Kpop Creator returns today. Aiming to introduce you to the men and women that work behind the scenes to create the music we love so much. In the last edition, we explored music video creators DigiPedi. We explore someone who works with a number of artists everyday, from popular american stars to Kpop stars, a creative director and choreographer, Tony Testa.
Tony Testa started dancing when he was 8 years old, studying a number of various dance styles from ballet, tap, contemporary, hip-hop, jazz and break-dance. He even assisted the classes that his mother would teach and found his passion for choreography.
When he moved to the sunny and talent town of LA, he choreographed for the likes of Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Sketchers, his own show on Nickelodeon and many more. He even worked with Micheal Jackson on his final project, This is it.
Tony also worked as a creative director with 1Direction for Saturday Night Live and even our home grown The Voice Season 1 and also helped with Kylie Minogue’s World Tour and 2011’s AMA’s. He is now on a collaborative contract for 3 years with SM Entertainment while teaching workshops back in his home country as well. Not just limited to the music industry but he explores activism and social awareness in his work.
He started working with SM in 2012. His first collab on Shinee’s Sherlock and then later that year on TVXQ’s Catch Me. Then in 2013, again with Shinee on Dream Girl, Beautiful and Everybody, and also EXO’s Wolf. Now in 2014, Tony’s last year on his contract with SM, he worked with TVXQ on Something and now currently working on EXO’s comeback, ‘Overdose’ and their up coming tour as a director as well.
Since Tony has studied in various styles, he doesn’t have a signature thing that makes anyone realise he made the choreography. But, we do know that he likes big and powerful and definitely rememberable moves. Such as TVXQ’s Catch Me ‘Hulk’ move.
Below are some of his work in the Kpop industry and you can check out more of his work on his official Youtube page, Tony Testa. If you want to follow his work, he updates his twitter regularly with new work and whats happening in his work. @MisterTesta
