I was watching Sign O the times last night for the 40th time and I am still amazed at this guy's performance level. For one he is a guitar god which we all know, but the kid can move as well.

Was there a point in time, possibly around the Purple Rain preparation, where Prince was trained to do some of those stage moves?

How about the band moving in synch, was there someone that came in and said everybody do this move on this part of the song?

Was there a point where people noticed a difference in his shows? Maybe the early days were more tame and then a few albums in you started to see more stage entertainment?

It's just amazing to watch. I am sure Prince knew how to move before all that, but the stage is a different place. His spins are quick enough to have made Michael a little jealous. The splits are cool, then there is the mic tricks pushing the mic stand, pushing it forward and holding the base with his foot. Some of this is just studying James Brown.

Any insight or details please.

i found out that he did go to dance skool... if true rock on baaaby i love you x

Really? Was this from high school days or prepping for Purple Rain?

You mean in his professional career? I go for the latter. He just goes for the moment. It's improvised dancing.

I think there was an earlier thread on one of Prince's choreographers. If you need proof that he's worked with one, look at the videos and live shows prior to 1982...

I love(d) Prince's pre 1990's dance moves, but I don't think he can dance all that well, definately doesn't look trained.

Yes he had some choreographers to help...Per Nilsen mentions this in DMSR, in fact there was a massive team of people in general working for him for his 80s shows

alphachannel said:

I think there was an earlier thread on one of Prince's choreographers. If you need proof that he's worked with one, look at the videos and live shows prior to 1982...

GOOD point!

I remember Wendy or some saying they all took acting and dance classes or something. Extensive TRAINING...i unno...lots of experience with choreogrephers. Lots of drive, performance intuition as well.

No matter how good of a natural dancer I am, if I was to perform for the audiances he did, don't know with 80,000 people looking at every move you make, I would hire a pro to make me look good dancing...

Sort of ignorant to perform and not try to do it great, right?

dJJ said:

No matter how good of a natural dancer I am, if I was to perform for the audiances he did, don't know with 80,000 people looking at every move you make, I would hire a pro to make me look good dancing...

Sort of ignorant to perform and not try to do it great, right?

I'm glad Dylan never tried to dance....whew!!!!

^ Just envisioned it..

I thought a long time ago Prince did an interview where he said he was in gymnastics class in school and got teased a lot because of it. I'm no gymnast but it seems like a lot of his moves back in the day could have been from that type of training. Thoughts?

SeventeenDayze said:

I thought a long time ago Prince did an interview where he said he was in gymnastics class in school and got teased a lot because of it. I'm no gymnast but it seems like a lot of his moves back in the day could have been from that type of training. Thoughts?

Also in an early interview; he talked about doing some ballet around the same time. Other than that, only during PR

I can't believe people think Prince's

dancing is improvised.

Everything Prince did in the past

was very well rehearsed,

and i also know that Prince had dance lessons during 1982.

Before 1982 Prince couldn't dance ,

when he moved it reminded a bit on Mick Jagger.

Starting with 1982 Prince become great dancer,

i don't want to make comparations but he was as good as late Michael Jackson was ,

in his own way.

Look at Baby I'm a star performance from 1985 music Awards.

Was that improvised dancing to you?

He was either going from a solo dance routines in the

style of James Brown but more acrobatic

or he was doing dances with his band ,or doing the Byrd dance.

Maybe him being hit by a michrophone in the head

made him angry in a good way but he totally

nailed it in that performance.

When i was a kid during the 90's Prince was known for

being a great singer and a great dancer.

Nobody knew Prince was even playing guitar.

Main reason is because 70 % of the shows starting with Parade

were about singing and dancing and if Prince played an

actuall instrument he did it in a hurry.

Prince not dancing and playing all night started

with his leg injury and it's a novelty.

Or maybe he wanted to remind world how great guitar player he is.

Now days everybody know Prince can play great guitar

but people forgot how great dancer he was.

Now days it's clear that Prince can't dance or you consider that phantomime thing is an actuall dancing.

[Edited 5/19/11 22:44pm]

alphachannel said:

I think there was an earlier thread on one of Prince's choreographers. If you need proof that he's worked with one, look at the videos and live shows prior to 1982...

Exactly. I remember seeing him try to do the funky chicken on "American Bandstand" and the funky chicken had been years out of style already.

I don't have many answers, but I've always thought his way of dancing is unique. So many different examples:

SOTT > Hot Thang snippets

Lovesexy tour > What he did during Lovesexy

Little Red Corvette > Breakdance, leg spin treat

He's got a style of his own

Doubt it, but I THINK there was dance routine rehearsals for the Purple Rain movie, but im not sure what that actually even means(maybe to make sure everyone was choregraphed on camera?) & besides P comes up with those funky lil dance moves himself, aint nobody else dancing freely like that but him.

He's good sometimes like lovesexy & sign o the time tour, but the early & later years r like major WTF? especially that lil dance breakdown he was doing earlier on in the W2A shows

He's definitely had training cos those spins ain't natural! I've always been a big fan of his dancing because he's a very fluid, natural dancer and combines classical moves seamlessly with different styles. MJ is always revered as the best dancer and his moves became what he was identified with but ultimately, v. repetitive (even if brilliant), with Prince you're never sure what to expect (especially during the Sign O' the Times era).

