Crafting the perfect proposal is no easy task. But somehow, celebrity dancer and choreographer John Silver managed to pull it off and with the help of megastar Beyoncé.
Yep, you know that cute proposal video that had the Interwebs going crazy at Yoncé’s concert? That was Silver’s master plan and one that successfully left his new fiancée, Ashley Everett (Beyoncé’s lead backup dancer), crying tears of joy.
While many of us can only dream of having an iconic musician in on our “I do” plans, the ST. Louis native made it happen. In this JET exclusive, the star dancer details his love story, the moments leading up to the worldwide proposal and future plans for a “happily ever after.”
JET: How did you and Ashley meet? What’s your love story?
John Silver: I hit it off with Ashley on the set of Ne-Yo’s music video, “One in a Million.” We had actually done two previous videos before that, “Beautiful Monster,” and “Champagne Life,” which is the one we actually met on. She was my dance partner and sparks flew as we flirted on set all day.
However, it wasn’t until Ne-Yo, who is actually one of my best friends, threw me a little bash in Miami. I asked, “Hey can you fly that girl with the curly hair out? I wanna get to know her.” He smirked, and next thing I know, we’re all on a plane to begin the celebration (laughs). The rest is history.
JET: Tell us about the moment leading up to the proposal. Beyoncé was pretty cool for allowing that to happen. How’d it all go down?
John Silver: Well I originally had the ring in May and I asked the choreographers if they could fit me in the show. Beyoncé had sooo much work to do with the show and a lot of ongoing changes, that it wasn’t any time to add me in. So six months later, they finally called and said, “OK, do you still want to do this proposal?” I said, “Sure, let’s do it in STL… It’s only right.” So they hit me back and said, “We talked to B, and she said HELL YEA let’s do it!!” So we came up with the idea to do it before or after “Single Ladies.” Ashley had no idea I was even in the same city, and the first time she saw me was when I walked onstage (smiles).
JET: Were you nervous? You were LITERALLY in front of millions of people.
John Silver: I was nervous all day, having fits with my family like it was that “time of the month” (laughs). But luckily, I am use to being onstage because of all the tours I have been on in my career. So being in front of big crowds doesn’t scare me. SPEAKING into the mic was a whole other ball game. But once I walked on that stage and Beyoncé passed me the mic, adrenaline kicked in, and I went into performance mode.
JET:You’ve got a very lucrative dance career yourself. How did you get into dance?
John Silver: I moved to California in 2004 and struggled for about six months. I landed my first tour with Omarion and pretty much stayed on tour up until now. I’ve performed with Ne-Yo, J-Lo, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Ginuwine, and Kanye, to name a few. I’ve done movies: High Strung, Stomp The Yard, Dream Girls, and Dance Flik. So God has been really good to me over the years.
JET: So, in addition to now planning a wedding, what’s next for John Silver?
John Silver: I have my hands in so many things. I creatively direct for FLO Rida, Tito Jackson, and possibly miss Jhené Aiko, who all have upcoming projects. I’ve partnered with a clothing company called “Sixth June.” I’m also working on my own city tour, giving back to all the communities with celebrity dance classes, and celebrity producer and writer workshops, giving kids the KNOWLEDGE of what it takes to make it in the industry. So even with all the success in my career past, it’s safe to say I’m just getting started. I’ll also be in Chicago this Saturday, September 17th to host a “Master Class” dance workshop for any dancer ages 12 and up! It’ll be at the American Rhythm Center at 4 p.m. and all are welcome.
Keep up with John on Twitter @johnsilvershow and on Instagram @1j.silver.
