Campaign
Choreo Cult
Naming, Manifesto, Concepting, Video
The ask
I really, really wanted this project. Not because I love the class or category, but because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone.
The ask was to name, brand, and shoot Equinox’s signature 2020 program—working title “Dance Cardio”. It’s a mix of free-form dancing (for all levels) and sculpting moves with small weights and bands.
Not really my cup of tea, but I begged for this one.
The name
Everything, from concept to production, starts with a name.
This one was especially difficult. It needed to sound exciting, edgy, and Equinox-y, but still clear about what it involved with out being too Basic. Many things were briefed in for the name: it needed to touch on dance, obviously, but also the feel-good community aspect of the class.
We landed on Choreo Cult after weeks of rounds.
But the CMO wasn’t sold, so I had to do a little extra work to justify the name. Looking into how “choreo” and “cult” are used in specific contexts.
On the right, you’ll see my justification slide—touching on what the words mean, who uses them and where, and how many IG posts there are under the #choreo hashtag (about 800,000).
“It is one of the most fun and unique fitness classes I’ve ever experienced and I cannot wait to share it with you all! In Choreo Cult (ps, how awesome is the class name?!) you will jump, kick, shake your booty and tone from head to toe as you learn super fun, easy to follow dance choreography...”
Shortish manifesto to guide the class feeling.
The concept
This class creative had to accomplish a lot. Obviously it had to show what happens in the class, but it also had to touch on how fun it is, the sculpting components, and losing yourself in the moment.
My art partner and I landed on a “euphoria” concept: the dance and sculpt moves you actually do in the class would be shot on a white background, and the free-style “losing it” parts would be shout in a poppy color wash.
Tactically, these would be the assets we’d use for any “dance” collateral for years to come.
The shoot
We required a lot of dynamism in our final video—so we hired the dynamic duo Hart + Leshkina for both stills and video.
We shot in one day in a studio in Brooklyn. In partnership with a set designer, we created a black, gently sloping set so you could see the moves of each dancer.
“So much love for my fave girl gang 💃🏻”
“The new signature dance class “CHOREO CULT” has launched at Equinox and its been nothing but amazing reviews and so much sweaty fun! ⚡️”