Behind the viral moments and emotional depth of Wicked’s musical numbers stands Christopher Scott, the visionary choreographer bringing Oz to life through dance.
When it comes to the beloved musical, fans don’t necessarily think of choreography. In the acclaimed film adaptation from Jon M. Chu, however, dance has become just as much a star of the film as its iconic songs and protagonists.
In December, GAY TIMES skipped down the yellow brick road to spend ‘One Short Day’ in the Emerald City with Christopher Scott to talk all things Wicked.
Thanks to TikTok, the ‘What Is This Feeling?’ dance has become an internet sensation, with hoards of fans recreating its sharp, staccato movements. For Scott, seeing people take the choreography and make it their own has been a deeply moving experience.
“It feels amazing,” he says. “People started sending me the videos and it just started with me kind of reposting them, too. I was like, ‘This is so fun.’
“And then I had a moment where it hit me. There was a daughter and her mom and her dad dancing together, and I was like, ‘This is beautiful.’”
For Scott, dance isn’t just about the moves themselves: “We worked really hard to tell a story and put it on film and then put it in the cinema for people to have an experience.
“Now they get to go home through dance and share something and have another experience on top of that. It’s just really gratifying.”
The Ozdust Ballroom scene is more than a visually stunning moment that serves as the film’s heartbreaking midpoint – it’s a powerful meditation on identity, shame and, ultimately, liberation, something many LGBTQIA+ audience members relate to. For Scott, all the choreography in this scene had specific intent behind it.
“I started building it with an associate choreographer of mine, Comfort Fedoke,” he explains. “We start in a really intimate space, you know? We wanted to give Cynthia the tools that she needed.”
Scott describes how bird-like movements, such as the waving hand placed on Elphaba’s forehead, became central to her dance vocabulary. “Birds connect to Elphaba,” he says. “Animals are the only people that really understood her and took care of her.”
He emphasises that Elphaba’s dancing isn’t about technical perfection or showing off. “She’s not a bad dancer, you know? She’s a different dancer. She dances differently.”
When asked about Wicked‘s connection to Oz’s rich queer history, Scott lights up as he recalls a conversation with Ariana Grande about Ozma, a character in L. Frank Baum’s original Oz novels who’s widely considered to be one of the earliest known trans characters in literature.
“Ari is such a historian of everything Wicked and Wizard of Oz. And there’s a character that she was explaining to me, Ozma,” Scott remembers.
“It really did feel like, ‘Oh, we’re telling something, you know, this is bigger than one person’s experience.’ This is deep and I can’t even imagine what that story being told was like back then.”
Understanding this has added even more weight to Scott’s work. He says, “I’m part of something that has a lineage that’s important.”
As audiences prepare to delve deeper into the world of Wicked with its home release, Scott hopes the choreography resonates as, not just as a visual spectacle, but as a heartfelt expression of identity, connection, and joy – something fans will undoubtedly be dancing along to for years to come.
Wicked is available to buy or rent at home now. Watch our full interview with Christopher Scott here or below.
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