Tech

This woman who makes a cameo in 'Hotline Bling' is one of the music industry's biggest choreographers

Molly Mulshine

2015-10-24T15:23:00Z

The new music video for Drake's "Hotline Bling" spawned countless memes when it was released on October 19, and most of them included a woman who appears at the end of the video to dance with Drake.

That dancer is Tanisha Scott, one of the most popular choreographers in the music industry.

Usually, Scott is behind the scenes working with artists like Beyoncé and Rihanna. She's renowned in the world of pop music as a dancer with a style all her own — but she didn't even consider dancing professionally until college.

"No one dances like her," Director X, who directed the video, told Rolling Stone. "That was Drake's whole thing about dancing with her at the end.

Keep reading to learn about Scott's impressive career.

Tanisha Scott was born in Toronto to Jamaican parents. She spent a lot of time in Jamaica growing up and says Jamaica "runs through [her] blood."

#AliciaKeys #AsIAm #Rihanna #RatedR #Loud #DuttyPaul #DuttyRock #TheTrinity #ImperialBlaze #TomahawkTechnique #Shareefa #TheRealEve #Shaggy #hotlinebling #TanishaScottCaughtABubble

A photo posted by Tanisha Scott (@tanishascott) on Dec 13, 2012 at 10:44pm PSTDec 13, 2012 at 10:44pm PST

Source: Life in a Day Of Tanisha Scott

When she was in college, she joined a dance crew and realized she had a gift for movement.

Source: Life in a Day Of Tanisha Scott

"I actually never went to any formal dance classes or whatnot," she said. "I never did ballet or tap or jazz. I had an appreciation for it all, but I danced every day at home."

Home

A photo posted by Tanisha Scott (@tanishascott) on Jul 16, 2014 at 9:41am PDTJul 16, 2014 at 9:41am PDT

Source: Life in a Day Of Tanisha Scott

She was working as a dancer until music video director Director X called and asked her to choreograph a video for Sean Paul. She said she didn't know how to choreograph.

Music Choice Top.... 2014

A photo posted by Tanisha Scott (@tanishascott) on Dec 5, 2014 at 6:04pm PSTDec 5, 2014 at 6:04pm PST

Source: Life in a Day Of Tanisha Scott

But Director X convinced her to take the job because he believed in her, and the video was a hit thanks in large part to the dancehall-inspired moves Scott choreographed.

From there, she started being asked to work on huge stars' music videos. Her moves can be seen in Beyoncé's "Upgrade U" video.

Source: Tanisha Scott Choreography Reel

She also worked on Rihanna's "Rude Boy."

Source: Tanisha Scott Choreography Reel

And plenty of other dance numbers, both live and in music videos.

Most recently, Scott worked as Drake's movement coach for "Hotline Bling."

Nothing was rehearsed or choreographed when it came to Drake's moves. "And all those memes and [mashups]," she said, "he knew that was going to happen!"

Scott didn't expect to be in the video herself, but Drake told her he wanted to pay homage to Scott's cameo in the Sean Paul video "Gimme the Light," seen below.

Source: Complex

"Drake was like, 'If this is my first video where I'm dancing, I want my moment with you,'" Scott said.

Source: Complex

And then, a zillion memes were born.

"I don't think I'm the best choreographer," Scott has said. "I don't think I'm the best dancer. But I know I'm the best at being myself."

Source: Life in a Day Of Tanisha Scott

Watch Tanisha Scott's choreography reel here.

TANISHA SCOTT CHOREOGRAPHY REEL from DIRECTOR | J Williams on Vimeo.