A backup dancer also known as background dancer[1] is a performer who dances with or behind the lead performers in a live musical act or in a music video. Their movements (especially where there are many moving together) improve the visual aesthetics of the lead performer, and provide a symmetry and rhythm to accompany the music.
Backup dancers
Some performers began their music careers as backup dancers for other artists, including:
^Storr, Will (5 June 2011). "The truth about life as a background dancer". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
^"Watch: Stray Kids' Lee Know Talks About Being BTS's Back-Up Dancer + Shows His Part In "Not Today" Performance". Soompi. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
^Schwarz, Hunter (26 April 2014). "Kevin Federline Was A Backup Dancer In A Justin Timberlake Music Video". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
^Battan, Carrie (22 July 2014). "Interviews: FKA twigs". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
^"Cris Judd Talks Jennifer Lopez Marriage: "You're No Longer a Normal Person"". Us Weekly. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
^"Pop star Rain (Bi), reaching out beyond Asia". KBS Global. Archived from the original on 25 January 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
^Tupac Shakur – Thug Angel (The Life of an Outlaw). 2002.
^"Tupac Shakur". Hotshotdigital.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
^Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, p. 330.
^"From Backup Dancer To 'The Wire': How A Scar Transformed A Career". NPR. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
^"Zendaya Coleman Danced In Sears Commercial With Selena Gomez Before She Was Famous!". huffpost. 2 August 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
Further reading
Oshmyansky, Rosalyn (23 August 2014). "Snake Bites Nicki Minaj's Backup Dancer at VMA Rehearsal". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
"Meet Jay-Z and Beyonce's Incredible Backup Dancers". Yahoo News. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
Spiegel, Amy Rose (11 June 2013). "How Do You Even Become A Backup Dancer?". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
"P!nk backup dancer is from Atlanta - Video". WXIA-TV. 1 March 2013. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.