Fatima Robinson loves soul music. “I grew up on shows like Soul Train and Solid Gold,” the famed choreographer and director says, lighting up at the memory of the TV classics that brought R&B music into homes across America in the 1970s and ‘80s. Her admiration for that era is on fully display in Still Lounge, a new miniseries directed by Robinson that premiered this week on Complex.
Each episode of Still Lounge showcases a soul classic performed by a contemporary singer in an intimate space under the musical direction of Anderson .Paak, recorded at the historic Henson Studios in Los Angeles.
“The main thing was to create something where you felt like you wanted to be at that party,” Robinson says. “It was very ambitious what we did. I pushed the dancers until they were exhausted at the end. The band was tired, but everyone really believed in it.”
Robinson spoke with Complex about this new endeavor and her incredible career (including working with Michael Jackson).
What attracted you to this concept?
Jimmy [Iovine] called me and we both share this incredible love for that era—the sound of the music, the lyrics, how emotional they are, how meaningful they are. When Jimmy sent me this playlist of music, I was automatically like, “Let's do it.”
What sort of research did you do to create the look and feel of the show?
The research that we did to create the aesthetic was really organic. We thought about where we would want to shoot this, and at the time the Blue Note was just opening in Los Angeles. So Jimmy invited me to opening night with Dre, and we thought the club was really cool. But it was a lot of technical issues with shooting there. So when we started thinking about other places to shoot this, our producer John said, “What about Henson Studio?” I love that studio. I'd spent so much time there with artists and just working out at the sound stage over there. That ended up being the perfect place to shoot.
I grew up on these TV shows, like I said. I knew that I wanted something to have richness and warmth, like the music; to feel a little fun and gritty to have an energy where you really want to be in the room.
What are you most proud of with Still Lounge?
I'm proud of our song selection and the energy we captured in the room. My favorite performance has to be our little girl, Deanna Brown. She just got off a plane from Alabama and she had never done anything without her siblings. She came and she was bawling; she walked into a room full of all these people she didn't know, dancers and production people.
When I met her, she was wiping her tears. I sat down on the floor and got on her level and talked to her about when I was growing up and how much I love to dance and how I have two younger sisters and I would make up the dance steps with my sisters, and we would do these performances for whenever my mom had company over. It really made her feel comfortable, and I was able to bring her into the room and sit her down and show her exactly what we were looking for from her with one of my assistants. She said, “OK, I can do that.” And it was really beautiful to see the shift in her and then to see how every take we did, she got more and more comfortable, freer, and she started doing her own little choreography. You felt the magic in the room.
You choreographed Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” video at just 21 years old. You were a huge MJ fan, and John Singleton called you for this massive opportunity. Did you ever feel imposter syndrome, especially with no formal training?
No, not at the time. I think growing up with the beginnings of hip-hop, we all had this confidence [because] we were creating something brand new. We didn't have people believing in us, so we had to believe in ourselves in such a strong way. It was the beginning of my career. I started dancing at 18—John Singleton saw us in a club and made us extras in Boyz n the Hood. So when i got called by Michael, it was a turning point. It was either pull up or go home. So I had to pull all the way up.
Did you ever have a moment where you wanted to run off and panic?
MTV shot the behind-the-scenes of it, and there’s a shot of me walking away from set. I remember that moment: that was the moment I went in the bathroom to cry. Even to this day, one of my assistants asked me, “Tina, what do you do when you’re super stressed and it feels like too much?” And I told him, “I cry.” And they're like, “That’s a good answer.” The pressure can be too much. At that age, you don’t know that it’s okay to not know, or to say, “I’ll get back to you.” I allowed myself to go to the bathroom and have a moment. I stared at myself in the mirror: You got this. Wiped away the tears, went outside, and said, “5, 6, 7, 8.”
You choreographed so many of Aaliyah’s major projects. Our editor-in-chief Aria recently asked, “Where are all the superstars?” When I think of superstars, Aaliyah is one of the first people I think of. What did she have that feels missing today?
