Galen Hooks is an American dancer, choreographer, and actress.[1]

Galen Hooks
Born
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Dancer, Choreographer
Known forThe LXD
WebsiteOfficial Website

Work

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Hooks is an actress, choreographer, and dancer who has worked with over 60 artists including Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, Ne-Yo, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Usher, Mýa, Chris Brown, The Jonas Brothers, William Chan, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Banks, Sunmi, Grimes, and John Legend.

Her career began as a child, competing on Star Search at age 7 and appearing in a Montell Jordan music video when she was 9. She continued acting and dancing while attending school throughout her childhood, appearing on Nickelodeon and in Austin Powers in Goldmember.[2]

Producing credits include America's Got Talent (Associate Consulting Producer), The Voice (Associate Performance Producer), Disney Channel Presents: Radio Disney's Family VIP Birthday (Executive Producer, Creative Director), and YouTube's Masterclass (Consulting Producer and Host). Theatre work includes, Associate Co-choreographer for the revival of the Broadway show Dreamgirls [3] and choreographer for the musical Higher Education.[4]

Hooks is a dancer, choreographer, and actress in The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers.[5] She worked for Miguel ("Arch N Point"), Usher ("Good Kisser"), and served as a dancer, choreographer and actress for Ne-Yo's concept album Libra Scale, in which she played the lead character Diamond Eye and her alter ego, Pretti Sinclair, in the album's music videos, album leaflet and live performances.[6]

More recently, Hooks has garnered fame for YouTube videos featuring her original choreography, including "River," "Love on the Brain," "Human," "i love you," and "Best Part," all racking up over 300 million views.[7]

Hooks has directed two critically-acclaimed short films, Wait for Me and There Once Was a Woman, which she also produced, choreographed, costumed, edited, and for which she wrote original music.

Additional songwriting includes "Tuesday," "Honey," "Burn," and "Mercy. She also has released songs with her music group CAMPFIRE VAUDEVILLE.[8]

Job Description Role
Camila Cabello "Havana" Creative Director/Choreographer - VMA-nominated So You Think You Can Dance The LXD performance Dancer/Co-Choreographer
The LXD "Duet", "Rise of the Drifts", "I Seen a Man" webisode Actress, dancer, choreographer
Ne-Yo "Beautiful Monster" long form video Actress, dancer, choreographer
Ne-Yo "Champagne Life" music video Actress, dancer, choreographer
Ne-Yo "One in a Million" music video Actress
Janet Jackson "So Excited", "Rock With You" music videos Dancer
Usher "Hey Daddy" music video Choreographer
United States of Tara "Princess Valhalla" viral video Choreographer
Dreamgirls Apollo performance and international tour Associate Co-Choreographer
The Jonas Brothers "Look Me In the Eyes" Tour Choreographer
Dancing with the Stars John Legend "Green Light" performance Choreographer
Nike Vogue and other campaigns Model
Miguel "Arch N Point" music video Lead Dancer, Choreographer
Britney Spears "Til the World Ends" music video Dancer
Harry's Law "Send In the Clowns" episode Choreographer
Suburgatory multiple episodes Choreographer
Justin Bieber "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" Choreographer
Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West "Knocks You Down" Letterman performance Dancer/Choreographer
GI Joe: Retaliation Movie Choreographer/Dancer
Usher "Good Kisser" music video Dancer

Awards

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Galen was MTV VMA-nominated for her work on Camila Cabello's "HAVANA," for which she served as Creative Director and one of the choreographers. "HAVANA" has garnered over 900 million views on YouTube.

Galen won the 2019 Dance Icon Award at the Industry Dance Awards, sharing the night with honorees Olivia Newton-John, Jenna Dewan, Derek and Julianne Hough.

Galen received a Choreography Media Honor for her work with Fergie performing "Live and Let Die" on Movies Rock and 6 World Dance Awards for her choreography with THE LXD, YouTube's ReMixed, her own "CAMPFIRE VAUDEVILLE," a song and dance performance featuring original music written by Hooks, and "Wait for Me." Her YouTube show "Masterclass" (Consulting Producer and Host) was honored by the Webby Awards and Streamy Awards.[citation needed]

Activism/Education

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Galen Hooks served as the chair of the Dancers Alliance for ten years and as a board member of SAG-AFTRA.[citation needed] She spearheaded the unionization of music videos and worked with Choreographers Alliance.[9] Hooks is the founder of her own training method, The Galen Hooks Method, which is meant to guide aspiring professional dancers through the audition process.[2] She also teaches standalone dance classes across the US and internationally. During lockdown, Hooks began offering her classes and events digitally.[10]

Hooks also hosts Nights of Dance, which feature back-to-back classes, and Freestyle Roulette, "a dance event for dancers of any style to showcase their artistic abilities in a high-stakes, supportive environment" that rewards creativity. Dancers are randomly assigned a song and dramatic prompt on the spot before immediately interpreting the prompt.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "National Geographic Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month". National Geographic Partners. 2020-05-31. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  2. ^ a b Hilton, Haley (2024-05-23). "Galen Hooks Wants You to Succeed, One Step at a Time". Dance Spirit. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  3. ^ "Center Theater Group". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  4. ^ "MSA Agency". Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  5. ^ "Dance Spirit article on The LXD". Archived from the original on 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  6. ^ Ne-Yo releases Beautiful Monster video
  7. ^ "Galen Hooks - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  8. ^ "Campfire Vaudeville on Apple Music". iTunes.
  9. ^ "Activist : "DANCERS' ALLIANCE" | ——GALEN HOOKS——". Archived from the original on 2014-11-05. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  10. ^ "The Galen Hooks Method". GALEN ∙ HOOKS. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  11. ^ "General 3". GALEN ∙ HOOKS. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
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