This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 Pink Issue of Showstopper Magazine.
What do you get when you mix the magic of Oz, a ridiculously talented cast, and some jaw-dropping dance moves? The Wicked movie! The film takes everything we love about the Broadway musical and gives it a cinematic twist—complete with fresh, stunning choreography that brings the story to life in a whole new way.
At the center of it all is Emmy-winning choreographer Christopher Scott. Scott has been collaborating with Wicked director Jon M. Chu for over 15 years, making them the perfect duo to reimagine this Broadway classic for the big screen. Scott knows how to turn big ideas into even bigger dance moments—and he’s brought that storytelling magic to every step of Wicked: Part I.
Connecting to Audiences
Scott’s first move in creating the choreography for Wicked: Part I was to dive into how the cast saw their characters. “It was amazing how much information they had at the beginning, how thoughtful they were from the day they came into the first rehearsal,” Scott told Dance Spirit. The cast didn’t just show up to perform—they came ready to fully transform into their characters.
For Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, Scott worked closely with associate choreographer Comfor Fedoke to give her a style that highlighted what makes her so unique. “Elphaba does have a voice through movement, but it’s a very specific voice, and it’s different,” Scott explained. “And that’s who she is—she’s just different.”
Then there’s Ariana Grande as Glinda, who’s every bit as bubbly and fun as her choreography. “We know [Ariana] can dance,” Scott told The AU Review. “We’ve seen her dance. But this is a different world we’re building.” To bring Glinda’s style to life, Scott leaned into humor and bold ideas. “We’re filming ‘Popular,’ and you see in the trailer that big kick she does…we’re sitting just goofing around, and she does that kick, and we’re like, ‘Ari, are you kidding me? Where has that been the entire time?'”
Dancing Through Life
Of course, one of the film’s most ambitious dance sequences is “Dancing Through Life.” “It was really difficult,” Scott admitted in The AU Review, describing the enormous scale of the scene. “Jon Chu has a creative brain. And I love him because his brain goes to these places where he has these ideas, and you think, ‘Is this possible?'”
Working with production designer Nathan Crowley, Chu and Scott created what he called “an incredible playground,” allowing for a mix of dance styles that pushed boundaries. “I tapped into the circus community and the parkour community, and I found they were the most helpful,” Scott explained. The scene demanded precision, with dancers from a variety of backgrounds coming together to make it happen. The scene became a massive collaborative effort, blending skills from across genres to create something truly epic. In the end, it became one of his favorite parts of the film—and one of the most dazzling for audiences to watch.
A Cast Full of Surprises
The cast of Wicked also revealed talents Scott didn’t expect. “This cast all have a dancing ability that I don’t even think they knew about until they got here,” Scott said in The AU Review.
Jonathan Bailey, who plays Fiyero, rehearsed in between filming Bridgerton and Fellow Travelers, often practicing choreography on flights between continents.
“He was literally shooting Bridgerton and learning the choreography on his days off,” Grande revealed to PEOPLE. “Choreographer Christopher Scott and the associate choreographers would teach him in his dressing room,” she added.
“This cast all have a dancing ability that I don’t even think they knew about until they got here.”
Christopher Scott
Bailey himself shared, “I’ve got videos on my phone of me practicing on long-haul flights.”
Even Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James, who were initially anxious about the dance aspect, surprised Scott with their determination. “Bowen, I think, was very nervous about the dancing, and then you get him in the space and you see the focus,” Scott shared with The AU Review. “I would tell [Bowen and Bronwyn] that they are dancers, and still to this day they think, ‘Ha ha, you say that to everybody,’ but the truth is they really are.”
Honoring the Stage
Despite the differences between stage and screen, Scott made sure the film honored the original Broadway production. “It’s all our own choreography, but I love that stage show so much,” he explained to The AU Review. One of his favorite nods to the stage is in the lifts: “Every time I watch the show, I just think, ‘Man, eight shows a week, these guys are killing it.’ There’s a little homage to that with some lifts I have here. There’s a lot happening, but if you notice it, you notice it.” At the same time, the film’s massive scale allowed for moments that would be impossible on stage. “There’s one number where we have over 150 dancers,” Scott said. “The tools that I got to play with here, you just can’t do that on a Broadway stage.”
A New Kind of Magic
For Scott, choreography isn’t just about movement—it’s about telling stories and bringing people together. “It’s a craft that’s so tied into storytelling and has so many nuances,” he told Dance Spirit. “It’s a human thing that we do.”
From the energy of The Ozdust Ballroom scene to the playful chaos of Glinda’s “Popular,” the choreography in Wicked: Part I makes Oz feel more alive than ever. With Christopher Scott leading the way and a cast surprising even themselves with what they can do, the movie redefines how movement can bring a story to life, step by mesmerizing step.
