Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:03 This is words that move me, the podcast where movers and shakers, like you get the information and inspiration. You need to navigate your creative career with clarity and confidence. I am your host master mover, Dana Wilson. And if you're someone that loves to learn, laugh and is looking to rewrite the starving artist story, then sit tight, but don't stop moving because you're in the right place. Hello? Hello, my friend. And welcome to a bonus episode. Holy smokes. It's been a while I think since we've had a bonus episode, um, and I do believe we all deserve it. I'm so glad you're here and I hope you are ready for this one. Um, I recently, I don't know how it started. I honestly don't remember what, um, what was the first video that led me down this rabbit hole, but I recently took a deep dive down the YouTube rabbit hole of super bowl halftime performances.
Speaker 1 00:01:08 I have now watched every single Superbowl halftime performance from 1991 through 2020, at least once I've also watched a handful, uh, you know, uh, very few others that happened before that. Did you guys know that there was a Superbowl halftime act called Elvis Presto? He was an Elvis impersonator who did yep. Magic tricks at the super bowl halftime show. Um, but that was before 91. My, my peak interest starts around 91. Um, when the guest, the headlining guest was of course the new kids on the block. Um, anyways, I've decided to make a massive video project about all of the outstanding moments and things that I learned from 29 Superbowl halftime shows, uh, that will be out there in the inter verse very soon. So be on the lookout for that. Actually, if that happens to come out before this episode, I'll make sure to, uh, quick link that video in the show notes to this episode, pretty fun, pretty funny, and definitely informational. So you might get into that. Um, but as I was going down this YouTube rabbit hole,
Speaker 0 00:02:26 I was also
Speaker 1 00:02:28 Face to face screen face with some of my favorite dance types and some of my dearest friends who, um, I have certainly been less in touch with in recent years. And so I was inspired to reach out to a handful of my favorite dance types and ask if they would be willing to share their Superbowl halftime stories here on the podcast. Um, so that is what you will get today. You will get to hear from a few of my favorite dance tapes who have performed at at least one super bowl halftime. Um, today you'll hear from Victor Rojas, Brittany Parks and Chris do pray and you are so in for a treat, but before I yield the floor, I would like to share my Superbowl halftime story from 2018. And honestly it might not be what you would expect. So the year's 2018. Um, I performed with Justin Timberlake and we rehearsed for the super bowl halftime show while we were rehearsing for the man of the woods tour.
Speaker 1 00:03:31 So needless to say it was a pretty dense time in terms of rehearsal hours, definitely high stress, a lot of pressure, but when you work for Justin Timberlake and Marty Kudelka is mostly fun. A lot of laughs, a lot of really, really cool moves, but my super bowl story doesn't have much to do with the moves. Um, um, if you know me, you may know this, but some of you listening might not know my husband was responsible for building the dancing mic stand that JT uses during that halftime show. And in my opinion, which is a very biased opinion after watching 29 halftime shows, I really like trying to remove my Rose colored glasses for my husband's work. I really think that prop the dancing mic stand is the single production element in Superbowl halftime history that packs that much punch with that small a footprint.
Speaker 1 00:04:33 It's a typical, very predictable prop, right? A mic stand. And you could use it like four different ways until Marty. Kudelka the choreographer of that halftime performance. Um, JTS, longtime choreographer, my mentor, boss and friend conceived of this dancing Mike stand concept. And, um, he asked me one day, I remember him telling me about it for the first time he asked if my husband might be able to make it or be interested in making it. So I put them in touch and the rest is history. We have not won. The super bowl version is, is one version of the dancing Mike stand. But the one he used in the man of the woods tour is an altogether different version. Absolutely magical, super fricking cool. And this is the first time that my husband, who is, um, a many thing, but not a dancer. This is the first time he and I have officially worked together on the same gig.
Speaker 1 00:05:34 And I was so proud and excited and also nervous for him. There was a lot of pressure on that moment. Um, just JT and a Mike stand backed with a gorgeous marching band, by the way. So that I guess is my actual story. I remember being more nervous about the mic stand moment than I was about my own show. There was a lot of pressure on that moment and on my husband. Um, and I, I guess I'm quite used to pressure of large audiences, but I think I speak for my husband when I say that type of pressure, that type of audience, 100 million people watching at one time and that's not including all the people that will watch it after the fact. Um, so anyways, I was extremely nervous for that moment and from where I was at on the field in that moment, I had zero visibility of how it went down.
