Because of the large number of people that watch the Pepsi halftime show each year, it is one of the most sought-after engagements for a musician.
According to specialists in the profession, simply dancing for big names like Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar is no longer enough if you want to be a hip-hop dancer. You can no longer rely just on your skill to dance.
According to Fatima Robinson, who has danced with Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, and the Backstreet Boys, this year’s Super Bowl will have 115 dancers hired by the event’s organizers. She’s never hired so many dancers in her life.
In this industry, hired dancers will be allowed to bring hundreds of unpaid visitors. A trustworthy source informed us that professional dancers were recruiting the assistance of “predominantly African American” spectators to “volunteer” at halftime.
According to Page Six, texts inviting professional dancers to volunteer their time and expertise have also been unearthed.
According to screenshots sent to recruiters by the Bloc Talent Agency in Los Angeles, rehearsals can run up to nine hours each day. Glee’s Carmit Bachar, Alyson Stoner, and Heather Morris have all turned to social media to voice their displeasure about the allegation.
Melany Centeno, a former professional dancer, thought she received unpleasant DMs about her philanthropic efforts after receiving them.
Volunteers must get the relevant training and arrange their own transportation.
According to Riley and Centeno, “a number of dancers” have contacted Robinson and featured her in social media posts about the event.
They further say that she has a habit of exploiting underpaid dancers in her performances. Centeno claims to have observed West’s Coachella Sunday Service in 2019.
Fatima Robinson has accomplished far more than this. She also coordinated Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas’ 2011 Super Bowl XLV halftime extravaganza.
Robinson told Riley she couldn’t talk about the Super Bowl because he didn’t want her to. She hopes that in the end, Robinson will do the right thing.
Centeno, as stated on Page Six, says “If I’m not incorrect, I feel the dance industry as a whole has hit a standstill. We are dissatisfied with what we are witnessing.” Why? Because our rates have been same for the previous two decades.”
Riley has requested changes from this year’s halftime show producer, Jesse Collins, as well as this year’s headliner in order to increase the spectacle.
Page Six also spoke with Keenan Williams, an Orlando Magic hype guy who worked on The Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show last year. Williams appeared as a field dancer at The Weeknd’s show. He agreed to do the unpaid duty in the hopes that it would help him get a job as a dancer.
Despite the fact that becoming a part of the performance was “a dream,” Williams stated that the extended rehearsal sessions were sometimes stressful.
He’d never do something like that. Williams was adamant about not taking the job for free.
In addition to professional dancers, the show has a field cast, which is not done in a traditional way. Participation is entirely voluntary, as it has always been. No one from the program went to a dance agency and enquired about professional dancers. SAG-AFTRA rules are also followed.”
Aside from Robinson, no one from Bloc Agency, the NFL, Pepsi, or Collins would talk to the media about the game.
On February 13, Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium will host Super Bowl LVI.