She was so talented, but yet so humble. She had this angelic voice that resonated with people. Certain singers hit specific chakras in your body that just touch you in a different way. Aaliyah was that person that people could really relate to—women could really relate to her. She had this really great softness about her—there's this way in which you have to be [hard] in this male-dominated business. [But] she had this really easy, lovely softness. A softness I’m still holding onto.
When you choreograph for artists, do you tailor movement to their natural vibe?
That's the one thing I do at the beginning of rehearsal with anyone. I like to see what they can naturally do and then I like to pull that out, enhance it, or see where I can push them a little further. Everyone has a movement that’s ingrained in them—sometimes they don’t even know that they have it. In the room, I give them permission to do it, and do it more.
Who do you consider the biggest superstars right now?
I’m impressed by Snoop, because e transcends so many areas. I'm working with an actor who is playing him in a biopic and watching all his old stuff—[from] his early gangster to blossoming to this family man, commentator, still doing music and movies—I love his journey. The generation now, it's this think [where] you put our a record and you're a star. It's easy to put out that first thing. When people have longevity in the business and keep reinventing themselves, that's a star. I love watching Teyana Taylor’s journey. I worked with her when she was younger, just a knucklehead from Harlem.
When did you work together?
We did a pilot together that didn't get pick up. It was a performing arts school and she was one of the actors in it. We've worked together other times, things for her music career and Coming to America and this Vogue World thing. Just watching her as a mother, blossoming into this amazing actress, creative director and even choreographer. She’s so talented.
You choreographed the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show. What was that process like?
It was Dr. Dre cold-calling me. He lives on top of a mountain, and he’s like, “I’m thinking about doing the Super Bowl.” And I’m like, Yes, Dre. Then he's like, “I want to do a choreographed Crip Walk.” I was like, Oh my God. That’s amazing. Dre and I have been collaborators for years. We grew up in the same clubs, around the same time. I always say my life story is Straight Outta Compton with dance. It was such a wonderful dream team [Dre] put together.
I love that you worked with Storm DeBarge, who helped choreograph the Crip Walk. What did you see in her?
She just reminds me of me back in the day—this incredible freestyle dancer, finding her way, repping her hood. You have her in the room at her and you're like, Oh I love how the way you wear your pants. The way you're wearing your hair. She’s a culture creator.
You worked on Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour. What was that like?
There were several choreographers. I had the title director of choreography. Because there were several choreographers, different eras of her life going down, and her choreographer has been with her forever. We folded in my team and we were able to figure it out. I describe it as like pushing a gigantic boulder up a hill. I couldn't do that all by myself. I needed a whole team. I've known Bey since she was around 17. I've seen her work ethic and her work ethic matches my work ethic. We’re both Virgos.
Michael Jackson was a virgo.
Our birthdays are the same day.
What do you think of the TikTok generation keeping dance alive in bite-sized ways?
I love it. TikTok has always existed in Black people's homes. It's just now it has a platform and it's being shared all over the world.
I'm surprised you feel that way. I would've thought you felt it was watered-down dance culture.
That's how people are absorbing things now. I can't hate on that. That's just where we are in life. I have a 25-year-old son, so I'm very connected with what's going on. The older I get, the younger the dancers get. I'm always in the room asking, "What are you guys looking at?" And then I want to do some TikTok. THat's been my new thing at rehearsals—at the end, I'm like, OK, let's pick a TikTok.
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
I think about legacy a lot. I’ve talked with Debbie Allen about giving back. Right now, I’m exploring dance as medicine. I call what I do choreo-therapy. People come into the room not just to learn steps, but to release what they’ve been holding onto. Dance helps people understand themselves. That’s the journey I’m on now.
What advice would you give someone who wants a career like yours?
Hone your craft. Keep learning. Take classes. Grow. Whenever things slow down, I go take a dance class, an acting class—anything to expand. Even if a job isn’t paying much, if I know I’ll learn from the people around me, I’ll take it. It’s never too late to learn.