If you look at the dance routine he's doing this past year during 'Kiss' he combines classical moves (e.g. spins) with body popping and makes it look really deceptively simple, that takes real skill. He can naturally isolate movements and that kind of thing can't be taught.

As well as the Purple Rain training that's already been mentioned here, somebody else was talking a while back about a guy who claimed to have taught Prince the splits slide he used to do so much.

gantonio said:

I was watching Sign O the times last night for the 40th time and I am still amazed at this guy's performance level. For one he is a guitar god which we all know, but the kid can move as well.

Was there a point in time, possibly around the Purple Rain preparation, where Prince was trained to do some of those stage moves?

How about the band moving in synch, was there someone that came in and said everybody do this move on this part of the song?

Was there a point where people noticed a difference in his shows? Maybe the early days were more tame and then a few albums in you started to see more stage entertainment?

It's just amazing to watch. I am sure Prince knew how to move before all that, but the stage is a different place. His spins are quick enough to have made Michael a little jealous. The splits are cool, then there is the mic tricks pushing the mic stand, pushing it forward and holding the base with his foot. Some of this is just studying James Brown.

Any insight or details please.

Prince did get some informal training early on, at least from me....we worked on pirouettes, his jump up with the foot double beats, and staging ideas for the Time; But he was a studier of history and watched James, the Nicholas Brothers & others and had a pretty clear vision of what he wanted to do. If you watch some his earlier movements he wasn't a bad popper either - he incorporated allot of styles and techniques and evolved into his own voice.....

NelsonR said:

I don't have many answers, but I've always thought his way of dancing is unique. So many different examples:

SOTT > Hot Thang snippets

Lovesexy tour > What he did during Lovesexy

Little Red Corvette > Breakdance, leg spin treat

He's got a style of his own

A lot of the steps for SOTT & Lovesexy were made by Cat

SugarnSpice said:

He makes it look really deceptively simple, that takes real skill.

That is why I adore Prince. He does the same with his guitar, already in the 80's he was a majestic guitar player.

He does the same thing with his singing and mindblowing use of his voice as an instrument.

He truly has perfected his talents with hard work and rehearsal. He's a legendary artist in that way.

manchild61 said:

gantonio said:

I was watching Sign O the times last night for the 40th time and I am still amazed at this guy's performance level. For one he is a guitar god which we all know, but the kid can move as well.

Was there a point in time, possibly around the Purple Rain preparation, where Prince was trained to do some of those stage moves?

How about the band moving in synch, was there someone that came in and said everybody do this move on this part of the song?

Was there a point where people noticed a difference in his shows? Maybe the early days were more tame and then a few albums in you started to see more stage entertainment?

It's just amazing to watch. I am sure Prince knew how to move before all that, but the stage is a different place. His spins are quick enough to have made Michael a little jealous. The splits are cool, then there is the mic tricks pushing the mic stand, pushing it forward and holding the base with his foot. Some of this is just studying James Brown.

Any insight or details please.

Prince did get some informal training early on, at least from me....we worked on pirouettes, his jump up with the foot double beats, and staging ideas for the Time; But he was a studier of history and watched James, the Nicholas Brothers & others and had a pretty clear vision of what he wanted to do. If you watch some his earlier movements he wasn't a bad popper either - he incorporated allot of styles and techniques and evolved into his own voice.....

What is your definition of "early on"? Are you saying you helped choreograph some of Prince's shows early in his career? Do tell.

I could see him kicking ass on DWTS. I absolutely love his dancing even at the MSG shows last year he moved me.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

manchild61 said:

Prince did get some informal training early on, at least from me....we worked on pirouettes, his jump up with the foot double beats, and staging ideas for the Time; But he was a studier of history and watched James, the Nicholas Brothers & others and had a pretty clear vision of what he wanted to do. If you watch some his earlier movements he wasn't a bad popper either - he incorporated allot of styles and techniques and evolved into his own voice.....

What is your definition of "early on"? Are you saying you helped choreograph some of Prince's shows early in his career? Do tell.

We met the very first day he was working on his first album; Northern California; I was doing session work for another Artist - Re connected during the Rick James tour, whom I was working with, but spent more time in Princes' camp. Informally started sharing some dance & choreography tips & things kinda developed from there.... Never a Music video, but live staging stuff for all three bands pre Purple Rain.

NO ONE TELLS PRINCE WHAT 2 DO!!!!! EVER!!!!! HE MOVES HOW HE MOVES!! LIKE MORRIS DAY PRINCE LOOKS GOOD JUST WALKING 2 THE THE MUSIC!!

It's been said that Prince made everyone in the Revolution, The Time and Apollonia 6 take dance and acting lesson right before they started filming Purple Rain as well as himself.

I can't remember where I read it, some music magazine at the time, but I believe he did some training because he wanted to expand his style for the Graffiti Bridge movie. I think that it really shows in the Thieves in the Temple video and the live Question of U from Tokyo. He displayed great flexibilty and control of movement.

I think he worked very hard on his own to nail the jumps, splits and spins that define his style in from Purple Rain to Sign of the Times.

Part of what makes his dancing so great IMO is his willingness to try anything. In interviews he called his willingness to be "sick".

Some of this sickness really shines in the parade era shows with the incorporation of mime into his dance moves. Who else could make mime funky? No one. lol.

Yes, training was done for Purple Rain movie and upcoming tour, confirmed in DMSR

"Prince was a great student, eager to learn and very observative. Perfectionist" (paraphrasized quotes)