Legendary choreographer Fatima Robinson is reflecting on Michael Jackson’s Remember The Time short film, calling it a pivotal moment for her career and for Black visual storytelling on MTV. Robinson was just 21 when she choreographed the 1992 video, which reimagined ancient Egypt with an all‑Black cast.
In fan‑shared interviews and anniversary posts, she’s described the shoot as the moment she realised a young Black woman could lead choreography on a massive, high‑budget pop project and bring her own references to the screen. A widely circulated Facebook tribute from a UK‑based Michael Jackson fan page highlights how Robinson’s work on the clip opened doors for future dancers and directors who saw themselves in its world. You can see that tribute here.
The video’s lush, unapologetically Black vision — from Iman and Eddie Murphy’s royal roles to the choreography filling every inch of the set — pushed back against a music‑video landscape that often sidelined Black creatives from the biggest canvases. Robinson has said that having that level of trust and budget helped validate her instincts and emboldened her future choices.
Decades later, you can still feel its influence in the way artists like Beyoncé, Normani and Teyana Taylor center choreography and Black fantasy in their visuals. For many Black creatives, Remember The Time remains a reference point for what it looks like when Black women are allowed to architect pop spectacle instead of just decorating it. A fan‑curated archive of behind‑the‑scenes stories and interviews offers more context here.
