A lot of people today hang out with their friends by watching a movie, playing video games till all hours of the night, or heading out to the bar. But I have a friend who finds a way to have fun with friends while also creating art and a resume. Michael Christopher Flores is a local choreographer for many theatre companies such as the Selma Arts Center and Fresno State and a theatre performer and director on top of that, AND he also is an amazing cinematographer who creates dance videos on his nights off that rival professional music videos on YouTube. Vision is something directors, choreographers, and cinematographers must have in common, and Michael finds a way to be all three of these visionaries for each of his videos that he choreographs, directs, films, photographs, and edits himself.
I have watched Michael's videos for about a year now and have always wanted to be a part of the process, so this year during rehearsals for "American Idiot" at City College when Michael asked me to perform in his video "What About Us?" by PINK, I could only say yes!
My friend Kai and I showed up at Michael's house around 9pm that evening and were immediately thrown into a choreography lesson for the next hour or so. Next, a whirlwind of hair and makeup came our way from Michael's roommate Cecilia who put together our looks in about 15 minutes, and of course, then we were given costumes hand picked by Alex Figeroa, Michael's resident costume designer. The video he proposed was to include myself, Kai, and our friends Caitlyn Stahl and Brandon Valdez, who had previously performed in a number of Michael's other videos. After just about two hours of shooting, we had completed an entire music video. Michael's videos are all about efficiency, we get there, we get ready, we make the magic happen, and that's a wrap!
But, the most impressive part of Michael's endeavors isn't how he can make greatness appear on screen in a matter of hours, but rather the stories that he wishes to tell through movement that help inspire us to dance our hearts out.
The last video I performed in was to Sam Smith's new song, "HIM," where Michael wanted to show a young man struggling with his love for God and his love of another man. For us girls in the number, we were given the task to be fellow sufferers trapped in decades long gone who are also struggling with the same division of church and love. When we performed this number live at Selma Art Center's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" cabaret, several people said they were very touched by the artistic representation of this very relateable issue through movement, especially inside the church-like setting of "Hunchback's" set.
All of his stories don't have to run quite as deep, however, such as "Take Me" by Aly and AJ, a video Michael shot in honor of Halloween where four best friends who are constantly bullied by their crushes at school kidnap them and teach them a lesson. Revenge was such a wonderful motivation for that video, and the sex appeal oozing from the dancers is irresistible as Michael's combination of leg extensions and floor work made the three tied up boys regret every single rude comment they gave those girls (Spicy, Sweet, Sassafrass, and Shortie as we fondly named them).
The artistry ever present in Michael's choreography connects emotion to movement in such a way that can bring tears to the eye as the one performing or the one viewing. "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles was a number Michael did where two couples were forced to say goodbye as one of each couple moved on to the next part of their journey into the afterlife.
Watching them fight to stay together, as well as seeing glimpses of their happy lives together only brings pangs to my heart every time I watch it, and that is to say quite a few times now.
Recently, as well, Michael has begun a Behind the Scenes series that shows the crazy and fun things that happen while we're out shooting, almost like a bloopers reel for those of us who didn't realize the camera was rolling! This idea was spurred by the fact that most people didn't know Michael shot and edited all of the videos himself, and he wanted to give a little insight on what actually goes on at a shoot.
After experiencing and viewing so much of Michael's talent with the camera, I asked him to shoot the promotional video for the show I directed, "And Then There Were None," at Fresno State. Although the video was not a dance video, Michael's eye for cinema magic was on point to create a video so suspenseful that it helped us sell out three houses out of our four performances total. Check it out if you don't believe me:
These videos definitely deserve more eyes to view them, for they are such a wonderful example of the talent that is based here in our own little city of Fresno, and that you don't have to be a big shot in Hollywood to have an eye for art, beauty, and storytelling. Hit up his YouTube, you'll thank yourself: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv2pL4sE9hAiAy_5P...
