Exclusive Interview: Tara Nicole Hughes Brings Us Behind the Scenes of Disney’s Little Mermaid

Dancer, choreographer, and creator Tara Nicole Hughes is a creative genius who has worked on critically-acclaimed projects including Nine, Burlesque, and Mary Poppins Returns. As a movement coach, she’s collaborated with the who’s who of Hollywood including Daniel Day Lewis, Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga.

This spring, she brought her talents under the sea in Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Tara Nicole Hughes about her illustrious career, working on The Little Mermaid, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts and dance?
Tara: My mother was always an avid art lover. She loved to take me to dance concerts, movies, and live theater. There was always music playing in our home. She herself took dance classes as an adult, just for fun. I remember always moving, down the grocery store aisles, in the living room. I took my first jazz class when I was seven years old, and I never left the dance studio after that!

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Tara: I’ve had mentors who have inspired me and guided me along the way, including my dance teacher growing up and certain choreographers and directors. But I have to say, the art that I continually soak up, whether it is at a museum, dance concert, or film, gives me pieces to my own puzzle, so to speak. It reminds me what is to be alive and human, allows an outlet for the emotions of life, and gives me nuggets of truth to follow along my path. It sounds abstract, but I believe art changes and elevates my life and the world.

PC: You’ve had so much success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out?
Tara: I’ve learned, from this vantage point, that there has been a great benefit in following my passion and trusting in the process. Sometimes we have a dream or goal, but it is the wide unknown that paralyzes us. Like a winding labyrinth, if we follow the sparks of joy and the soft inner voice that we sometimes hear, we can find ourselves on a path of fulfillment and before you know it, from my experience, we created a career, a life of purpose.

PC: You joined the creative team for The Little Mermaid in 2019, and the start of that process was discovering which marine animals would lend themselves to movement. What was that process like? What were the distinct characteristics you were all looking for? How did this process influence the choreography within the film?
Tara: It was a very special and unique process as there has never been an underwater musical film made before. It was extremely exploratory and quite magical to experience the beauty that already exists and dances under the sea. With the direction and guidance of director Rob Marshall and creative partner/producer John DeLuca, we chose animals that had a variety of sizes and movements, and we let the natural movement of the animals inspire the dance. For example, the feather starfish that we chose resembled showgirls to us, so we built the choreography with that in mind.

PC: There is so much technicality that you have to account for when you’re choreographing a project like this. What were some of the challenges that you faced during this process? What was it like collaborating with the cast?
Tara: The biggest technical challenge was figuring out how the actors could do the choreography and movement in the air. We used rigs on a blue screen set for all the underwater scenes, so the amazing stunt team had to learn and rehearse the timing of all the musical numbers so they could move the actors to the right positions on the correct counts. It was a huge feat and took months to rehearse and perfect. In addition to the talented stunt department, the actors were so amazing, worked so hard, and brought so much grace to the process. It was truly a collaborative effort that made the magic you see on the screen.

PC: The film is out now, and it’s been incredibly well received. What was your reaction when you saw the final film? What do you hope audiences take away?
Tara: I first saw a screening of the film a few weeks before the premiere. I sat in the theater at Disney Studios and just beamed from ear to ear the entire film. I felt such pride and really feel this film brings so much joy and hope. It touches on how we perceive other people and cultures—the prejudices that exist, and through love and understanding, we find common ground. The cast is so exquisite, and I love that there is a new representation in our Ariel. It’s a very moving film, on so many levels.

PC: On another note, tell us about your meditation, visualization, and movement workshop INsideOUT?
Tara: I created a program that uses dance, movement, and meditation to bring more inner peace. We can live very stressful lives that manifest in worry, fear, and sickness. My hope is to share tools to calm the nervous system and allow us to tap into the inner wisdom and guidance that we all have available to us.

PC: Lastly, what’s up next for you?
Tara: I recently Associate Choreographed Joker 2 with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. We just wrapped after six months, and I’m so excited to see how it all comes together. It was an incredible journey working with Choreographer Michael Arnold and those two sublime artists/stars. Just a dream for me.

To keep up with Tara, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch The Little Mermaid in theaters now!

Photo Credit: Paige Craig