To create the now iconic dance behind “World Class Sinner/I’m A Freak” from HBO’s “The Ido,” choreographer Nina McNeely first had to understand the roots of pop star and music sensation Jocelyn (played by Lily-Rose Depp).
“She’s a former child star. She was at the height of her fame, then she went through a rough time and had a nervous breakdown. And in the rehearsal scene, this is her big comeback; she’s rehearsing for her big comeback, so there’s an insane amount of pressure on her,” McNeely explained in diversity Artisans series, presented by HBO. “She’s canceled tours; she needs to get the money back. She needs to top the charts and she’s also having this rehearsal in the middle of a scandal.”
Visual artist and dance legend McNeely has worked with Major Lazer, Björk, the Foo Fighters and (of course) The Weeknd. “I started working with Able (aka The Weeknd) because he’s a fan of Gaspar Noé and I choreographed the movie ‘Climax.'” That curiosity led to a long-term collaboration between the two.
When “The Idol” co-creators Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim needed a choreographer for Jocelyn’s “World Class Sinner / I’m a Freak” and “Dollhouse,” The Weeknd (who also stars in the show and lent his home to the production for filming) knew exactly who to call.
McNeely drew inspiration from iconic dance and pop moments such as Bob Fosse’s “Take Off With Us,” Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted Snake,” Britney Spears’ “Showgirls” and “Slave 4 You” to curate Jocelyn’s movements, poses, rhythm and energy.
“She really needs to push the boundaries of what she’s done before and she needs to be bolder, sexier, more controversial and more confident. I really wanted Jocelyn to feel like a timeless pop star,” the choreographer said. “I didn’t want to put in trendy current TikTok dance moves or anything like that. I wanted it to live on and still feel iconic years from now.”
She added: “I knew she had to be this untouchable object of desire that everyone wanted to be with, everyone wanted to be her with, everyone wanted to know her. I used the dancers to tell that story.”
McNeely also said she wanted to push the boundaries of what was considered appropriate and taboo to create enough sexual tension: “One of my favorite moments was when all the dancers were around her, breathing and pulsing as one, and each dancer was turning their head and vying for her attention, and they were constantly making eye contact, basically breathing each other’s breath. I think that just created a lot of sexual tension, which we needed.”
Through the choreography, which places Jocelyn’s baggage at the center of the stage, McNeely was also able to incorporate some hints about the overall narrative and symbolism behind her character and her experience as a pop star.
“I wanted to play with this back and forth and this power play between her and the dancers, where she’s being pulled in different directions, lifted up and spun around, but then in the next breath she can make a little gesture that controls them all. So it’s about manipulation and manipulation, which has a lot to do with her character throughout the show.”
It was also essential to incorporate several lifts, which would later prove painful during Jocelyn’s dramatic breakdown on set while attempting to shoot the music video for “Sinner.”
In fact, several of McNeely’s real-life experiences on music video sets contributed to Jocelyn’s disastrous shoot. “Sam contacted me and said, ‘Couldn’t you just send me a list of everything that’s ever gone wrong on a music video set?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, and it’s going to be extremely long.’ The main one was the shoes, because that happens every time. Then the artist says, ‘I can’t do the moves.’ And usually we have to change it because it doesn’t match what they did in rehearsal, which is disappointing as a choreographer, because they give it their all in rehearsal and then all these limitations come into play on the actual shoot.”
“All sorts of things can go wrong,” McNeely continued. “The costumes hurt, or you’re not flexible enough to dance with a light right in your eyes when you’re trying to perform and not blink because it doesn’t look good. You never know. Or all the dancers are ready to go and do the most difficult scene at the very end of the day when everyone’s makeup is already washed off and they’re exhausted. So I always try to urge directors, ‘Can we please do the most difficult scene first and get it over with?’ Then you make a few more corrections and the rest of the day is much easier.”
Watch the full interview above to learn how many “alternate versions” of the dance Depp had to film for the show.
