10 Dance Videos On YouTube You Have to Watch Right Now

Image via Complex Original

Remember how excited you got when you heard Justin Timberlake was coming back to music? It had been six long years since his last album, Future Sex Love Sounds, and everyone was at the edge of their seats anticipating what kind of album he would come back with. Meanwhile, in the dance community, dancers were just as excited to hear about JT’s return to music because that meant one thing: Marty Kudelka was back. For those who may not know Kudelka’s involvement in JT’s career, I have the perfect analogy: JT’s music is to Timbaland as JT’s performances are to Marty Kudelka. Once JT made the massive announcement, dancers across the land far and wide were losing their minds at the thought of seeing Kudelka create magic on stage once again.

Marty Kudelka is known for his intricate choreography. The combo looks fairly straightforward to the untrained eye but Kudelka has a way of incorporating small details in order to make the sequence flawless in rhythm and musicality. He hits subtle nuances in the music with timely precision. He's fluid, clean and light on his feet. To translate music into movement so perfectly is a gift and a result of a life’s dedication to mastering his craft. 

Last month, Yeezus brought the house down [multiple times] in New York City. I followed the concert reviews, Instagram pictures and tweets while I sat miserably at my desk feeling really bad for myself. I felt even more crappy once I learned that Karen Chuang would be dancing for the critically acclaimed Yeezus show experience.

Karen Chuang has a high dance IQ, and at only 23-years-old, she's graduated from UCLA, danced for Lady Gaga, toured with Nicki Minaj and secured a sacred spot on the most anticipated tour of the year. In this YouTube video of choreographers Brian Friedman and Miguel Zarate’s class at the Movement Lifestyle studio in LA, Karen shines in her overalls and chucks to reminds us that even when you are at the top of your game, you can still stay true to yourself.

In 2008, dance exploded into pop culture thanks to a little MTV show called America’s Best Dance Crew. Throughout its four-year run, we got to witness some of the best dancers from across the globe duke it out on stage to win the title of best dance crew. Among those talented dancers, Joesar Alva took on the competition with his crew, Boogie Bots, and lasted until week seven of season two, only to get eliminated after a gut-wrentching dance battle with rival group Fanny Pak.

Since then, Joesar has continued to dance professionally and his dance credits include music videos [Justin Bieber, Jason Derulo], television [X Factor] and live shows. Thanks to YouTube, we can re-watch old school Joesar and the Boogie Bots rock out to Lil Flip.

Remember when you had a dream and you knew you would give everything up for it? Your parents didn’t understand you but you didn’t care. Your friends would complain about your recent flakiness but you knew that you had other priorities. Nothing meant more to you than your dream.

Ade Willis is one of those underrated dancers who you’ve seen but may not know. He’s that quiet storm, brewing in class. He's that guy dancing on stage left that you keep thinking about after you leave the show. Now, he’s dropping choreography videos on YouTube to showcase his unique ability to speak with his body. Fact: If you were to mute this video, you would still be able to see Ade’s emotion tell a story.

Straight from ATL, Sean Bankhead is one of the most sought after choreographers in the game right now. Never heard of him? Okay. But I guarantee you’ve seen his work. He’s choreographed for Britney Spears, Diddy, Lloyd, Drake and more. You may also have seen him on TI’s Family Hustle, as the choreographer for Tip's daughter’s girl group, OMG Girlz.

Back in the summer when everyone was bumping August Alsina, Sean took the liberty of choreographing to “I Luv This Sh*t” and the rest was history. Sean takes this song and elevates it with his movement. He makes it look so damn easy.

Think back to 2008 when Janet Jackson took the world by storm with her Rock Witchu Tour. Thanks to a YouTube video that captured the audition process narrated by tour choreographer Gil Duldulao, we get to see the abridged version of how a Janet Jackson audition takes place and witness a star being born. That star's name is Jillian Meyers.

Jillian Meyers was one out of eight dancers who were chosen for the tour and one out of the two girls that were hand selected by Janet herself. The end of the video shows a young Jillian humbly thanking Janet for choosing her. She has a look of pure ecstasy, knowing that she just booked the job of all jobs- dancing for Janet Jackson.

If I had to make a comparison, Parris Goebel is the dance game’s Nicki Minaj. But making that comparison doesn’t completely sit well with me because there really is no one else like Parris. With a fearless attitude, Parris has recently dominated the dance scene at such a high level that you could say she is having the best year of her career. Once people started to recognize her crew, ReQuest, dominate Hip Hop Internationals and produce impeccable concept videos on their YouTube channel, Parris became a household name as a choreographer.

In September, Parris put out a YouTube video entitled, Parris Goebel Presents: I <3 CALI BOYS. The video went viral and received more than 300,000 views. One of those 300,000 viewers was Kpop star Taeyang from Big Bang. He was so impressed by her work that he called her in to choreograph his new single, Ringa Linga, for his upcoming album. Oh, the power of YouTube.

Some dancers decide to track their progress by creating a YouTube channel and uploading videos throughout their formative years. Bong Buno's YouTube channel is no exception. You can see the progress made from a small town Jersey boy dancing with his friends to a mature dancer whose work is gaining momentum in the choreography game. He is a staple in New Jersey’s dance community and represents New Jersey’s UFP Dance Company. Unlike the industry which is a bit more cut throat, NJ's dance community has high hopes for this talented dancer. 

Tony Tzar is a dance chameleon. He not only dances any style you throw at him, but also executes and performs with insane showmanship. He's also the reason why the "I'm too tall to dance" excuse is so damn false. He's got a soul that is truly genuine and is regarded as one of the best teachers in the country. YouTube is full of Tony Tzar workshops, performances and freestyles. It would be best to watch one of the greats and learn a thing or two.