Fatima Robinson, the legendary choreographer behind music videos for Aaliyah, Alicia Keys and Fergie, got her start by co-choreographing for a music icon: Michael Jackson.
Robinson, who’s the director of Complex’s new live performance series Still Lounge on by Dre and Snoop, spoke with Jillian Superstar about her work on the memorable 1992 music video. The visual, which starred Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Iman and Magic Johnson, was directed by the late John Singleton and co-choreographed by Buddha Stretch.
Robinson shared that her work on “Remember the Time” was during the “beginnings of hip-hop” and that young dancers had “confidence” that they were “creating something new.”
“We didn't have people there believing in us. So we had to believe in ourselves in such a strong way,” she continued.
Robinson added that she was “such a fan” of the Thriller vocalist and shared that Singleton cast her and some friends as extras in his 1991 theatrical debut, Boyz In the Hood.
“I was still just like on the beginning journey of, ‘What is a choreographer and can I actually make a career out of this?’” Robinson continued. “So, when I got called from Michael, it was like, oh, this was like a turning point for me. So it was either a pull up or go home kind of thing.”
The choreographer also recalled that she cried off-camera while on the “Remember the Time” set.
“I definitely felt that pressure and I allowed myself to go to the bathroom and have a moment,” she explained. “I stared at myself in the mirror. ‘You’ve got this.’ Wiped away the tears and went outside and said, ‘Five, six, seven, eight.’”
Elsewhere in the interview, Robinson revealed that she and Jackson share the same birthday and that Virgos are “hard workers” who have “grit” and “know how to get shit done.”
Watch the first installment of Still Lounge, which includes music direction by Anderson .Paak below. Episodes will continue bi-weekly on Complex.
