Frank Gatson Jr. is an American director and

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

. He is the creative director for En Vogue, Brandy, Kelly Rowland, Muni Long, Jussie Smollett, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé, a position he has held since her tenure with

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limite ...

. He has also choreographed videos, routines and live performances for other artists including

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwide ...

, Michael Jackson, TLC,

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single ...

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the g ...

, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez,

Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, was an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and previously Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group si ...

, Destiny's Child,

Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ...

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won ...

and

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fie ...

. Additionally, he served as choreographer for Disney's animated film ''Hercules'', providing choreography for The Muses. In 2016, he hosted BET's

Chasing Destiny ''Chasing Destiny'' is an American reality television docuseries whose aim is to find the next superstar girl group. June's Diary eventually was formed through the program. The show was created by Kelly Rowland and also features dance choreograp ...

alongside

. The pair formed a R&B girl group

June's Diary June's Diary is an American girl group formed by singer Kelly Rowland and director/choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. on the American reality television docu-series ''Chasing Destiny'' in 2016. The group consists of members Kristal Lyndriette Smith ...

who he now manages. Frank Gatson Jr. was manager for Luke James and Tyrese Gibson.

Early career

Gatson graduated from the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

in 1980 and began dancing for

Up With People Up with People (UWP) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Up with People stages song and dance performances promoting themes such as multiculturalism, racial equality, and positive thinking. History Archives The UWP Archives ...

, an organization that travelled the globe performing at all various kinds of venues even appearing at several Super Bowl halftime performances. Eventually, he worked his way up to official 'dance captain' and began to manage the show itself. He later moved to New York to study at the 'Broadway Dance Center' and '

Alvin Alvin may refer to: Places Canada *Alvin, British Columbia United States *Alvin, Colorado * Alvin, Georgia * Alvin, Illinois * Alvin, Michigan *Alvin, Texas *Alvin, Wisconsin, a town *Alvin (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community Othe ...

Ailey Dance Center'. After finishing his time at Ailey and Broadway Centers he returned to the

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...

and received a Masters in Theatre and Dance. He got his first professional break when he danced in

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's "Smooth Criminal" video in 1986.

Work with En Vogue

Music videos

Work with R. Kelly

Music videos

Tours and live performances

* Down Low Top Secret Tour (1996) (as director and choreographer) * 39th Annual Grammy Awards (1998) (as choreographer) * Get Up On a Room Tour (1999) (as director and choreographer) * Usher Raymond w/ Puffy “No Way Out Tour” (1998) (as director and choreographer) * TP-2.COM Tour (2001) (as choreographer) * 2005 MTV VMA's (2005) (as choreographer) * 2013 Beyonce's Super Bowl XLVII Halftime show (as creative director and choreographer) * 2015 Soul Train Awards (2015) (as choreographer) * The Buffet Tour (2016) (as director and choreographer)

Work with Beyoncé

Music videos

Tours and live performances

The Beyoncé Experience The Beyoncé Experience was the third concert tour by American singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was staged in support of her second studio album, ''B'Day'' (2006). The Beyoncé Experience consisted of 96 shows in 2007 over five legs. Fan-club tickets ...

(2007) (as show director, creative director and choreographer) * I Am... World Tour (2009) (as director, creative director and choreographer) *

The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer Beyoncé. Announced in February 2013 with initial dates in Europe and North America, the tour contained seven legs and 132 shows. It began in Belgrade, Serbia on Apr ...

(2013) (as director, creative director and choreographer)

Commercials

* '' True Star'' (2004) * ''

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

'' (2007) * '' Armani Diamonds'' (2007) * ''

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...

'' (2007) * '' L'Oreal'' (2007) * '' L'Oreal'' (2003) (with Jennifer Lopez) * ''Stella Rosa'' (2022) Brandy

Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), better known by her mononym Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. She is known for her distinctive sound, characterized by her peculiar timbre, voice-laye ...

Source:

Work with Usher

Music videos

Tours and live performances

Share My World Tour The Share My World Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was launched in support of her multi-platinum third studio album ''Share My World'' (1997), and also contained material from her first a ...

(1997) (creative director) * No Way Out Tour (1997) (as choreographer) * 8701 Promo Tour (2001) (creative director) * One Night, One Star: Usher Live Showtime Special w/ Beyoncé (2005) (as choreographer)

References

FRANK GATSON Jr. - Bio
Chokolate

Journal Sentinel, 26 February 2010

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gatson, Frank, Jr. American choreographers Beyoncé Artists from Milwaukee People from St. Landry Parish, Louisiana University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)