The multifaceted Ebony Williams has made dances for pop stars, movies, commercials, musical theater, and more. Now, she’s got a new credit: cartoon choreographer. Williams recently created the movement for a new half-hour special of the Emmy-nominated animated series “Alma’s Way,” a PBS KIDS show set in the Bronx that follows a 6-year-old Puerto Rican girl named Alma.
Ahead of the June 9 debut of the special, “Alma’s Summertime Musical,” Dance Magazine caught up with Williams—who’s now a mom—to learn what it’s like choreographing for cartoon characters, and why it means so much to her to be involved in this show at this point in her life.
How did you get involved in this project?
I met supervising producer Olubunmi Mia Olufemi at the Emmys, and then she reached out when this project came up. I’d just found out I was pregnant, and was interested in putting out art for children that celebrates different cultures, because that’s something I want my son to see. So it was an easy yes.
What was it like choreographing for animation? Had you done anything like that before?
No! It was definitely more linear than I would normally move. I’m a very circular mover. But for animation, you can’t have one person in front of the other too many times, you can’t have too many spins or things like that for editing.
Did you do any cultural research to make sure the movement felt appropriate for the characters?
Absolutely. The characters are competing for who is going to win the best song, and they’re trying to choose between writing about Puerto Rico and the Bronx. So I researched gestures that specifically relate to the Bronx, and I tapped into some different genres of hip hop. Then for traditional Puerto Rican–style movement, bomba, I went back to my days as an associate choreographer on In the Heights—I’d choreographed the bomba section for the “Carnival” scene. And I was very specific about making sure that I had Carmelo Cruz, my associate choreographer, who is Puerto Rican, be a part of this process, so I could make sure that I was digging deep into the culture with someone who’s part of the culture.
Who were your dancers?
I was lucky enough to have a group of young dancers—aged about 6 to 15—from Carmelo’s studio. They were great collaborators and super-enthusiastic. Working with kids also showed me what steps the kid who’s watching the special could hold on to, so it could be part of their language. They’ll want to learn the choreography themselves.
What challenges did you encounter?
I had my son in the midst of it! At the time when we were doing “Alma’s Way,” I was also working with Doja Cat and Kid Cudi and doing four other projects, and everything had to come to a quick halt. So I was really grateful to Carmelo, who did a lot of communicating with the animators after I went into emergency labor.
What do you hope kids who watch the special take away from it?
I hope that they get a taste of what it is to be a kid from the Bronx. Growing up, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me much at all. Now, kids can get the world right in front of them on a TV screen. It’s beautiful.
The post Choreographing a Cartoon: Ebony Williams on Making Movement for “Alma’s Way” appeared first on Dance Magazine.
