Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy can shake off ‘nepo baby’ claims after undergoing months of intense training to prove that she is more than worthy of a place in her mum’s dance troupe.
The 13-year-old prodigy left fans slack-jawed when she showcased her impressive moves – strutting down a runway and whipping her long braids – on the opening night of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour at California’s SoFi Stadium on Monday night.
Daily Mail can reveal she spent hours a day rehearsing for nearly six months with choreographer to the stars, Amari Marshall, all while juggling school.
‘She’s been around Bey’s choreographers since she was a baby which is where she picked up her love of dance,’ said our source.
‘She has been training with Amari, and they started rehearsing just before Christmas. She rehearsed for six hours a day in between school work and has been watching her mum’s videos on YouTube.
‘She recently got into the Destiny Fulfilled era. Lose My Breath is one of her favorite videos. She has a newfound respect for how hard Beyoncé works. Her mum is her hero.’
Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy can shake off ‘nepo baby’ claims after undergoing months of intense training to prove that she is more than worthy of a place on her mum’s tour
The 13-year-old prodigy left fans slack-jawed when she showcased her impressive moves on the opening night of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour at the SoFi Stadium on Monday night
The gruelling training paid off with the crowd erupting as Blue Ivy joined her mum for Formation, America Has a Problem, Deja Vu and Protector – which also saw her seven-year-old sister Rumi take the stage.
‘Blue even had a hand in some of the creative direction of this tour,’ the source said.
Marshall, 31, known professionally as AmariMonster, praised the young teen hours after her Cowboy Carter debut, claiming ‘she is the moment.’
‘I am just a vessel and I’m here to spread love,’ she wrote alongside a video of the teen. ‘Watching her shine in her runway walk made my runway heart sing. I’m so happy I was able to work with her, choreograph her twist and step because SHE IS THE MOMENT. Pls know that walk is allllllll HER.’
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Marshall made her debut in Monsters of Hip Hop before going on to work with Janet Jackson and Lady Gaga. She also worked on Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The choreographer, who is managed by her mum, struck up a relationship with Beyoncé after auditioning to be a dancer for her history-making Coachella headline performances in 2018, landing the gig alongside her sister. Beyoncé later appointed her Co-Dance Captain for her $579million Renaissance Tour.
‘You’re working for the best and she expects the best out of you,’ Marshall told Sherri Shepherd of the 56-date tour last year. ‘You’ve got to be on your game, you’ve got to be on time, you’ve got to eat right… we’re talking about long hours for every day of the week.’
And there is no special treatment for Blue Ivy, who was put through her paces ahead of her mum’s latest tour.
‘She rehearsed for six hours a day in between school work and has been watching her mum’s videos on YouTube,’ a source told DailyMail.com
‘Bey and Jay were apprehensive about having her in the public eye and only agreed to her request to perform because her grades are good,’ said the insider
Blue Ivy has been trained by Amari Marshall, 31, who was appointed Co-Dance Captain for Beyoncé’s $579million Renaissance World Tour (pictured Marshall far right, Blue Ivy center)
‘She’s received no special treatment but some of the choreography was changed so it could be child friendly,’ said the insider.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z were reportedly ‘apprehensive’ about her featuring, but eventually agreed to her pleas to take part.
‘Bey and Jay were apprehensive about having her in the public eye and only agreed to her request to perform because her grades are good,’ said the insider. ‘They want a well-rounded kid so performing is as important to them as her grades.’
Their apprehension no doubt stems from the criticism Blue Ivy received after Renaissance which saw her join her mum for songs My Power and Black Parade. A then 11-year-old Blue Ivy was cruelly mocked for her ‘underwhelming’ and ‘uncoordinated’ performance, with one critic claiming: ‘Just being Beyonce’s daughter isn’t enough.’
Marshall previously revealed how she would feed Blue Ivy ‘positive reinforced affirmations’ and would give her a ‘thumbs up’ as much as she could.
‘I always told her as we progress it’s going to get better, but we have to stay committed to the rehearsals and to tune out what everybody’s saying,’ she recalled of their time together during an interview on the Toure Show last year.
‘I wanted to always let her know that you have your own identity and your name is your name. Your reputation is yours because you built that even though you come from a Heritage of phenomenal, incredible people you’re going to have your own legacy.’
Blue Ivy, who is scheduled to feature in around half of the 32 Cowboy Carter tour dates, made her musical debut on dad Jay-Z’s 2012 single Glory, becoming the youngest person in history to ever chart on Billboard.
Blue Ivy joined her mum for Formation, America Has a Problem, Deja Vu and Protector – which also saw her seven-year-old sister Rumi take the stage – on Monday night
It comes four months after Blue Ivy joined her mum during the halftime show at the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans’ Christmas game in December (pictured)
In 2019, she featured on Beyoncé’s Lion King single Brown Skin Girl, which reached No. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Last year, she made her big screen debut as the voice of Kiara in Mufasa: The Lion King.
Her latest performance comes four months after she danced with her mum during the halftime show at the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans’ Christmas game in December.
Her growing star power, coupled with the outpouring of support for Blue Ivy following the opening night of Cowboy Carter could help to shift tickets.
Beyoncé is struggling compared to her previous stadium tours with swathes of seating still available for upcoming dates this week, many of which are resale.
Despite the speculation, however, the tour’s promoter Live Nation confirmed in a statement that the tour is 94 percent sold out across all dates.
