Iconic Dancers of the 21st Century

Life

Iconic Dancers of the 21st Century

Life

A ballet dancer with a pink silk cloth swirling around her.

Iconic Dancers of the 21st Century

Life

A ballet dancer with a pink silk cloth swirling around her.

Dance is a universal language. Even if you can’t understand what someone else is saying, you can move in rhythm together. As Shakira said, “Hips don’t lie!” Dance shows such as The Next Step, Dance Academy, So You Think You Can Dance? and Dancing with the Stars are more popular than ever before. During the pandemic, viral dance crazes like “Jerusalema” gave people something to connect with. They also discovered that, just like online casino games, you can entertain yourself with dance at home. Whether you’re trying to learn from YouTube dance videos or throwing a dance party on Zoom, the internet is there to help. For your inspiration, let’s take a look at this century’s most iconic dancers.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was known as the King of Pop, but he could equally have been called the Emperor of Dance. As much as he was a terrific singer, it was Michael Jackson’s dance moves that catapulted him into the forefront of public attention and kept him there until his tragic death in 2009 at the age of 50. Even as a member of the Jackson Five in his youth, Jackson outshone his siblings on the dance floor with incredible energy and talent. But it was when he embarked on his solo career that Jackson achieved his signature style. Time seemed to slow down around him, then speed up twice as fast as he performed dance moves such as the moonwalk, toe stand, anti-gravity lean, and spin. 

Jackson was more than a dancer, though – he was a master choreographer whose music videos such as “Thriller,” “Bad,” and “Billie Jean” were the perfect showcase for his genius. Influenced by stars such as James Brown, Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis, Jr., Gene Kelly, and the West Side Story dancers, Jackson exerted a powerful influence on the next generation of stars, including Beyoncé Knowles, Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, and Justin Timberlake. Michael Jackson may be gone, but his legacy will live on forever.

Derek Hough

Close up of the bottom half of a woman in a red dress and a man in a suit dancing.

Derek Hough is just as much of a household name as Michael Jackson but in a completely different way. A professional Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer, Hough achieved national celebrity status on the dance-competition series Dancing with the Stars. The way he did it was to win the mirror-ball trophy a record-breaking six times with his celebrity partners. These included luminaries such as Lil’ Kim, Jennie Garth, Brooke Burke, and celebrity poker player Shannon Elizabeth. Fans enjoyed his genuine way with his partners and his incredible choreography. 

Hough’s efforts earned him 11 nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography, which he won three times. Hough went on to become a judge on the show, which is now in its 30th season. To judge for yourself why people love the show, take a trip to the Borgata Hotel and Casino and see Dancing with the Stars live! While you’re there, you can treat yourself to a quality meal and have a whirl at the best casino table games, too.

Chris Brown

A young man with one hand on the floor while breakdancing with steam in the background.

Inspired by Michael Jackson, Chris Brown is a singer, songwriter, actor, and dancer with talent to burn. His R&B style combines influences from several genres, especially hip hop and pop music. Brown enjoys a cult following, and many consider him to be the “King of R&B” (although fans of Usher and R. Kelly may dispute that). His first hit single, “Run It!” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the first male artist since 1995 to debut a single at the top of the charts. 

Nine albums later, Brown’s still going strong. He’s sold 193 million records worldwide and is tied with Bruno Mars for the most R&B digital single sales in the US. Career awards to date include a Grammy, 18 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and 13 Soul Train Music Awards. Whether in music videos or live on stage, Brown’s hip-hop dance style is truly breathtaking, featuring breakdance, popping, locking, and krumping.

Maddie Ziegler

At the age of 19, Maddie Ziegler is one of the most influential dancers of her generation. She’d have to be, with a social media presence that includes an Instagram account with over 19 million followers! Also a model and an actress, Ziegler got her break at age 8 on the reality show Dance Moms, which she appeared on from 2011 to 2016. From 2014, she starred in a series of music videos by Australian pop star Sia. Songs such as “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart” have garnered more than 5 billion views on YouTube. Since then, Ziegler has performed in films, TV shows, concerts, and advertisements. She was also one of Time magazine’s “30 most influential teens” from 2015 to 2017.

Jade Chynoweth

 A silhouette of three dancers with a backlight.

Jade Chynoweth is an American dancer, actor, and a social media personality with more than 2.1 million followers on Instagram. She started dancing at the age of 2 and decided to devote her life to dancing by the time she was 9, with hip hop and breakdancer Gev Manoukian as a mentor. Chynoweth is an expert performer of all dance styles, from hip hop to jazz, contemporary, ballet, and tap. She makes YouTube videos about dance that she choreographs herself. A lot of them have more than a million views. 

She’s also acted in movies such as 300: Rise of an Empire and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and appeared in the last two seasons of The Last Ship. Chynoweth has performed at MTV’s Video Music Awards and in commercials for Nike, Microsoft, and Toyota. Completely dedicated to dance, Chynoweth has the versatility to segue from hard-hitting, high-energy action to heartfelt, lyrical movement. As YouTube user Austin D commented on Chynoweth’s “Baby Shark” dance video, “She hit EVERY beat like it owed her money.”

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