Shiloh Jolie-Pitt's Choreographer Praises 18-Year-Old's 'Consistency' with His 'Extremely Hard' Form of Dance: 'She Is Dedicated To It' (Exclusive)

07/26/2024 03:46 PM

"Whatever dance is for her, she is dedicated to it. That's what I love," choreographer Kolanie Marks tells PEOPLE exclusively of working with Shiloh

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt is honing her craft.

Choreographer Kolanie Marks spoke with PEOPLE about the 18-year-old's work ethic and commitment to dance, highlighting her transformation since their first class together at Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles.

"She's someone that I've worked with for a couple years now," Marks – a L.A.-based dancer who has choreographed tours and music videos for artists like Mindless Behavior, Marques Houston and worked with brands like Nike — tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.

"My style is a lot harder for a lot of people and it's something that she's dedicated herself to trying to figure out," Marks says, highlighting his respect for Shiloh's commitment "to a craft that is extremely hard."

Related: Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Shows Off Her Impressive Dance Moves in Rare Video: 'Her Movement Is Crazy'

Marks says his career, having started as a breakdancer, choreographed on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and NBC's America's Got Talent and traveled around the world teaching, has evolved to prioritizing talent development.

"I've been blessed to have mentored a lot of dancers. A lot of dancers that I have trained are now touring with Chris Brown, Beyoncé, they've toured with Rihanna," he says. "Just knowing what it takes [to succeed in this industry], the consistency [it requires] and all of these things that it takes to actually make it happen, I was able to segue into developing and giving that to other people."

In their sessions, Marks says he respects Shiloh's privacy as the daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. "That's something I don't talk to her about," he says. "I keep it very strictly based off of what we focus on, which is the dancing."

The rising dancer is the fourth-oldest child of exes Jolie and Pitt who also share Maddox, 22, Zahara, 19, Pax, 20, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 16.

Related: Angelina Jolie Is 'Happy and Content with Her Life' as She Remains 'Focused on Her Kids and Work' (Source)

Marks often uses his Instagram to highlight the progress and evolution of his students, and showcased Shiloh's dance transformation in a reel posted to his page in early July.

"I totally forgot who she is in that moment, because that's not what we focus on when we're training," he tells PEOPLE of his appreciation post. "I wanted to give her praise, of just the hard work and dedication that she puts in."

Marks paired the video with a heartfelt caption that detailed their time working together and Shiloh's "doesn't quit" mindset, writing that despite "going down in flames" in their early sessions, he "saw something that was authentic… she kept coming back."

Related: All About Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Daughter

"First clip is a few months after we started and 2nd clip was a week or so ago!" he continued in the post. "I'm proud and no we're not done! Give me til January!!!! I love to help dancers succeed!!!"

What Marks is most proud of? "Consistency," he tells PEOPLE of Shiloh. "She's not only training with me. She trains with a lot of other people," he adds. "Whatever dance is for her, she is dedicated to it. That's what I love."

Helping others perfect the art of dance and developing artists in the U.S. and internationally tops Marks' priorities for the near future.

"Being able to help other people pursue their dreams of passion is just where I'm at in my life," says the choreographer, who previously ran his own studio.

No matter if his students' passion takes them into the profession or into a next endeavor, "you still get to have this blueprint of what it feels like to show up for yourself, put in the work and get something back from it," he says.

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