02-25-2024 Harford Mag - Flipbook - Page 76
her church’s screenings — and the gig
led to more.
While initial work was underway on
“The Color Purple,” Watson learned of an
audition to perform in Super Bowl LVI;
Fatima Robinson was choreographing
the movie and the halftime show, which
included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem,
Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50
Cent.
Watson asked to be included, despite
initially being considered too short for the
gig, standing at 5 feet, 3 inches, she said.
She made the cut, performing with
over 100 dancers — mostly Black and
people of color, she noted — during the
2022 show, appearing on top of a car at
the 50-yard line while Mary J. Blige sang.
“I love the daredevil stuff,” Watson
said, adding that during Kendrick Lamar’s
performance, “I remember looking out at
the audience and taking a moment, and
I was like, ‘Wow. I think I belong here.’”
That same year, she danced with
Beyoncé for a pre-recorded video of “Be
Alive” shown at the Oscars, and also
choreographed by Robinson.
“I don’t know any dancer who doesn’t
want to work for Beyoncé, let’s be real,”
Watson said.
The performance was filmed on a
tennis court in California, and included
dancers who were working on “The
Color Purple,” she said, describing it as
a whirlwind process.
“The monochromatic colors of us
looking like little Black princess tennis
balls on this court, I thought that was
amazing,” Watson said.
Back in Harford County, she’s
made an impression, said Hauf, who’s
watched her succeed. A decade after
their first collaboration, he invited her
to choreograph from afar another dance
for the Havre de Grace High School band
in the fall of 2022, to Mark Ronson and
Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”
“This is what Havre de Grace can
produce,” Hauf said he told students.
“Monique still, even though she’s on
the other side of the country, she’s still
influencing her hometown. … I’m proud
of her.”
With her sights set on the future,
Watson — who shares educational
resources for dancers on Instagram and
is completing certification to become a
pilates instructor — said she’d like to teach
in Maryland again one day.
“The universe always places me where
I’m supposed to be,” she said.
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| Spring 2024 | harfordmagazine.com
Monique Watson got a call in
the fall of 2021 to audition for
a crew that would workshop
the movement for the movie,
“The Color Purple.” The
audition, she said, was set to
a gospel song. COURTESY OF
WATSON
Beyonce appears on screen
as she performs the song
“Be Alive”from the film“King
Richard”at the Oscars on
March 27, 2022, at the Dolby
Theatre in Los Angeles.
PHOTO BY CHRIS PIZZELLO/AP
