Body Talk

Following a stellar career in ballet as a principal dancer, Stephen Galloway is now the creative industry’s go-to choreographer for magical moves that speak volumes

- By Mallery Roberts Morgan

In any creative process, there’s a search for that magical moment when you hit the mark. And in any creative process, the stage can be perfectly set – so to speak – yet that special moment never comes. Which is why today’s most sought-after creatives – whether working on a photo shoot, music video, TV commercial or the catwalk of a fashion show – rely on Stephen Galloway as a guarantee to bring the magic. Using the roll of a shoulder, the twist of a head, the exact placement of an arch of a foot, Galloway has pioneered a singularly unique profession as a creative movement director.

‘I try to capture magic, you know, that’s all I try to do,’ says Galloway of his work rooted in two decades of experience as the principal dancer for Germany’s Ballet Frankfurt. Not only does his role in the creative process involve choreographing the physicality of a composition, but he also uses movement to fuel the moment with magical energy. The ‘dance like nobody is watching’ in Miley Cyrus’ music video for Flowers – the one that went viral and inspired a million memes – that was Galloway. ‘You’re trying to create and sustain magic just long enough to capture it,’ he says. ‘When it works, it speaks for itself.’