All For MJ

If the Step Up movie series has a star, it's fair to say that it'd be Jamal Sims. After all, the dance-film series doesn't tend to rely on its actors for its star power (although Channing Tatum's Magic Mike moves were first showcased in the original Step Up), instead drawing in audiences with its innovative and ingenious dance routines. And the man behind that is Sims, a veteran choreographer who has called the shots on all four Step Up movies, including the latest, Step Up: Miami Heat.

The storyline on this fourth film deviates from what Sims calls the “battle-driven” plots of the previous two movies, where dance crews were pitted against one another. In Miami Heat, a flash mob crew stages striking performance-art routines in public places – an art gallery, a restaurant, an office building – “so we were able to unite the dancers and have them working together for a purpose.”

Sims says that it's vital for each of the Step Up movies to have their own individual personality when it comes to their dance numbers. “This movie's storyline lends itself to different styles of dance. And we always want to keep the audience guessing. We don't want the franchise to be this one-trick pony where everybody knows what to expect.”

The vibrant culture and diverse locations available in Miami helped a lot in this regard, he adds. “The Latino community is very big in Miami, so of course there's that. Even if we don't have actual salsa numbers, there's a lot of freestyle salsa dancing in the routines. And everything in Miami is about the outdoors, so we have a lot of the numbers outdoors – using the architecture of Miami inspires a lot of different movement. It all came together just being in a place like that.”

The film is also a bit sexy, he adds, mainly because of the “undeniable chemistry” of leads Ryan Guzman and Kathryn McCormick. McCormick was featured on the US version of So You Think You Can Dance and has appeared in music videos. Guzman had absolutely no dance background to speak out – he was actually a mixed martial-arts fighter prior to taking on his Miami Heat role.

“With every project you take on, you never know what you're gonna get – you don't know if you'll get someone who's never danced before but has natural rhythm or someone who thinks they can dance but...” laughs Sims.

“So it's kind of job-specific. You'll find that actors can be insecure when it comes to dancing – some people can dance in the club but can't dance in front of a camera? It's up to you to make them comfortable and confident that you're not gonna let them look crazy. For Guzman and McCormick, this was their first big film and they came in with this great attitude that they just wanted to learn everything.”

For Sims, his infatuation with dance started early, and like many modern dancers it was Michael Jackson who provided inspiration. “The Wiz [Jackson played The Scarecrow] was the first musical I saw in a theatre – I fell in love with it and it's still one of my all-time favourites,” he admits. “Then the Thriller video solidified things for me. It made me realise what I wanted to do. I actually auditioned for Michael Jackson when I was seventeen and appeared in the video for Remember The Time. From there – I started dancing, and that led to choreography. This is my twenty-third film now, and I feel I owe it all to MJ.”

Step Up: Miami Heat opening nationally Thursday 2 August.