There are different forms of martial arts: towel and sanda, and Mack specializes in the former. “As you go through a routine, your performance is evaluated based on the skills you demonstrate and the mistakes you make,” he says. “Sanda, on the other hand, is combat-themed and combines kickboxing and wrestling.” Towel is choreographed, with tornado kicks, twists, punches, cartwheels, jumps, and now a spicy sword and consists of specific movements such as the movement of a spear. You may have seen Twig spinning a sword on Instagram – Mac had something to do with it.
The two have been working together since 2019, when she was preparing to shoot the music video for “Sad Day.” “The concept was to incorporate elements of martial arts, but the setting was in a grimy area in east London. “We choreographed the entire music video together,” he explains. “Since then, she's started performing with martial arts swords, so we've just continued to train together.” He has worked on three music videos, including “Measure of a Man'' and “Measure of a Man,'' which incorporate various styles of martial arts, including fluid tai chi movements and, of course, “swords''. .
It doesn't seem easy – in fact, I think I speak for all of us when I say dangerously. “Swords are hard,” Mac agrees. He is someone who started practicing at the age of three and was holding a sword by the age of six. “I didn't pick up a sword for a couple of years because I had done all the basic things that required coordination, movement, and body control. Before I even thought about picking up a sword. There’s a whole process that you go through.”
But that's not the case with Twigs, who has extensive training as a dancer and already has “incredible control over her body and extension, and an understanding of choreography that allows her to pick things up quickly.” . She took an accelerated path to her Kendo, and for her first music video she showed off intricate moves during six months of intensive training. “She's put a lot of time, effort, and dedication into it. That's why she's accomplished what she's doing in film.” You'd be hard-pressed to find it anywhere else,” Mack says.
