Beyoncé's Choreographer JaQuel Knight Explains How "Beychella" Came to Be
Creating Beyoncé's internet-stopping Coachella performance required the utmost secrecy and lots of coordination, said the singer's longtime collaborator and creative director, JaQuel Knight.
"It's so much work that goes into it, from working with all the different departments, it's lighting, it's wardrobe, it's choreography, it's content, it's secrets, and keeping it on the hush." said Knight in an interview Tuesday on Cheddar. "So much time prepping in our small black hole, it felt like I was giving birth Saturday night to a baby that we had been creating for a long time now."
Knight, 28, has worked closely with Beyoncé for years: He led the team that put together her Coachella performance, which fans have dubbed Beychella, and he was the creative director and choreographer for her iconic 2008 ["Single Ladies"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY) video. He also choreographed her two Super Bowl performances.
He started out as a dancer before becoming a choreographer, and said that some of the artists with whom he works are more involved than others in different aspects of the performance.
"You have artists that are more involved and it's like, 'OK what's next?' and 'how can we do this and this a little bit more?'" he said. "And then you have people that are like, 'great, let's do this.'"
Knight was named one of [Forbes' 30 Under 30](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jaquel-knight/?list=30under30-music) and is the first choreographer to be included on the list.
"Forbes was a big thing that I was going after this past year, just because it solidifies me not only as a creative, but as a businessman," said Knight.
He is now hard at work on Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "On The Run II" tour, which is scheduled for the summer.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/jaquel-knight-shares-behind-the-scenes-secrets-from-beyonces-coachella-performance).
Season 6 "Bachelorette" Ali Manno joined Cheddar's Baker Machado to discuss "The Bachelor" franchise, promoting children’s creativity, and motherhood. Manno also touched on her partnership with the cereal brand Pebbles to use their imagination by getting them to submit artwork, which then ended up on display across the country. "What I love about this so much is it not only encourages kids to be creative but it shows when you are creative and you use your imagination, you could be in a mural in a major city," she said.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals Richenda Sandlin-Tymitz, Marketing & Content Manager at Alaska Tour & Travel, breaks down when and how to plan your best trip to Alaska; Kristen Miller, Acting Executive Director, Alaska Wilderness League, discusses the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the oil drilling that threatens it; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Magic of the Wild.'
Richenda Sandlin-Tymitz, Marketing & Content Manager at Alaska Tour & Travel, joins Cheddar Reveals to break down when and how to plan your best trip to Alaska.
Kristen Miller, acting executive director, Alaska Wilderness League, discusses the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the oil drilling that threatens it.
Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft, assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, joins Cheddar News to discuss how chatbots can help prevent eating disorders and the research that uncovered these findings.
Daniel Madrzykowski, research director at the UL Fire Safety Research Institute, joins Cheddar News to discuss the deadly Bronx fire that killed 19 people and fire safety tips that people need to know about.