Speaker 1 00:06:32 So I remember closing my eyes and listening very intently to the crowd for any cues as to whether or not that was a win or a fail. Um, I just, I was like, I think I even sat down for a moment and I was just like, please work, please work. And audience was, was wowing and cheering. And so I knew that it had worked, but, uh, after we got off the field inside each other, Daniel gave me a hug that was unlike any, um, certainly one of relief and one of the satisfaction. And, um, that was the coolest Superbowl moment. Oh, although I will say with regards to the crowd, I remember during the rehearsal phase actually picked up meditation, I was prepared to experience this like bone rattling sensation in my body, from the roar of the crowd. I was expected to be totally, I was expecting to be totally shook by that.
Speaker 1 00:07:37 And, um, you know, I have performed with JT for many, many years. We've had some loud crowds, but nothing quite like what I expected on the Superbowl. So I started meditating. I was preparing myself for that moment trying to keep my head in the game, despite this boisterous city, if that's even a word. And I remember being slightly let down by the actual volume of the crowd that day. And I guess it kind of dawned on me on the moment on the field, that number one, I'm wearing any ear monitors that are plugging my ears. So I can't hear anything. Um, but number two, I, I don't suppose the, the, the people that can afford tickets to the super bowl are the same people that are bringing down the stands at a JT concert. Um, they, there was probably much less jumping up and down and screaming and, you know, bras and underwear being flung at the stage and whatnot. So anyways, I digress. That is my super bowl story. And, um, now I will pass the mic to my buddy Victor Rojas, who has a different take on the audience at the super bowl enjoy
Speaker 2 00:08:57 Hi, Victor Rojas here. Um, so Dana asked me to talk about my Superbowl experience and I've had to actually, I've been lucky enough to have two, um, my performed in 2004 with Janet Jackson for super bowl, 38. And then I performed again in 2017 with lady Gaga for super bowl, 51. Um, and talking with Dana or texting with Dana, I, um, she mentioned, I sort of was asking, you know, what the conversation was about or whatever. And she mentioned, you know, when, uh, her experiences were sort of like the crowd noise and how that affected her. And ironically enough, that is, um, a pinpoint in my experience. I distinctly remember, um, the crowd and I remember, especially for Superbowl, um, 38 and 2014, or, um, I remember we, uh, when, when we were about to perform sort of, um, the crowd was really, really, really loud.
Speaker 2 00:10:09 And, um, obviously we had rehearsed over and over and over again, but for whatever reason, soup that, that day, the crowd, obviously the crowd was there for the first time. And they were just so loud. And I remember shaking in my boots because I was like, Oh my God, what if I don't hear the intro to this music? Like, what am I going to do? And, and it was like my biggest fear. And I, you know, I remember Gail sort of just telling us, you know, to, to trust ourselves and do what we do and that, you know, we've had enough rehearsal and, you know, we've, we, that we're, now we know what we're doing. And obviously that gave me confidence, but, um, I was terrified about that. I was like, like a Lord Jesus plays, let me hear this music, please, please, please can hear this music.
Speaker 2 00:11:02 And the irony is for 2017 for Superbowl 51. I didn't go through that. I, it just, it all sort of like the crowd no longer was an issue, even though they were loud too. Um, the crowd wasn't an issue. I remember just sort of being in like a real zone and like, and just, it, it, that PR that Superbowl was a completely different animal of performance for me. Um, maybe, maybe, obviously, you know, in 2017 I had been in the industry or in the business for a really long time where 2004, that super bowl was like my first major gig. It was like, it was the first performance that I had ever done in Los Angeles or, or as a, as an LA dancer. And a, I actually moved from New York to Los to do that performance. Um, you know, I auditioned from New York and booked the gig and then decided to just stay in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 00:12:01 So I was literally like fresh baby Similac for that performance. And like, you know, performing with Jen and Jackson was like, you know, not only a dream, but like a goal and, and I had achieved it. And now here I am performing at like Superbowl for the very first time, like my very first big performances at a super bowl venue. And I was just like scared shitless. I remember, I do remember being that scared. Like I was terrified. Um, uh, obviously both performances were absolutely amazing though, but for sure, for sure, 2017 was like a completely different beast of performance. Um, I had a lot more confidence and, um, yeah, I wasn't worried about crowd noise and stuff like that. I think it was more about just, you know, giving it to the dolls and, you know, having them take what they could take. Um, but yeah, um, that's my little Superbowl performance, uh, story, uh, hope, you know, brought you joy in you. And go ahead.
