Oscars' choreographer Mandy Moore on 'Wicked' opening, Quincy Jones and that salute to James Bond

Mandy Moore’s choreography for Ryan Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken” at last years’ Academy Awards stole the show. This year, she aimed to once again “make something that makes people feel,” she told The Associated Press over the phone ahead of the Oscars.

The a-list choreographer whose credits include Taylor Swift’s monumental “Eras Tour,” had a real challenge for the 2025 Oscars. The original song nominees would not perform. But under her stewardship, the quality of the performances would not wane.

That was clear from the “Wicked”-ly energetic opening: Ariana Grande launched into “The Wizard of Oz” classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” following a visual package celebrating the city of Los Angeles. She was followed by Cynthia Erivo nailing “Home” from “The Wiz” and the pair teaming up for a dynamic duet of “Defying Gravity.”

“It’s everything you want it to be. It's simple. It’s them. It’s their voices and it’s just them as artists, you know? And I will say, I just got out of the way," she laughs. “I just told them where to stand on stage and do their thing.”

There was a four-part tribute to James Bond, opening with “The Substance” actor Margaret Qualley and dancers, followed by Blackpink's LISA serenade of “Live and Let Die,” Doja Cat's “Diamonds Are Forever,” and RAYE's “Skyfall.”

“It's such an incredible, cinematic performance,” said Moore. “We’re really using camera in a way that’s really fun and in line with, I think, something that would be in a great Bond film. You know, those films are so iconic. So, we had to do something pretty major.”

In preparation, she said she rewatched every Bond film “to find shapes and visuals and transitions that feel like a Bond film.”

Later in the evening, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah introduced a joyful tribute to the late producer Quincy Jones, featuring 32 dancers, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Queen Latifah doing “Ease on Down the Road,” from “The Wiz." Jones supervised the adaptation of songs from the Broadway musical for the 1978 film starring Michael Jackson. Jones and Jackson met while working on the film, leading to one of the greatest musician-producer partnerships of all time.

For Moore, the first question was, “Are we doing ‘The Wiz’?” She quickly agreed that the tribute shouldn't feature talent “playing the characters,” and instead focus on the larger-than-life music of Jones. “I just wanted to make a visual representation of what I hear and feel in his music, when I listen to that. So, in order to do that, the music is big. It’s layered. There’s a lot going on with it."

The solution? Choreography that felt just as large. “32 dancers that fill the stage, plus the iconic Queen Latifah in the middle. And these beautiful, ten background vocalists that fill out the vocal parts,” she said. "It’s huge.”

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