Latest news with #DaveScott
New York Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Dave Scott, Hip-Hop Choreographer, Is Dead at 52
Dave Scott, who steered off a college basketball track to become, without formal training, a prominent hip-hop choreographer, mapping the moves for adrenaline-charged street dancing films like 'You Got Served' and reality shows like 'So You Think You Can Dance,' died on June 16 in Las Vegas. He was 52. His son Neko said he died in a hospital of organ failure after a long illness. Mr. Scott, who was raised in Compton, Calif., was attending Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, on a basketball scholarship when he went dancing one night. Little did he know that a manager of the rapper Rob Base was there, and was impressed enough by Mr. Scott's gyrations that he invited him to replace a dancer who had dropped out of the rapper's tour. Mr. Scott was anything but a professional. He learned much of what he knew by decoding the moves from Michael Jackson videos and early hip-hop films like 'Breakin'' (1984). It didn't matter. 'I learned the choreography in two days,' he was quoted as saying in a 2013 article in The New York Post. 'I left school and finished the tour.' So much for hoops; Mr. Scott's direction was set. He went on to work as a choreographer for more than 20 films and television shows. His breakout effort was 'You Got Served' (2004), which follows the dance-battle odyssey of a crew of Black teenagers from Los Angeles. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Famed Dance Choreographer Dave Scott Dead at 52
Dave Scott, an experienced choreographer who worked on the Step Up movies and So You Think You Can Dance, has died at 52. The tragic news was confirmed Tuesday in an Instagram post. Scott was a dance teacher and choreographer who was best known for his work on Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3, and several seasons on So You Think You Can Dance. He also worked as a choreographer on the films Good Burger, Coach Carter, Accepted, Stomp the Yard, the Prom Night remake, and the popular TV show Bones. A cause of death has not been disclosed. 'It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Dave Scott, who touched so many lives with his warmth, kindness, and spirit,' the post read. 'During this difficult time, we are doing our best to honor his memory in the way he deserves with love, dignity, and respect.'The post continued: 'Today we have lost an icon, a legend, a father and a dear friend. The weight of this loss will send ripples through time. But his memory and legacy will continue to live on. We love you, Dave Scott, and everything you've accomplished and the joy and comfort you've brought to people will never be forgotten.' Many of Scott's former clients and coworkers paid their respects to the late choreographer in the comments. Producer Will Packer (Ride Along, Girls Trip) penned an emotional tribute to Scott. 'Stomp the Yard was my first box office success, and that's because Dave infused it with not just incredible performances but an energy and authenticity that was unmatched,' Packer wrote. 'Beyond his incredible talent, he was a kind, gracious, top-notch human. Rest in power, Dave.' Famed Dance Choreographer Dave Scott Dead at 52 first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 18, 2025
Black America Web
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Dave Scott, ‘Dancing with the Stars' Choreographer, Dead At 52
Source: Chris Weeks / Getty Dave Scott, a well-known choreographer who worked on shows from So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With The Stars, and Good Burger , as well as Step Up 2 and 3, has died. He was 52. The announcement was made via his Instagram profile. 'It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Dave Scott, who touched so many lives with his warmth, kindness, and spirit,' the post reads. Originally an athlete who earned a basketball scholarship to Weber State University in Oregon, Scott was a native of Compton, California, and a self-taught dancer. He ultimately earned an associate's degree in business from the school but moved his career in another direction after Rob Base's manager saw him in a nightclub and recruited him to replace a dancer on the road. Scott gained popularity as a dancer and then as a sought-after choreographer working with artists including Ginuwine, Bow Wow, and Tyrese. In 2012, he assembled B2K and served as a co-creator and choreographer for Mindless Behavior, another teen R&B group. Scott moved into crafting dance routines for several significant TV and film projects, including House Party 4 (2001), Coach Carter (2005), and You Got Served (2004). In 2007, he did Stomp the Yard, and in 2008, he did Step Up 2 . He followed that up with choreography for the 2009 film Dance Flick . His TV credits include guest choreographer on The Wade Robson Project in 2003 and on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars. He also worked on Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance. Producer Will Packer posted his condolences, crediting Scott with contributing to the success of Stomp the Yard. 'This man was the choreographer on the classic film Stomp the Yard . It was my first box office success largely because Dave not only gave us incredible performances but infused it with his infectious energy, enthusiasm, and authenticity. Beyond his incredible talent he was a kind, gracious, top-notch HUMAN. Rest in power, Dave 🙏🏾🕊️.' Using the expertise he gained throughout his career, Scott became a dance instructor as well. He was the director of the Los Angeles Hip Hop Intensive, partnering with the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. He was faculty at several popular dance schools in New York and Los Angeles, including Millennium Dance Complex and Broadway Dance Center. Members of the professional dance community, including Derek Hough, Maddie Ziegler, Mia Michaels and Sean Bankhead, all expressed their condolences on social media. So You Think You Can Dance alumnus Comfort Fedoke posted, 'My heart is heavy… really heavy… but I'm beyond blessed to have gotten to know the man who was one of the people that first inspired me to dance.' No cause of death has been revealed. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions to a planned memorial for Scott. 'Today we have lost an icon, a legend, a father, and a dear friend,' their statement continued. 'The weight of this loss will send ripples through time. But his memory and legacy will continue to live on.' 'We love you Dave Scott and everything you've accomplished, and the joy and comfort you've brought to people will never be forgotten,' the caption continued. 'Everyone is invited to share this post and let it reach everyone around the world. Show your love and support for this amazing individual and share the footprint he has left on this earth.' Watch an interview with Scott about his career trajectory above and see social media's reaction to his passing below. Dave Scott, 'Dancing with the Stars' Choreographer, Dead At 52 was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tributes pour in as Dancing With The Stars choreographer Dave Scott dies aged 52