Speaker 3 00:13:13 Hello. Hello, Brittany Parks here talking about 2013 Superbowl with Beyonce and Destiny's child. Whoa, like where do I even begin? Well, first of all, it was about a two week rehearsal process and Frank Gatson was the choreographer. Um, and Chris grant and Juul night assisted, uh, I have to say I was terrified of Frank when I first met him, but come to find out, all he wants is for you to just be the best you can be at all times. And that's exactly what was happening these two weeks during these rehearsals, during super bowl, we were dancing our booties off. We were, you know, doing different groups to see who goes, where for run the world crazy and love all these things. And he was just pushing us to just be full out, to do it, to live in it, be ourselves. It was a crazy two weeks, but I lived and I learned, right.
Speaker 3 00:14:24 So anyway, cut to we're at super bowl, boom performance, boom. It happens. It's Epic. B hits all of her spots. I hit my spot, the other dancers, we kill it. Right. I just remember, so we had to have inner ears in because there's like 80,000 people or however many people in the stands. So they're cheering and screaming. So we had to have inner ears in so that we could hear Beyonce singing. And so that we knew, you know, when to go, every everyone's timing was on the same beat everything. So we have these inner ears in, right? So we get done with the performance, all the dances. I get off the stage after run the world. And her last song is halo. All I remember is crying hysterically and, and just hearing Beyonce sing to me, she was singing to me cause she was, you know, in my ears, which is basically, uh, AirPod cancellation.
Speaker 3 00:15:29 Like I felt like angels were singing directly to me and I just, everything that had come out or that I had done those past two weeks had just like poured out of me. Like my gratefulness, my everything, my hard work. It was just tears streaming. I just remember like B being like, like just going off. Of course it sounded much better than that, but she just, it was so magical and so profound that I just like, I'll never forget that moment. Just walking from, from the stage back to the dressing room, which was like, you know, yards. Cause we were in the center of the field, the stage was in the center of the field and then we had to go, um, to the backstage. So we had to walk across the field basically. But, uh, it was the most magical moment. And I just remember thinking, this is why I do what I do this feeling right here. Like thank you. Thank you up above. Thank you for all. Because right here, this is why I am, uh, I am a performer. This is why I do what I do. And it was just, it was such a magical moment and I'll never forget it.
Speaker 5 00:16:48 Hello there, Dana. Thank you for having me. Um, my most memorable super bowl halftime moment has got to have been performing with Diana Ross at Superbowl 30. Uh, that helicopter that came and picked her up perform with all my fellow, all the rest of the fellows and all those dancers that were on the floor. It was just spectacular. But I have to say my fondest super bowl halftime experience was super bowl, 32 doing the one with, um, the Motown special. I say that because I had, I was booked on another job. Uh, I think that morning or the night before, I don't remember which one it was. I think it was that morning. Someone called me up and a friend of mine called me up and said, Hey, so are you going to the audition for Superbowl? And I was like, no, I have a rehearsal this morning.
Speaker 5 00:17:47 And they were like, Barry later is choreographing it. And I was like, Barry lay there. I loved Barry. I've worked with Barry before. I was like, Oh man, I was just so upset that I wasn't going to get the opportunity to work with him again and, and do another Superbowl. And I remember getting dressed in and driving to work. And I was just still bothered by the fact that I couldn't do both. And you know, that's, I guess that's kind of greedy, but uh, you know, as a, as a dancer, you want to constantly be booked. You don't want to have downtime. So on my way, driving to my rehearsal, I'm driving down Burbank Boulevard in Los Angeles. I look over to the side of me at a light and literally sitting in the car next to me is Barry later who doesn't live in that city who just happened to rent a car and we driving.
Speaker 5 00:18:35 So I guess I must've, uh, um, been vibrating at that frequency, what I called it right to me. And I wrote them a window and was like, yo, wait, what's up. And he was like, Hey, I was like, I heard you doing the Superbowl choreograph from the super bowl. He was like, yeah, you come in. And I was like, no, I have a hurdle to this morning. And he was like, well, do you want the job? And I was like, yeah, of course I do. So I ended up, uh, doing super bowl 32, literally got booked just by being in the right place at the right time. That's like the LA lottery for people, for performers getting booked at a red light.
Speaker 1 00:19:17 Well, my friend, I hope that those stories got you in the super bowl spirit and, uh, ready to tackle pun intended your big dreams. Really, truly anything is possible, especially at the super bowl. Have a great day. Everybody keep it funky me again. Wondering if you ever noticed that one more time. Almost never means one more time. Well, here on the podcast, one more thing actually means two more things. Number one thing. If you're digging the pod, if these words are moving you, please don't forget to download, subscribe and leave a rating or review your words. Move me to number two. I make more than weekly podcasts. So please visit the denarius and.com for links to free workshops. And so, so much more. All right, that's it now for real talk to you soon. Bye.
