Choreography

Ever wondered who is behind all the excellent dance moves the guys pull off?

Look no further!

The person responsible is a woman called Fatima, and her full biography can be read  below:

History

Fatima dreamed of opening her own hair salon like her mother. Certified as a Cosmetologist, Fatima worked as a professional hairdresser for a brief 

period of time, but her love for dance led her out to the clubs, and into dance contests. "An artist was looking for some dancers, so my friend and I went 

on stage at the club and battled some other girls and won," Fatima reminisces. That was the beginning. With some contest victories, and a mind full of dance steps, Fatima quickly became one of the top dancer/choreographers in the music video industry. 

Big Break

Her "big break" came just two years later, when director John Singleton asked her to choreograph the video for Michael Jackson's Remember the Time. Since then, Fatima has choreographed videos for most of today's top artists: "Her resume runs around the clock on MTV," Serena Altschul of the MTV 

News comments. Fatima choreographed and was featured in the GAP advertisement Khaki Soul directed by Hype Williams.

Work experience

Fatima is also the resident choreographer for the Backstreet Boys, and as such she choreographs all of their videos including Everybody (Backstreet's Back) and Larger than Life, as well as their live performances such as their recent "Into the Millennium" World Tour. Acclaimed by critics and peers, 

Fatima is the back-to-back winner of the Music Video Producer's Association Award (MVPA) for Best Choreography. In 1998 she received the honor for 

her work on Busta Rhymes' Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See, and in 1997 for her hip-hop tango in Dr. Dre's Been There, Done That. In addition, Fatima received two MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best Choreography for her work on these videos. Fatima was also nominated for the MTV Award for best choreography in 1999 for her work on Will Smith's Wild, Wild West. This year Fatima received three nominations for the 2000 MVPA for 

Best Choreography for her work on Will Smith's Wild Wild West, Backstreet Boys' Larger Than Life, and Santana's Maria, Maria. Fatima recently 

expanded into the realm of film with her work on the current blockbuster, Romeo Must Die, starring Aaliyah and Jet Lee. Fatima served as the technical advisor on the film, appears briefly as Aaliyah's friend, Lori, and choreographed the video for the first single from the soundtrack: Aaliyah's Try Again. 

Fatima just completed work on Jessica Simpson's upcoming Disney Channel Special and new video "I Think I'm In Love," the new Sprint commercial 

with Sela Ward, and a new GAP KIDS advertisement. Named one of Entertainment Weekly's "100 Most Creative People in Entertainment," Fatima 

released her first instructional dance home video "Go Fatima" (Buena Vista Home Entertainment) in late 1999. "Go Fatima" features Fatima teaching 

the choreography to Aaliyah's Are You That Somebody, Backstreet Boys' Everybody (Backstreet's Back), and a brand new routine exclusive to the home video. Fatima hopes to eventually follow the footsteps of one of her mentors, Debbie Allen, by making the transition into and film direction. She has already directed a couple of videos: "Heads High" for Mr. Vegas (V2 Records) and "Shake Your Body" for Shaggy (MCA Records). 

Pictures

For more info on Fatima visit her site here.

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