Want a body like popstar Rihanna? With the help of her choreographer Jamie King you can try. Jamie is responsible for whipping Rihanna into perfect shape through dance.
“It’s enjoyable,” Rihanna says convincingly of her workout of choice. “You lose weight without even knowing it because you’re having a great time.”
Jaime wants people to know that dancing is a valid method to a perfect body. “Dance is a sport. Absolutely,” he says. “Dancers are athletes. I understand that people are skeptical, but because I traveled with Nike for the last two years, I saw people change. I saw that the idea of what dance was changed for them."
In 2005, King paired with Nike to create the Nike Rockstar Workout, a high-energy cardio class that focuses on the athleticism of dance and is available at Crunch gyms and other fitness locations around the world. His muse for this endeavor? None other than the pop princess Rihanna herself, whose video for her debut hit 'S.O.S.' features dance moves straight from the workout.
Following the enormous success of the Nike collaboration is King’s most recent project -- the “Rock Your Body” workout, a book and DVD combo featuring hip-hop inspired dance moves devised to help tighten your trouble spots and shed pounds. More importantly, it was created so that he could share his passion with the rest of the world.
He proves his point further that dancing is an effective avenue to shaping up. “Look at 'Dancing with the Stars'," says King. It’s a perfect example of how dance fitness can make you look better, feel better, act better. You learn a craft. You lose weight. You feel better about yourself.”
Rihanna, like many other performance artists, relies on dance to maintain her flawless figure; constantly touring makes working out with her trainer difficult. “When I’m performing, I’m dancing so much that it helps me to stay in shape," she says. "I’m supposed to eat a certain way, but sometimes I slip up. Sometimes I wonder how I don’t gain weight after several days of eating too much chocolate ice cream and pasta. And then I remember: 'I just came off tour.'”
King's program isn’t just a ‘quick fix.’ There’s no guarantee that you’ll get washboard abs or lose 10 pounds in 10 days. In fact, he stresses the importance of nutrition and a well-rounded diet. “You have to have balance," he says. You can’t just eat really poorly and then dance.”
So what does Rihanna think about her mentor’s methods?
“He’s amazing," she gushes. "I’ve always been a fan of his work, so it was intimidating for me to work with him at first. But right after I got in there, he had me dancing -- I didn’t even know it. He just gets it out of you so naturally.”
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