The Return of Slam
Popularly known as ‘Slam‘ when he was a dancer with Madonna‘s ‘Blond Ambition‘ tour, in her ‘Truth or Dare‘ backstage documentary, and her ‘Vogue’ video, today the classical ballet-trained son of a Belgian mother and Moroccan father has put that moniker behind him as he forges a new and highly successful career as a sought-after choreographer who travels the world.
During his Bermuda visit, Mr. Gauwloos sat down with Lifestyle’s Nancy Acton to talk about his life, the ‘Madonna experience‘, the frustration which ultimately led to his transition from dancer to choreographer, what inspires him, his thoughts on hip hop dancing, and more.
Growing up in Belgium, Salim Gauwloos began training as a classical dancer at the Ballet of Flanders in Antwerp at the age of 14.
Three years later, he was one of 2,000 dancers who auditioned for a scholarship to the prestigious Steps Dance School in New York City.
Only two were successful, of whom he was one. So the teenager set off for a new life in America, and has never looked back.
Mr. Gauwloos‘ association with Madonna began in February 1990 when he responded to a newspaper advertisement inviting dancers to audition for her ‘Blond Ambition‘ tour.
She interviewed him personally, and two days later called to say he was one of seven whom she was hiring. One month later, they all flew to Los Angeles to begin rehearsals.
“I was petrified of flying, but we always flew everywhere,” he says. “We rehearsed for two months, and at the same time we also shot the ‘Vogue‘ video and a documentary about her ‘Truth or Dare‘ tour.
It was about everybody else and how we came together, what happens backstage mixed with some of the stage show. None of us knew it was going to be such a big deal.
“Madonna is very petite five feet three and a half inches tall and her strength and work ethic are a terrific example of ‘follow your dream’.
She taught me that if you work as hard as possible you can do whatever you want to do. It inspired me to see the woman control everything all the big business guys, everyone.
That’s probably what made her so successful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody work that hard.”
In fact, Mr. Gauwloos became the face of ‘Vogue’. From working with Madonna, he went on to work in the commercial world, performing in music videos for the most popular artists in the entertainment industry, including Aretha Franklin and George Michael.
“I’m not about shaking my butt, but doing what people like to see. If I had a kid I would never let it do what dancers do today. What we did with Madonna wasn’t slutty, now it’s like ugh.”
Click
HERE to read the entire article about Slam on the Royal Gazzette
Click HERE to read MadonnaTribe‘s own exclusive interview with Slam about his work with Madonna
Thanks to Edgar