like “Girl on Fire,” but she also gets to define the visuals of several new songs written just for “Hell’s Kitchen.” Chief among them is “Kaleidoscope,” where the dancers swirl around Ali like the very elements themselves. “I definitely wanted to lean into my concert dance movement language side,” reveals Brown of her approach to the song. “Kaleidoscope’ is such an amazing, beautiful song that gives you that element of hip hop that gives you that element of church,” she describes, “So I was taking these very specific genres that we feel in the body, we feel in our spirit.” The result is that the dancers feel like they are extensions of Ali’s emotions, ebbing and flowing with the character’s inner journey.
The pulsating motions of Brown’s choreography have audiences dancing in their seats at the Shubert Theatre every night. “It takes me back to when I was starting to choreograph and thinking about starting a career in choreography. I didn’t know if I could make people feel anything,” she admits. “So fast forward: I’ve been creating work and in this craft as a choreographer for over 20 years. And to look at the audience, and feel their response, and see their visual response to something that I created? It’s so meaningful because I use movement to speak.”
Brown is a three-time Tony nominee. She was nominated for both her direction and choreography for the revival of “for colored girls” and her choreography in “Choir Boy.” She received a Bessie Award nomination in 2022 for the opera “Fire Shut Up in my Bones” at the Metropolitan Opera, which she is resetting for a return engagement this spring.
PREDICT the 2024 Tony Awards nominations through April 30
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest prediction
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
