by More than 120 million people in the United States watched this year’s Super Bowl, almost as many watched the moon landings. And in the halftime show, right behind R&B superstar Usher, Sean Bankhead was dancing. “It was an overwhelming sensory experience,” says Bankhead. “It was hot, muggy, sweaty and it stunk like a football game.”
Bankhead, 35, officially hung up his dancing shoes a few years ago to focus on choreographing for the likes of Missy Elliott, Normani, Katy Perry, FKA twigs, recent Grammy winner Victoria Monét and Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion (their Grammy performance 2021 of WAP he masterminded) but he couldn’t refuse the opportunity to dance with Usher, one of his childhood heroes. “I put in so many times. We did it on the grass itself and a chunk was missing. But there was a rush.”
They are not ashamed of their bodies. They love their sexuality. And I’m right there supporting them
Head of the Bank has spent a full year so far. As well as the Super Bowl, he choreographed Lil Nas X’s controversial J Christ video, and Canadian singer Tate McRae’s performance at the Brits. “I was baaaaall at the Brits,” he says, in his Atlantic drawl. “The Brits are a lot more fun than American awards shows. I had no clue! There was a huge party and everyone was drunk as hell.”
Bankhead is the man of the moment, but in some ways his style harkens back to the music videos he grew up with in the 90s and 00s: Michael and Janet Jackson, Aaliyah, Britney Spears – that’s where he learned he danced, not taking a class until he was 16. “I didn’t even know what a choreographer was. I was very impressed with what I was seeing on TV.”
His education came from going to clubs. Snap music was big in the Atlanta hip-hop scene, catchy songs like Soulja Boy’s Crank That coming with their own dance routines. “I could be a switch hitter,” he says, borrowing a baseball term for two-way bats. “I went to the gay clubs and saw ballroom culture nearby. I would go to the ‘hood’ clubs and learn how to do the ‘lean wit it, rock wit it’ dance. I would go to the white clubs and walk around like Britney and learn my pop style, then I would go to reggae clubs and learn how to do dancehall and Afrobeats. I would always follow the party.”
All these influences feed into his dance work, but he is also a trained percussionist. “So I can create rhythms with my body that match the beat or create my own beat. People are like, ‘Wow! Where did that rhythm come from?’”
At first, making a career out of dancing seemed impossible. At auditions, he was “a skinny young kid and back then they were looking for buff male dancers”. So he started posting his own choreography on YouTube. There’s one up there called Beyoncé Tour Submission – the Head of the Bank didn’t wait to be asked, he put himself out there. “I was so hungry and ambitious. I would create it, in the hope that someone would see it.”
Choreographers receive no residual income when we create a viral dance that turns a song on. I get a flat fee. I could be owed millions
Ultimately, it worked. These days Bankhead works with some of the biggest artists in music, including Beyoncé. For diamond-selling rapper Cardi B, he choreographed the Up and Bongos videos, featuring Megan Thee Stallion. Both have great dance routines but are also unapologetically meaty, with curves escaping bikinis and plenty of booty – the moves as obvious as the lyrics. Has Bankhead ever had the conversation: how sexy is too sexy?
“We don’t,” he says. “In fact, it’s usually more like, ‘I want to show more ass and I want to show more crotch.’ They are not ashamed of their bodies, they love their sexuality. And I’m right there supporting them.”
He insists that Cardi B, whose expressive persona is uber-confident and a little intimidating, is “so sweet, so kind, the shyest person”. He says the same about himself. “I’m very reserved, very liberated. But then you see my work and you think, ‘He must be a great diva.'”
With rapper Lil Nas X, Bankhead worked on the “creatively ballsy” video for the song Industry Baby. Set in a prison, a naked dance routine was featured in the (tastefully packed) showers. This was the final scene of a two-day shoot, on an outdoor set. “It’s crazy, it’s freezing, it’s three in the morning,” he remembers. “People were slipping and falling. I got down to my underwear and was jumping and screaming just to get them comfortable.”
Bankhead hopes for a viral moment. The #OnMyMamaChallenge he created with Victoria Monét has received more than 150 million views on TikTok. Videos and choreography can “make or break music”, he says. So are choreographers getting enough credit? “Yes and no. It’s time for us to be financial recognized. Songwriters will get paid for the rest of their lives if they write a hit song. But choreographers don’t get any kind of residual income when we create a viral dance that takes the song up a notch. I get a flat fee. I could be owed millions.”
Partly for that reason, Bankhead is now trying to build its own brand. He has plans for TV shows and fashion collaborations. You can expect to see him in front of the camera soon. If Bankhead has learned anything, it’s that nothing will happen if you don’t put yourself out there.
