Nathan Kim is a rising star: a dancer, choreographer and actor. He was featured as a dancer in the dance troupe in the showstopping “Euphoria” routine at the end of Lexi’s school play, and is working alongside Charli XCX on her upcoming tour. His moves have gone viral, but Kim isn’t even on TikTok — he doesn’t have the time.
Kim and Charli first met at Ryan Heffington’s dance studio, the Sweat Spot in Los Angeles, when Kim was filling in for Heffington. “Charli’s creative director, Imogene Strauss, used to take my classes a lot, and when Charli started working on [her latest album] ‘Crash,’ Imogene thought it would be a good fit to get Charli moving.”
That was a year ago. Since then, the two have collaborated on her videos for “Good Ones” and appearances including “Saturday Night Live.”
“The ‘Baby’ video was the first song Charli passed to me,” Kim explains. They got together twice a week in the studio. “She would show me movements that worked well on her body, and we started piecing this dance routine together,” Kim says.
For the “Baby” video, simplicity was key — a minimalist interior set and a mirror ball were the main elements. In the middle of it all is Charli, who is supported by two female backup dancers. Kim explains the concept as a hotel room or home where the women had kicked off their shoes and were dancing it out.
The singer was meant to perform on “Saturday Night Live” on Dec. 18, but due to the Omicron variant, the performance was postponed until earlier this month. However, this time, she was flanked by two male dancers to perform “Baby.”
Kim is flattered to learn that the moves he helped design are being recreated by thousands of TikTok and Instagram viewers. He says his inspiration comes from what his body senses. “I try to create stuff that feels like an honest expression of what music and movement make me want to do,” he says. “If people connect with it, and then it makes me so happy.”
