Valentina Baldini, Editor-in-Chief
Clinton Edward is a choreographer and dance teacher. He’s created famous acts for celebrities, like Ariana Grande’s 2024 Met Gala performance, and is a contemporary instructor at studios like New Canaan Dance Academy and Steps On Broadway in New York.
To Clinton, “contemporary” doesn’t have just one definition because it encompasses everything in the dance world. “It’s a hard question to answer, but contemporary dance is a blanket term for a lot of what is currently happening in the dance world,” Clinton said. “Contemporary doesn’t have an exact meaning because it is everything. It’s a huge blend of many different styles together, and plays a big role in dance that is happening right now. “
For Clinton, dance has played a large part of his life since he was a kid. “I’ve been dancing since I was in first grade,” he said. “I have an older sister who is also a dancer, and my parents used to drop me off at her dance competitions and let me watch all day, and I was so happy to just sit there.”
“I have loved dance since I was really little, I love the way it feels to move and I have loved choreographing since I was little too. I used to make little formations with game pieces,” Clinton said. “I love getting to “create” with other people, and dance is the ultimate way of doing that. Artists and choreographers are like the paint brushes and the dancers are our canvas.”
Before he was working with celebrities, Clinton’s first job was performing at an amusement park. “I got my first job at 16, which was working at a theme park, performing in their shows,” he said. “ I was working professionally. The dancers at the theme park were older than me; they were college kids and even post-college kids.
“Then, I went to school for dance at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, and I finished my degree a semester early,” Clinton said.
Creating dances can look different for each choreographer, but they all start with a story. “I would say all choreographic processes start with research, some sort of initial interest and specific topic,” he said.
Clinton worked for Ariana Grande, playing a big role in her famous 2024 Met Gala performance. “I was an assistant to the main choreographers, Christopher Grant and Lauren Grant. I was brought in by the directors and Met production team, who usually bring in other choreographers for help,” Clinton said.
“Ariana Grande was so lovely. She’s a very hard worker, just like many other musical artists similar to her,” Clinton said. “Every artist is different and has a different energy and approach, but Ariana is so amazing and wants to do well. Some artists are not like that because they don’t care and they don’t want to dance or perform. But, Ariana wants to make everything look good and she really cares for everyone around her.”
