Harry Styles’ choreographer reveals how he ‘pushed singer out of his comfort zone’ with high-octane dance routine at the BRIT Awards

The choreographer who devised the routine for Harry Styles’ Aperture music video and BRIT Awards performance has revealed how he pushed the singer ‘out of his comfort zone’ with the energetic dance.

Ryan Heffington – who came to fame by choreographing the iconic 2014 music video for Sia’s Chandelier – heaped praise on Harry, 32, for his dedication and for being brave enough to take on the routine, after years of shying away from dancing.

During his time in One Direction, the band purposefully avoided choreographed dancing to avoid fitting the traditional boy band formula.

However, Harry delighted fans last week when he opened the BRITs with a high-octane performance of Aperture with a troupe of dancers, in his long-awaited return to the stage after almost three years.

The dazzling routine went viral, racking up 3.8million views on YouTube as viewers raved over the pop star’s effortless and slick moves.

And now Ryan has shared details about working with the star on the music video choreography and adapting it for the BRITs, saying the routine was ‘about Harry moving out of his comfort zone’.

Speaking to The Times, he heaped praise on Harry, branding him ‘a kind human and a really hard worker’ and revealing that he forewent using a stunt double in the music video because ‘he wanted to do it all’.

Explaining his inspiration, he said: ‘My idea was to physicalise the music. He would sing a word and the melody of that word was expressed through the body. He loved it.’

While Ryan revealed that they only had a couple of days to rehearse for the BRITs performance, saying that Harry arrived having already learned most the routine and worked hard to get it right.

‘He never wanted a break, he just wanted to learn it and do the best he could. The dancers at the Brits were huffing, puffing and sweating… Harry just nailed it,’ he praised.

Following the viral reaction to Harry’s moves, Ryan added that it showed a lot of courage for the star to continue to try new things in the spotlight, when people are so quick to criticise.

He said: ‘Harry’s incredible. It’s hard to learn in the public eye; expectations are so high for them to be the best dancer, the best singer… We’ve seen numerous cases of people trying things and getting slammed. But I think he’s older and more confident and grounded now.’

One Direction were known for focusing on vocals and stage presence rather than the slick choreographed routines that their predecessors – such as *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block and Five – were known for.

Admitting it was partly down to their own lack of talents, the quintent also expressed they saw the typical synchronized steps as not being genuine or organic. 

Speaking to Glamour magazine in 2013, the late Liam Payne said: ‘We just kind of came out and said, “We can’t dance. We’re a bit lazy. We’re just normal lads”. We look stupid dancing. That’s what I think.’

While former member Zayn Malik echoed: ‘We didn’t want to just follow the boy band formula. We didn’t want to do any dancing. We just wanted to be five dudes in a band.’

And Harry himself added: ‘The thing is, when you’re playing a part, eventually it goes wrong. Eventually someone’s going to see that that’s not who you are. So it’s best to be yourself from the get-go.’

Harry’s fourth studio album, Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally, dropped on Friday, to a slew of positive reviews from critics and fans.

Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally – KISSCO to his fans – has received a swathe of four star reviews, where he has been lauded for his choice to put out ‘music that actually sounds like him’, according to a critique in the Independent.

Harry’s return as the king of pop features hints of disco and rock, with nods to LCD Sound System, Prince-style funk and The Durutti Column throughout.

The track list is as follows; Aperture, American Girls, Ready, Steady, Go!, Are You Listening Yet?, Taste Back, The Waiting Game, Season 2 Weight Loss, Coming Up Roses, Pop, Dance No More, Paint by Numbers and Carla’s Song.

It has been described as his ‘most playful, bold and experimental to date’, as he offers a vulnerable approach to exploring his feelings around ‘relationships, adulthood, the loss of innocence.’

The Times also gave the album four stars, and the critic particularly enjoyed the fact that it sounded like a ‘bunch of people making music together and enjoying it’.

They said Harry sings with ‘lightness rather than passion’ and he is someone who leans into following the lead of legends before him, such as Jagger and Bowie. 

While Rolling Stone branded the album ‘the perfect summer soundtrack’, which pays a ‘clear tribute to dance music’s trailblazers, but also provides a bold new step in his solo superstardom.’

Harry debuted the new album at Manchester’s Co-op Live on Friday night to a group of lucky fans who secured £20 tickets in a lottery, with the One Night Only show was recorded and dropped on Netflix on Sunday.

It marks the first of a run of shows across seven countries on his Together Together tour, where he has planned multi-day residencies and will perform 50 shows in total.