Video: Meet the Broadway-Bound Choreographer of THE WIZ, JaQuel Knight

As BroadwayWorld reported last month, The Wiz will find its way back to Broadway in 2024. An all-new production of the Tony Award-winning musical, adapted from The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, will embark on a national tour before returning to Broadway for a limited engagement in the 2023/24 season.

Choreographer JaQuel Knight, known already for his iconic work in the music industry, will make his Broadway debut with the show. What moves him? He explains in a recent Instagram video.

"My first moments with dance were at a very young age. [There was] always music in my grandmother's house, at the cookouts in the front yard on the porch."

JaQuel Knight is a director, creative director, entrepreneur and critically acclaimed, award-winning choreographer known for creating some of the most memorable moments in dance and entertainment history. His rise to global recognition came at the age of 18, when he created the choreography for Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)." As a choreographer, JaQuel has lent his creative expertise to projects such as Beyoncé's "Black Is King" film and "Homecoming" documentary for Netflix; the Shakira Super Bowl Halftime performance with Jennifer Lopez; and Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" video. Additionally, he has worked with artists like Marshmello, Cher, Britney Spears, The Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Pink, Zara Larsson, Victoria Monét, Ben Platt, Kanye West, Pharrell, Diddy, N*E*R*D, and Big Sean.

As a director, JaQuel has worked on projects for Megan Thee Stallion, Pharrell, Chance the Rapper, Zara Larsson, Muni Long, and more. JaQuel served as creative director and choreographer for all things Megan Thee Stallion in 2020, and Diddy this past year, and is gearing up to direct his first feature film.

In 2013, JaQuel launched his own production company, J.K. Creatives, Inc, which oversees artists, songwriters, and producers, and produces music videos & short films. J.K. Creatives houses its own media department, where JaQuel creates and develops content for TV, film, and digital, from scripted features to nonscripted competitions and series. He also operates his eponymous non-profit organization, The JaQuel Knight Foundation, targeting community focused initiatives aimed to build, uplift and inspire the next generation of artists.

He is recognized as the first pop/hip-hop commercial choreographer to copyright his choreography with "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," and has launched Knight Choreography and Music Publishing where he and his manager work to ensure that choreographers and songwriters receive royalties for their compositions.