Whether on stage or behind a camera, these choreographers have taken dance to powerful new levels. From choreographing full dance sequences to supervising the movements and interactions of young actors, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, and Twyla Tharp have each been instrumental in bringing the beauty and power of dance to the masses. Click here to learn more about HOT SPOT 3: When Dance Meets the Silver Screen.

CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON + CENTER STAGE Center Stage (2000) follows three young dancers as they study at the American Ballet Company. Christopher Wheeldon, who was a soloist and resident choreographer at the New York City Ballet, must have found this film hitting close to home and is the creative mind behind the film’s well known final scene. Taking Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel” and Jamiroqui’s “Canned Heat,” Wheeldon combines pointe and pop for an exciting finale. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo3_U4jquTk]

WAYNE MCGREGOR + HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE World-renowned British choreographer, Wayne McGregor CBE, was the man behind the movement in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (2005). This mega movie franchise set in the magical world of witches and wizards needed a similarly out-of-this-world choreographic talent to match. Trading seasoned dancers for children with little or no formal training, McGregor sought an authentic feel that characterized the period of adolescence in Harry, Ron and Hermione’s lives. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGLzaVx-hUE] “I felt that it was very important to have rough, raw, original talent, to have people who had an absolute passion to move but hadn’t inherited a lot of the physical mannerisms that some stage schools provide. I’m not saying those stage schools are bad, at all – just that it’s a very different type of child that goes through a stage school, compared to a child who has gone to school in east London, with very limited opportunities to dance.” – The Independent, 2006

TWYLA THARP + TELEVISION AND FILM Dubbed the queen of the cross over ballet, Twyla Tharp was a pioneer in bringing dance to the silver screen. From her collaboration on films like Hair (1978), Ragtime (1980), and Amadeus (1984) to her television programming like the PBS inaugural program of Dance in America (1976) and Emmy Award-winning Baryshnikov by Tharp (1985), Twyla Tharp continues to be a master of performance mediums. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W-oTQnyJis]

The most celebrated choreographers in the world are HERE. NOW. IN ATLANTA.