April 25, 2021
The choreographer behind the iconic dance moves of American pop titan Beyonce's "Single Ladies" has created history to become the first one to gain copyrighted control of his iconic dance moves.
In a giant stride to take the control of his creative work, JaQuel Knight has founded Knight Choreography and Music Publishing Inc - the first in history.
JaQuel Knight came to be known when he crafted the dance moves in Queen Bey's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" video. Ever since Beyonce has resorted to him as her go-to. He choreographed Beyonce's tours and her epic Coachella performances.
The history-making choreographer is also behind the moves of Jennifer Lopez-Shakira 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show, as well as Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s "WAP" video.
"Copyrighting movement is about putting the power back in the artist’s hands," said Knight while speaking to Variety. "We set a historic precedent with our ‘Single Ladies’ copyright achievement, and we are thrilled to be launching Knight Choreography & Music Publishing, Inc. so that the next generation of artists are afforded the same platform, resources and tools to thrive, creatively and financially, in the commercial music industry."
The JaQuel Knight's company Knight Choreography & Music Publishing will see to the rights to Knights dance moves while operating as a music publisher as the company will broker licensing deals and protect IP.
TikTok star Addison Rae performed on "The Tonight Show" with a series of dance moves popular on the video platform but she didn’t give the credit to the creators. This led to backlash and the very next day, host Jimmy Fallon, addressing the controversy on-air, said, "We recognize that the creators of those dances deserve to have their own spotlight."
JaQuel Knight sees a long partnership with lawyer David Hecht as he helped secure the copyright for "Single Ladies." Knight will be assisted by his manager, producer Mary Pelloni.