#WCW: Choreographer Nicole Kirkland Talks Working with Prince, Playground LA, & Career In Dance.

By: Nosey Nay

“He was my first artist that I’ve worked with and working with someone of that caliber was amazing . Beautiful, beautiful working relationship.”

-Nicole Kirkland on working with Prince

Nicole Kirkland began dancing at the age of 2, teaching at age 16, and became a choreographer for musical icon Prince by age 20. Kirkland has choreographed for Teyana Taylor, Ceelo Green, K. Michelle, Kehlani, Paloma Ford, Tayla Parx, Liv Warfield, E40, 3rdEyeGirl, Iakopo, Judith Hill & many more. The 28 year old Bay-Area native is devoted to dance, she currently teaches classes at Playground LA and choreograph dance numbers for studios, workshops & dance teams around the world.

N.N.: What was it like working with the legendary Prince?

N.K.: It was definitely different. He was a very secretive man and he like to keep a lot of his stuff under-wraps. It was a very interesting atmosphere. He was in the industry for so long and he knew exactly what he wanted. He knew what really good art and music. He was the first artist I worked for, so working with someone of his caliber and as a first job, I learned a lot. We had a really good working relationship. He looked at me like someone who was “young and fresh”, so he always wanted to hear my ideas. It was truly amazing.

N.N.: Where do you channel your ideas and inspiration for your routines?

N.K. : As far as teaching goes, the music does so much of the work for me. When I hear a certain song I create a character. I create what does this character look like, is it a boy or a girl, what are they wearing, how do they talk, where are they from. All of those things go into my movements. I really focus that the movement matches the song.

N.N.: Have you encountered a time when you were overwhelmed or discouraged by your work?

N.K.: There’s been a couple of projects I’ve done in L.A. and was like “Oh my god, I really don’t know if I can do this”. When getting a lot of choreography done in a short amount of time. There has been several moments I was very overwhelmed and really had to dig deep to bring that creative side out of me.

N.N. : How did you overcome those moments?

N.K.: It’s kind of like writing an essay and you need to take a minute away. Even if its, 2-3 hours, to just do something else and give it a rest. It still may take a minute for me to get back in the groove but distracting myself with something else kind of helps getting through those moments.

N.N. : To date, what’s your most memorable moment as a choreographer that you cherish?

N.K. : Definitely has to be Essence Festival with Prince for sure. I had this intuition telling me, that this would be the last time I saw Prince. It wasn’t like a thing like I wasn’t going to work with him anymore, I just had this feeling I wasn’t going to see him again. It was at that the Super Dome in New Orleans; 75, 000 to 100, 000 people. It was the most intense thing ever, the crowd was crazy. Just being able to be on stage with someone who is such an icon and a legend, dancing to “1999” and listening to all his hits backstage was really amazing. By far the most memorable moment in my career.

N.N.: Do you have any hobbies other than dance?

N.K.: Uhhh, hobbies that I take seriously , not really (laughs). I am a big person on making memories, I love making memories with my friends. I travel a lot and dance takes my all around the world. I like to do fun things wherever I’m at. Like when I went to London, I did all the tours and learned about England’s history and past. And in Thailand I did animal exhibits and went to the beach. I like to go zip-lining; I just like to create memories everywhere and when I can.

N.N.: What is it like working for Playground L.A.? How long have you been there?

N.K.: They’ve only been open for about 2 years and I was their first teacher so probably about 2 years. I have a hand full of students, maybe 15-20, that comes every week. Classes are filled with new people from all over. There’s always new fresh faces and it’s really cool to see different strengths and styles of dance.

N.N.: Is there any artist you haven't worked that you would like to collaborate with in the future?

N.K.: As far a women in the industry, I would have to say Rihanna. I think her style of dance that she promotes at her shows are really really dope. I would love to be able to work on something creative with her. And obviously just because he’s the best dancer, Chris Brown. I personally feel that he’s the best. I feel like being able to work with him and being creative with someone that is passionate and really good at their craft like he is would be really dope.

N.N.: What advice do you have for upcoming/aspiring dancers and choreographers?

N.K.: The short version, you have to have thick skin and be determined to make something happen. We all have been told “No” a million times, you will be told “No” a million times. Continue to push and make it happen. Just determination and hard-work are the 2 biggest words of advice I can give someone.

Nicole is killing it with the moves and putting her stamp on the dance world.

Keep up with Nicole Kirkland and click here to see what he has up next.