Mēsha Kussman is a director and choreographer who specializes in creating large ensemble musical numbers for camera. Her choreography credits include The Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar!, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Offer on Paramount+, Justin Bieber, Lizzo and more. She is also the founder and artistic director of the international aquatic entertainment company Aqualillies.
BIO
Mēsha grew up in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury, a child of free-love, steeped in counterculture and the arts. After graduating from N.Y.U.'s Experimental Theater Wing, she started her professional career creating avant-garde performance-art installations in N.Y.C. When she moved to L.A. she was hunting for a commercial outlet for her experimental antics. So, naturally Mēsha started as an assistant to director Dennis Dugan on Adam Sandler movies. When she pivoted to working with choreographers Rich + Tone (J. Lo, Madonna..) it brought her back to her love of dance.
In 2008 she founded a dance company focused on transforming pools around L.A. into installation performance spaces. Aqualillies has since become an international water ballet phenomenon collaborating with Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Missy Elliott, Lizzo, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, Usher, Glee, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel... and pushing her work from stage to screen. Working with the Coen Brothers to create the epic water ballet scene starring Scarlett Johansson for their feature film Hail, Caesar! has brought Mēsha to the ultimate culmination of her passions: directing for film.
Her work on screen recalls ‘a feminist Busby Berkeley’, reclaiming the body in new spectacles that feed todays ravenous shame-free audience.
DIRECTING
Conceiving of high-concept visual narratives
Melding dance, film and emerging technologies
Using heightened aesthetics to communicate internal worlds
Thinking of camera movement and editing as choreography
Working with production designers to create physical spaces that can be automated as choreography
Addressing sensitive social issues with care and grace
Upholding a positive environment + working efficiently with a team
CHOREOGRAPHY
Designing large-scale spectacles and ensemble numbers for camera
Working with non-dancers
Combining genres of movement from a variety of styles
Casting and managing dancers with various skills
Creating a supportive environment in rehearsal and on set
Designing choreography based on how the camera will capture it
Making adjustments to the choreography on the fly
Presenting materials in rehearsal to prepare the director and camera crew
Breaking away from familiar mainstream choices and searching for novel concepts
Choreographing and rehearsing oners