Abdul celebrating, not judging, dancers
Panelist grateful to work on ‘Masked’ spinoff in lockdown
Whenperformer, choreographer and veteran talent competition judge Paula Abdul received a call from Fox asking her to be part of “TheMaskedDancer,” a spinoff towacky competition show“TheMasked Singer,” her first reaction was laughter.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, howbrilliant is this,’” Abdul said. “And then I thought, wait aminute, this is going to be so… hard.”
On“TheMasked Singer,” based on the SouthKorean original, celebrity contestants perform in elaborate costumes as panelists try to guess the identities behind the masks.
“TheMaskedDancer” uses a similar format, but instead celebrities— some with extensive training and others without— perform hip-hop, tap, salsa and other dance numbers as over-the-top characters including Sloth, Moth and Ice Cube. Returning panelistKen Jeong andnewcomers BrianAustin Green, Ashley Tisdale andAbdul make their guesses based almost solely on dance moves and clues sprinkled throughout the show, which airs onWednesdays.
This interview with Abdul has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: Howis the judgingprocesson“Masked Dancer” different from other showsyou’ve worked?
A: The cool thing about this is, it’s not likewe’re judging. It’s about celebrating the fact that— whether they have formal training or not— they are having a blast on their stage. And they have that reckless abandon and freedomof being in a costume and dancing, whether it’s something that they like as a hobby or something that they’ve never even done before. For us, it’s not about judging, it’s about commenting on all the wonderful things thatwe did see and funny things or obvious things that lend itself to a clue as towho these people are.
Q: Are there any favoritemomentsfromthe showthat youcan share?
A: Sitting next toKen Jeong is quite the experience. The whole panel got along great. One of the fun things that I can directly relate toKen Jeong is there’s only one part in the showformat where the contestants’ voices are unmodulated for just one word. The segment’s called “WordUp,” and the song “WordUp” plays by Cameo. Andwhen that happens, it’s likeKen and I are racehorses at the starting gate, andwe can’twait to start, becausewe start dancing through the whole process.
Q: Assomeonewho has coached performersondancing, whatdo youlookfor in a performance?
A: Whena dancer has a certain je ne sais quoi-like spirit about them or they have some technique, that’s wonderful. But it’s the ones whoinhabit their own special sauce, so to speak. They’ve created something that’s so unique to them. As a choreographer, that’s what I’veworked on with artists, to create their own very individualized persona. Certain stances and certain looks and certain angles and things
that become so unique to them.
That’swhat’s incredible because somany people love to dance, but I look for the personality in the dance. That’s what excites me. Technique is beautiful towatch, but it doesn’t always reachmy heart. It has to be someone who’s extra unique. And that’s not always in the training.
Q: Thecostumes are so elaborate. It seemslike it would be challenging to dance insomething like that.
A: Iwas in awe of the costume designers. They were able to do such elaborate outfits. Theywere lightweight and incorporated a lot ofLycra so that these performers could kick, they could do flips if necessary, but it never took away fromthe intricacy of the costuming. The costumeswere beautiful, very creative. It’s not easy dancing in the costume where you’re covered in a headmask that has some weight to it. It has to be weight-distributed evenly, so that you can spot for turning and you still feel the center core of your body. Otherwise, if it’s not weight-calibrated right, you could be top heavy and fall. So with all of that and the fact that they’re doing major choreography, it’s amazing to see that they’re able to do itwith such
limited visibility.
Q: Are there any dancers— fromany era— that you’dbe able to pick out immediately in full costume?
A: I’veworked with somany artists. I think anyonewould be able to tell itwas Michael Jackson, if Michaelwas costumed. He’s very specific. The thing that’s cool is that some of the dancers that are trained dancers have gone out of theirway to make the choreography look different to try to fool us.
But I think forme, having a career as a choreographer, I’m so in tune with bodymovements. I can tell, sometimes by theway people are evenwalking or little nuances while they’re standing there, howtheir stance is. And some ofmy guesses have been specifically
just on that, not even their dancing. It’s a different tool set that I have based onmy years ofworking with artists.
Q: What’sbeen your experienceworkingon this showduring the pandemic?
A: I feel so extremely lucky and grateful that
I had the ability towork during the pandemic. Fox spared no expense of working with state and city officials tomake sure all theCOVID rules are implemented. And on top of that, havingKen Jeong as a doctorwhois so particular and so full-on task force, making sure everyone’s safe. I never felt more safe. … Wewere grateful to have a virtual audience involved, and the virtual audience was able to partake during our taping days so that they could vote on the performances.
Besides it being one of the most fun experiences I’ve had, itwas such a gift to be able to be excited during lockdown, during quarantine, where I could get up every day and be excited to go towork.
Q: Was itweirdhaving a virtual audience?
A: It’s harder, I think, for the performers. But then, because they’re in a costume, they don’t have that expectancy of a live audience reacting. Wewere whoopin’ and hollerin’, but I think that itworked out prettywell. I didn’t feel a deficit at all. Itwas such a limited amount of crew on set, andwe got through it. The crewwas laughing at times when it requires a laugh or two, and Craig Robinson as the hostwas so incredible. He’s so incredibly talented, and he just was great.