Jamie King the man who is firm with Madonna
Director and choreographer Jamie King gave a short interview to a Spanish Magazine this week. Here’s a translation of it by the MadonnaTribe Team.
Even if discretion is his weapon Jamie King has no worries to straight talk to the stars he works with: “I want to be sincere, not an adulator. If they do it badly then it will come back to me”
Jamie King, the man who is firm with Madonna by Silva Castillo
He’s a sort of American Billy Elliot. “I was born dancing”, quickly says Jamie King, who at his young age is one of the most wanted directors and coreographers in showbusiness in the US. From Michael Jackson to Elton John, through Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Geroge Michael or Ricky Martin, they all relied on his skills . Britney Spears and Shakira are among his most recent clients, but in his own resume there’s a completely separate section devoted to the eight years he has spent working with Madonna, being the director of her latest two World Tours and having been in charge of the coreography of yhe 68th edition of the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. To his belt is also credited the
the performance at the 2003 MTV Music Awards – kiss included – starring Madonna and Britney Spears.
But everything started in 1993, when King started a three-year collaboration with Prince, who he considers his master. Nowadays, this King Midas of dance is busy to let women practice sport with the dance, in the new campaign of the female collection of Nike, that brought him in Madrid for a quick stop.
What have you learned from Prince?
He taught me a lot of things… staging, lighting, editing and – the most important thing . Fusion between music and movement.
You work with artists that truely are stars of music. Are they easy-going?
Working with such hugely talented people is never an easy task, especially because they are very careful and strict in what they do. But this is what I like about it, that it becomes difficult and challenging for me. They keep the expectations very high, they demand a lot, and that’s reason for they climbed have to such high points in their career.
Did you have to preach to Madonna, reprimend her?
Always (laughs), really. First of all, I’m completely honest. When an artist like Madonna is not doing something well and you don’t tell the truth but keep flattering her, at the end it will get back against you, because when the show begins everybody will see that she’s not doing well and they will learn who was responsible for not teaching her properly. In my work I do my best to always be sincere, that gives you integrity.
How is Madonna at close range?
She’s a nice person. During the years that I’ve been collaborating with her, she has experienced a great evolution. She was very concentrated on herself and on her work before, and now she has different motivations, she’s worried to help others, to give a positive influence with her music.
Have you ever had to teach to someone who was a bit goofy?
Many of the artists that come to my studio tell me: “But I can’t dance”. Then I ask them “Can you walk? if you can walk, that’s quite close to dancing”. That’s the first step.
Source: abc.es
Translation MadonnaTribe
Thanks to our forum member VogueInside for submitting the original article.