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Toni Basil is a multi-award-winning choreographer, dancer, director, producer, recording artist and street dance historian.
Best known for her hit single and dancing video Hey Mickey, Toni received a Gold Album for 1981’s Word of Mouth and double platinum records for her International smash single Mickey in the UK, Canada Mexico and Australia. She received a Grammy nomination for her Word of Mouth long-form video album, which she produced, choreographed and directed. Mickey was Billboard magazine’s #1 song for the month of December 1982 and her video was installed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as one of the groundbreaking video and singles of the 1980s. The Mickey music video has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and in 1992, Toni earned herself a place as an American Video Artist in the coveted Museum of Modern Art’s calendar. She starred, co-directed and choreographed two self-titled BBC television specials, which were re-aired in record time due to unprecedented audience response and are credited as launching Mickey as a hit single in the U.K. charts and ultimately, worldwide.
Behind the scenes she has choreography and directorial credits on over 50 videos TV shows , commercials (2 award-winning Gap commercials), three Sesame Street videos and has choreographed and/or co-directed concerts and shows for Tina Turner, David Bowie, Bette Midler, David Lee Roth, Mick Jagger, Linda Ronstadt Lilly Tomlin, Enrique Iglesias as well as many others.
Toni is one of the founding members of the Street dance group The Lockers considered “the group that changed the face of dance” establishing street dance as a true American art form. The group broke boundaries on television toured and opened for Frank Sinatra Carnegie Hall.
In 2008 Toni received Hip Hop International’s highest award Living Legend of Hip Hop. Former recipients include MC Hammer, DJ Kool Herc , Grandmaster Caz, Don “Campbellock” Campbell and Boogaloo Sam.