Brandon has worked J Lo, Brandy, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Nelly, Gwen Stefani, Eve, Ciara, Hilary Duff, Christina Milan, NSync, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Nelly Furtado, Mariah Carey and more! He has worked with some of the world’s top choreographer’s including Hi-Hat, Fatima and Michael Rooney. He has appeared on Oprah Winfrey, Jay Leno, David Letterman, MTV Video Music Awards, The American Music Awards, The Grammys and many more. Brandon recently appeared in videos for Pussycat Dolls, “Bottle Pop,” Janet Jackson’s “Rock with You” and Gnarles Barkley, “Run.” He just completed two episodes of Canada’s “So You Think You Can Dance” where he was assistant choreographer.
Original Q& A article by: chopper
What was your big break?
My big break came after being in Los Angeles for a cpl weeks and i heard about an audition through the grapevine, lol. it was a private audition for Aaliyah. of course I wasn’t suppose 2 b there but when i first moved 2 LA i use 2 go 2 every and any audition i would hear about regardless if i got the actual call or if i was even what they were looking for. I figured I needed to be seen. and it actually worked. The audition for Aaliyah was with Fatima Robinson. and needless to say I got the job and from there she hired me on another video for Mandy Moore and I booked a national burger king commercial around the same time. So all of that gave me a great boost of energy and had people curious as to who is this new young guy and he must be decent if hes working with great people like Fatima. I was decent, but still had a lot to learn. I think Fatima saw the potential in me. and I’m forever grateful for that opportunity she gave me.
Why do you dance?
I dance because I love to. its as simple as that. Its always been a passion of mine. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a dancer. I just always knew how 2 dance. I never took any sort of classes beyond some basic jazz when I was in gymnastics. but jus that along taught me about control and lines. Everything else just came natural. I sort of fell into professional dancing. Its also a way to tell a story through your body with movement which is an amazing thing. To be able to put people in awe with the way u move is kind of dope.
Who are your influences?
My influences are my mom Marcia Barton, my older brother Rodrick cotton, and countless other dancers: Ed Moore, Shotyme, Ro Ro, Tone and Richmond, Fatima, Othanne, Aakamon Jones, melody Benz, Shannon Lopez, Jamaica croft, swoop, Jamal, Rosero, Aaliyah, TLC, Musiq Soulchild, brandy, Mc hammer, Bobby Brown, Devynne, Chonique, Lissette, Tina Landon, Hi Hat, Shawnette heard, and great music producers like Kanye west, Neptunes, Rich Harrison, Quincy Jones, Rodney Jerkins and Timberland.
What advice would you give up and coming dancers who want to make in the biz?
I would just simply say remember that it is a business. be smart. be versatile as a dancer. The more stuff you can do the better. Be able to adapt to different choreographers and their style of working. In order to work a lot you have to be able to change up the way you dance depending on the type of gig and the choreographer’s style of dancing. Also keep a great relationship with your agents and agency. never be afraid to voice your concerns to them and also let them know when they’ve done something good for you. from the small things to the little things. they are human to so those types of things leave lasting impressions. dont get caught up in the hype of i’ve danced with this or that artist and get the big head. U have 2 remember that once a job ends you’ll need another one. Save your money and learn how to budget!! because as a dancer or entertainer period you dont have a set time frame of being paid. so its important that you budget accordingly so you are not living check to check.