Prancercise guru and founder Joanna Rohrback can tell just by looking at your face whether or not you possess the skillset and internal spirit necessary to master the graceful fitness art she's been fine-tuning since 1989. Or at least that what the announcer conducting the Prancercise live demonstration and contest at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek last night told us.
By now, you're probably familiar with the springy walk-dance routine and all its variants, and surely you've ascertained it does in fact require a certain finesse.
See also: Prancercise at Seminole Coconut Creek (Photos)
But Prancercising is as much a fitness workout as it is a state of mind. It's a physical embodiment of natural-born free will in motion -- a happy place, trotting alongside a majestic stallion across a grassy mountainside, untethered from the constraints of society... In your mind.
While the 61-year-old Florida native was reportedly somewhat tizzed at the format the folks at the Casino designed for her part-performance, part-contest live appearance last night in Coconut Creek, she certainly didn't let it dampen the pep in her step.
Broken into a series of heats comprised of eight contestants each drawn from a tumbler of names, the contest allowed random players on the floor of the casino to enter for a chance to win loads of cash-to-gamble prizes, with Rohrback as the "celebrity judge."
See also: John Mayer's New Video "Paper Doll" Stars Prancercise Fitness Guru
What resulted wasn't exactly what we were expecting -- hardly any of the contestants had ever even heard of Prancercising. But while the event may have ended up being more about old casino regulars wiggling their butts on stage for money than for the magical fitness movement Rohrback has dedicated her life to, it doesn't change the fact that everyone had a good time watching, and we got lots of fun GIFs out of it.
Check out our top 10 Prancercise moments from last night in GIFs, below.
10. The Disco Prance
We're pretty sure these dancers the Seminole Casino hired to perform in between heats weren't trained at the Rohrback Institute for Prancercising. Let's just blame the sequin sashes. But we did sort of appreciate their disco spin on the original Prance moves.
9. Waddle and Prance
Even though Rohrback gave the contestants of each heat a Prancercise crash course backstage before throwing them out there to compete, it's clear many of them either weren't paying attention, or just couldn't quite grasp the gracefulness and complexity of the moves. These contestants opted for a waddle and flap approach. Not Prancercising, but look, smiles!
8. Bump and Prance
Again, these guys are supposed to be professionals? We're pretty sure Rohrback would not approve, but these bump 'n' grind moves sure got the crowd rowdy. As rowdy as a crowd of 60- to 80-year-old gamblers could get.
7. Cane Wave
Well, he almost has the arm motions down... Contestant number four also deserves an honorable mention here. Is she Prancercising, or conducting the Disney orchestra?
6. Shadowbox on Crack
Try to stop focusing on the guy with the cane and instead turn your attention to the contestant in the foreground. This peppy contestant number four seems to be utilizing the Shadowbox Prancercise technique, a more complex variant than Rohrback introduces in her original Prancercise video. The technique involves a quick air-punch motion while Prancing. The energy's all there, but she has a ways to go with her form.
5. Poetry in Motion
This one has it all: variety, fluidity, technicality. Look at that cane spin! We say all of these contestants earned cash prizes. Oh wait, they did! Anyone whose name was picked from the tumbler automatically won something. No wonder everyone looks so happy.
4. Prance-Go-Round
All of these contestants deserve an A for effort. These people had zero time to prepare any kind of choreography, and yet, check them out! They are in sync and totally vibing.
3. The Guru Herself
This was about as much live demonstration by the Prancerciser herself we got to kick off each heat of the contest, so you can understand why she might've been a little upset. How is she supposed to create a fitness revolution when she can barely Prance on stage more than 30 seconds at a time? Still, Prancercising is a state of mind, and the guru was radiating smiles and positive energy all night.
2. Humble Prancer
You did it, number two. This contestant channeled Rohrback and the horses and conquered his heat of the Prancercise contest. We always like a humble winner.
1. The Prancercise Queen
She may be a master, she may have been commissioned to make a music video for John Mayer, but she's still not above signing autographs for her fans. Rohrback is fit, graceful, chic, and gracious. And she's really into animal rights. You make us proud, Prancercise Queen.
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