Choreographer, actor, and director Darrin Henson is giving viewers an inside look into his captivating rise from street dancer to world-renowned choreographer with his official documentary, Darrin’s Dance Grooves: The Untold Darrin Henson Story.
The documentary sheds new light on Henson’s remarkable journey to Hollywood, building a dance empire he still owns, and working for world-class superstars like Michael Jackson, Prince, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, The Spice Girls, George Michael, Enrique Iglesias, Xscape, and many more.
Having dominated the 1990s to early 2000s with choreographed dance routines that would influence an entire generation, Henson became a household name as the man behind the most popular dance moves of the era.
Despite what many would assume, Henson was no trained dancer and perfected his craft dancing inside his bedroom before taking his talents to the streets of the Bronx, New York. An adventurous journey from the circus to Hollywood would ultimately grant him an opportunity with the late Michael Jackson, which helped with his career trajectory.
He would launch his Darrin Dance Grooves corporation, which turned into a successful DVD series that commanded the dance scene of the early 2000s. Henson still cashes checks from the DVD and takes pride in his early ownership decisions.
“The bag has never stopped,” Henson jokingly told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “One of the things that is really wonderful is called residual income.”
“I created it. I own it. I own the name,” he continued. “Ownership is wonderful, and that’s something that we must know, and there’s something about it we must learn about it if we don’t know.
“Ownership is always the key,” he added.
From dancing to acting in classic hits like the Soul Food
TV series, Henson continues his reign in Hollywood, starring in Carl Weber’s The Family Business on BET and Double Cross on ALLBLK. Henson is also gearing up to tap back into his choreographer bag with the release of a show that will highlight today’s rising choreographers.“I’m developing a new show right now that will shine a light on the work they do,” Henson said. “Because we often see the star artists doing these amazing dance performances on stage and in videos, but the people behind the scenes who create the dance steps rarely get recognized. I want to change that.”
Press play below to learn more about Darrin Henson’s journey from street dancer to world-renowned choreographer, and be sure to catch Darrin’s Dance Grooves: The Untold Darrin Henson Story when it premieres on ALLBLK on Thursday, April 20.