When choreographer Quinton Peron logs on to a video name with Dance Spirit, it’s from a resort room in Arizona. After the interview, he’s off to set choreography on a studio group. Two days in the past, he was in Lyon, France, making a first-ever pom routine for a group that competes at Worlds.
However one of many locations Peron has gained probably the most success is on the Common Dance Affiliation School Nationals ground. Final yr, he choreographed a number of standout routines: University of Miami’s D1A jazz to “Scorching in Herre,” San Diego State’s D1A jazz to “Proud Mary” (co-choreographed with Raven S. Gantt), and Cal State Fullerton’s first-place-winning D1 pom. This January, his choreography will probably be danced by Cal State Fullerton, Rutgers, San Diego State, and Butler College.
Dance Spirit spoke with Peron about what makes a great jazz and pom routine, his journey from NFL cheer to choreography, and his hopes for the way forward for aggressive school dance.
How did your dance profession start?
I began dancing at 16 years outdated. I used to be taking part in basketball and baseball, and it wasn’t till Season 4 of “So You Suppose You Can Dance” after I realized that, oh, I need to do that. I noticed tWitch and Will [Wingfield], two Black males in two completely different types. I noticed myself in them and I used to be like, “I’m performed taking part in basketball and baseball—sorry, Dad.” I joined my native studio that weekend.
I danced at Mt. San Antonio School and we competed at UDA just a few instances. Then I used to be in Los Angeles, performing some trade jobs after I determined to audition for the L.A. Rams cheerleaders. I made it and ended up being one of many first male cheerleaders within the league. In these 4 years my life actually modified. We cheered at Tremendous Bowls and received one. It opened so many doorways.
How did you change into a choreographer?
My [home studio] hip-hop trainer taught at a dance conference, and he might by no means make it to the studio on Mondays, so he was like, “Hey, Q, I want you.” That led from subbing to operating the hip-hop program. Then hip hop led to jazz, one routine became three, including in some solos, after which issues began doing properly [at competitions]. Then individuals see you and need to rent you.
I credit score my director on the L.A. Rams, Keely Fimbres, for lots of my success. She allowed me to choreograph for the group whereas I used to be nonetheless on it. The primary dance I ever choreographed for the group was in the course of the 2018–19 season, a house sport towards the Dallas Cowboys. It was loopy. I used to be so excited.
Being on employees with Pro Action Dance additionally gave me a platform. That’s what put me in contact with Cal State Fullerton, my first school group. In July 2021, they got here as much as me on the Professional Motion Dance weekend and requested if I might choreograph their pom [routine]. I used to be like, “You recognize I’ve by no means performed a pom routine earlier than, proper?” However their coaches, Jennie Volkert and Krysten Dorado, believed in a man who liked to bop and to show.
What’s your choreographic course of?
My course of is there isn’t any course of. I prefer to mess around quite a bit. What I’ll do, particularly if I don’t know a group, is for the primary day have them improv 1,000,000 instances to completely different music and do quite a bit going throughout the ground. We additionally do a variety of chatting. My first day of choreo is about discovering out who must be the place, who can do what. That means after I lay out the routine in my head, if I do know this lady busted out 25 pirouettes right into a backflip touchdown in a center cut up, that must be within the routine.
I all the time stage the flip part first and work backwards to my opening. It helps when the coach could be like an assistant choreographer for me, as a result of they know their group.
For pom music, I work with an incredible DJ (shout-out [to] Aaron from Citadel Productions!) and ask the coaches what they need when it comes to a theme, key phrases, or an artist they need to embrace. In relation to jazz, I’m very particular. I need individuals to know “Quinton will need to have performed that” due to the music selections. I like a throwback, an oldie—’60s, ’70s, R&B, soul, funk. There’s a variety of stuff individuals don’t see on the again finish, blasting music within the resort room and chopping it 1,000,000 instances to see if it flows.
What makes a great collegiate jazz routine? Pom routine?
School jazz is hard. You may go extra conventional jazz or the lyrical facet. Personally, I like an viewers response. That first two seconds a tune performs, I need the viewers to go, “Are they actually doing this? I like this tune!” Music performs an enormous position. It additionally must be athletic and really lyrical. What in Adele’s “Make You Really feel My Love” says roundoff back-handspring right into a 540 into pirouettes? I have to see and really feel the lyrics onstage. Possibly that’s my secret code.
For pom, there must be at the very least two 8-counts the place we’re all collectively. Athleticism, leisure, music, use of stage, and execution—no person needs to see sloppy pom. Get your motions collectively, hit them sharp, and have a great time onstage.
Who evokes you creatively?
Somebody I look as much as is Debbie Allen. I haven’t met her but, and I say “but” as a result of I consider in placing issues out into the universe. She began as a dancer, went into performing after which producing, even co-starring on a present she produced. (Delicate flex.) Folks all the time inform me you may’t do all of it, and I don’t assume that’s the fitting mentality. She’s the type of person who’s doing every little thing.
What are your hopes for the way forward for collegiate dance?
I need everybody to recollect why we’re doing this. It’s not for a plastic trophy. It’s not price shedding friendships over, not price negativity and nastiness. Additionally, UDA is the dance Tremendous Bowl. There are such a lot of eyes on this, and we nonetheless don’t get the credit score we deserve. The colleges have to respect them. Dance doesn’t have a season. We’re year-round. Dance groups simply as essential as some other athletics. So put some respect on these dancers’ names and deal with them just like the athletes they’re.