Dave Scott, the choreographer in residence on season 8 of Dancing With The Stars, died at the age of 52 on Monday, his family has announced. Born and raised in Compton, California, he had a dazzling career during which he also worked as a resident choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance. He also staged the dances for the movie Step Up 2: The Streets, directed by Jon M Chu. His loved ones announced his death on his Instagram page on Tuesday, one day after it happened, but did not mention his cause of death. They shared a picture of Scott with the words: 'It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Dave Scott, who touched so many lives with his warmth, kindness and spirit. 'During this difficult time we are doing our best to honor his memory in the way he deserves with love, dignity and respect,' they added. 'In lieu of flowers, we ask for donations to contribute towards memorial arrangements and helping us celebrate Dave Scott's life in a meaningful way, with a celebration of life.' They added in the caption: 'Today we have lost an icon, a legend, a father and a dear friend. The weight of this loss will send ripples through time. But his memory and legacy will continue to live on. They touchingly wrote: 'We love you Dave Scott and everything you've accomplished and the joy and comfort you've brought to people will never be forgotten.' The comments were flooded with tributes, including Dancing With The Stars pro Derek Hough, who posted praying and broken heart emojis. Mariah Carey's ex Bryan Tanaka, who was one of her backing dancers for years before they started dating, wrote: 'You inspired so many including me. The power in your movement spoke so many things. I see you.' Glee actor Kevin McHale added: 'Dave was like a big brother to so many of us. When I felt reallllly out of place amongst so many great performers, he always made me comfortable and confident. Watching him dance and teach was a gift.' Another Glee star, Harry Shum Jr, said: 'This one hits hard. 'You gave me so much confidence as a performer and welcomed me with open arms to your dance world that many were inspired by. Thank you for spreading so much joy with your love of dance. May you rest in peace brother Dave.' Scott was behind the dances in a variety of projects like the films You Got Served with Meagan Good and Made Of Honor with Patrick Dempsey, as well as TV shows ranging from So You Think You Can Dance to Bones. Stomp The Yard, the 2007 dance drama starring Meagan Good, Chris Brown, Columbus Short, Ne-Yo and more, was also choreographed by Scott. In addition to his work in movies and TV, Scott was a choreographer for musical artists like Tyrese, Brian McKnight, Ginuwine and Bow Wow. He even staged a dance-off of Miley Cyrus and Mandy Jiroux versus the legendary Australian rock band ACDC at the Teen Choice Awards. Debbie Allen, the star and choreographer of the TV series Fame, hired him as the head of the hip-hop intensive at her dance academy in Los Angeles. His fascination with hip hop dance 'when I was 15 growing up in Compton,' he said during a 2008 interview with Dance magazine. 'Everybody was doing B-boy moves. It started off on my street. We took a bike ramp down, put cardboard down and started doing back stands and all of that kind of stuff.' He recalled: 'I learned how to dance by watching TV, watching videos and stuff like that. My favorite was Michael Jackson. It was ridiculous. I watched all of his videos and redid the choreography and added on stuff.' Scott noted that: 'I was always creative because I taught myself how to dance. So I always had the desire to create something and choreograph.' He added: 'When I started dancing, I got a tour. Then I just started adding pieces of choreography to the tour. But, really, I have always been, from the time I started to dance, more of a creator a choreographer.' Scott described his work as a 'triple reward because when I do my choreography, I always put myself in the audience and act like, "What can wow me?" And so I do the choreography, and then the reward is that you see what you created come to life.' He added: "The second reward is, a lot of people choreograph, but they really don't dance. Third, I dance hard, like pretty much harder than the people I hire. To be a part of it, it's a good feeling.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dave Scott, So You Think You Can Dance Choreographer, Dead at 52
Hip-hop dance choreographer Dave Scott, who brought many memorable routines to the Fox competition series So You Think You Can Dance, has died. He was 52. 'It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Dave Scott, who touched so many lives with his warmth, kindness and spirit,' reads a statement posted to Scott's Instagram account on Tuesday. 'During this difficult time we are doing our best to honor his memory in the way he deserves with love, dignity and respect.' More from TVLine R.I.P., Anne Burrell: Robert Irvine and More Food Network Stars Pay Tribute ('She Was a Radiant Spirit') Food Network Star Anne Burrell, Host of Worst Cooks in America, Dead at 55 Project Runway Contestant Arthur Folasa 'Afa' Ah Loo Shot and Killed at Utah No Kings Protest A cause of death was not shared. On the small screen, Scott's most notable choreographing work came from So You Think You Can Dance, where he contributed a number of hip-hop performances beginning in Season 3. Below, you can revisit one of Scott's standout dances, performed during Season 4 by contestants Comfort Fedoke and the late Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, with Chris Brown's 'Forever' as the soundtrack: Scott also lent his dance talents to ABC's Dancing With the Stars, MTV's The Wade Robson Project and Bravo's Step It Up and Dance. On the film side, Scott choreographed for movies like You Got Served (2004), Stomp the Yard (2007) and Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), among other projects. TV Stars We Lost in 2025 View Gallery40 Images Best of TVLine 'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
