Richy Jackson

Richard "Richy" Jackson is an American choreographer, dancer, and visual director who shaped the movement language of pop music across concert, music video, film, and digital platforms. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jackson moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to pursue professional dance. He worked as a performer in music videos and live shows for artists including Usher and Missy Elliott, while simultaneously learning production through assistant roles with established choreographers including Michael Rooney and Laurieann Gibson. Through Gibson's team, he began collaborating with Lady Gaga in the early stages of her recording career.

In late 2011, Jackson became Gaga's lead choreographer and visual director—a role that would define both his career and her public image for over a decade. His work across the *Born This Way Ball*, concert tours, music videos, award show performances, and the Super Bowl LI halftime show in 2017 established a distinctive movement vocabulary: bold silhouettes, angular arms, grounded energy, and synchronized ensemble blocks alternating with star-centered motifs. Each phrase was designed to complete itself through camera framing, costume, or scenic elements, making his choreography legible at stadium scale and compelling in close-up.

Beyond Gaga, Jackson choreographed for the 2018 film *A Star Is Born* and worked with other recording artists on their visual projects. During 2020, he adapted his rehearsal and creative processes to pandemic constraints while creating televised performances including the music videos for "Stupid Love" and "Rain on Me," both of which circulated widely across social platforms and inspired imitation. His practice expanded into gaming, with choreography adapted as digital emotes. In 2024, he collaborated with JoJo Siwa on the song "Karma," demonstrating the reach—and polarized reception—that emphatic pop choreography can attract.