Bossing around Madonna
Ask Jamie King how a boy from Verona ended up as a choreographer and director for such megastars as Madonna, Rihanna and Celine Dion and he says there are two answers – one physical, one spiritual.
The physical answer is obvious. King, who released a book and DVD called “Rock Your Body” in May and is a consultant and spokesperson for Nike‘s dance fitness products, is a talented dancer and instructor.
So it ‘s the spiritual answer he gives: “If you believe that you can actually follow your dreams, you can. In Verona, I had dreams of being on MTV and dancing with stars. I had posters of Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson on my wall. Now I not only work with them, I get to tell them what to do.”
King didn ‘t start dance classes until he was 16. “Being a boy in Verona, it didn ‘t seem like the thing to do in public. I had to hide it, dance in my basement copying videos on MTV and showing moves to my friends secretly. ”
Once he finally took a class at the West Side Performing Arts Dance Studio, he says, “I was the only boy in class. Everyone else was wearing tutus. ”
A teacher suggested he attend a convention for the Tremaine/Sleight Dance Studio, where he says he “stood out for all the wrong reasons. ” But he won a scholarship to the Los Angeles performing arts school anyway.
“They said, He doesn ‘t know what he ‘s doing, but he has passion, ‘ ” King says. “I think the rest of the dancers wanted to stab me. ”
Now, he ‘s been working with Madonna for 10 years. He hasn ‘t returned to Madison lately because his parents, Barbara and David Watts, like to visit him in exotic places.
When I spoke with King on the telephone recently, he was drinking Lemon Zinger tea with honey in an attempt to fend off “some bug. ” Yet his itinerary the previous day included three interviews, a visit to Kanye West ‘s house to “prep him for a tour ” and approving three numbers for the Spice Girls’ reunion tour. That day started at 7 a.m. and ended the next day around 3 a.m.
As for what ‘s next, King dreams of translating his experience directing music videos into directing films, “maybe a musical movie.” And Broadway or the West End in London appeal to him. He even jokes that a potential title for his own show could be “Boy From Wisconsin”. King says he started his career enjoying “the fame and the ego and feeling like I ‘m a part of pop culture.”
But he adds, “Really at the end of the day, what really makes me happy is the energy I get from doing the Rock Your Body workout and seeing the positive effects it can have for people. ”
Asked to name a favorite project, he ‘s diplomatic.
“I don ‘t know. There are so many iconic moments – Madonna and my first musical number, Prince ‘s mentorship, the Britney Spears, Madonna, Christina Aguilera kiss – these are moments in time I ‘ve loved. I get to influence the influencers. ”
From the Winsconsin State Journal.
Thanks to Denis.
If you want to check Madonna Tribe’s exclusive interview with “Crazy Jamie” one more time, simply click on the image below.
