Joanna Rohrback On How She Invented Prancercise, Her New Video, The Parodies, Her Next Fitness Invention

Joanna Rohrback became famous overnight when her innovative — if eccentric — a form of exercising, which she calls Prancercising, went viral with her instructional video on YouTube. Nearly two years later, Rohrback is still Prancercising up a storm — this time with Victor Cutino in a new video that features a galloping horse. “Well, it was always my dream to move alongside a horse,” Rohrback told uInterview exclusively. “Prancercising and not riding one because I’m not one to ride a horse.”

So how did Rohrback invent the global sensation that is Prancercising? “One day I heard a really good song on the music player that I had,” she told uInterview, “I started moving in a very unique fashion forward, rhythmically, and that became the first mode of Prancercise: the Prancercise Walk.” Rohrback always believed in her baby, even if others thought she was a bit odd. “Well, I think they’re kind of just like everyone else and just fascinated,” she told uInterview. “What does it feel like? Well look, I always believed in my program, so I’m not totally shocked that people are fascinated by it.”

For her next act, Rohrback promises to revolutionize fitness again — but she’s not ready to tip her hand just yet. “You have enough to chew on,” she told uInterview. “I’ve got to have some secrets to make myself intriguing!”

Q: What is Prancercise?

A; Well, it was always my dream to move alongside a horse, Prancercising and not riding one because I’m not one to ride a horse. Maybe when I was little and growing up that was what I aspired to. Personally, I don’t want to force my will on another creature, and I don’t want to put a bit in its mouth, put a saddle on it, and kick it with my feet to force its movement in one way or another. I’d much rather just be part of the herd and move alongside one. And Prancercise because I love it and nature.

Q: What role does Victor Cutino play in the video?

A: He runs a ranch that’s a rescue ranch for horses. He’s a very good human being and when I approached him for a location, and I didn’t know where it was going to go and we talked more, and it just kind of came to be. He’s very comfortable with the horses and not everybody can be that way, and he was just a good accompaniment to my video.

Q: Where did you get the inspiration for Prancercise?

A: I was living on Hollywood Beach, Fla., along this strip called the Broadwalk -€” an awas looking forward to getting in the best shape that I could ever get in. I had just broken up with a fiance and was feeling very liberated and had started a cross-training program for myself and one of the things I was doing was wearing ankle weights and doing a type of power walk along the beach there where I lived. One day I heard a really good song on the music player that I had; I started moving in a very unique fashion forward, rhythmically, and that became the first mode of Prancercise: the Prancercise walk.

Q: How did you perfect the walk?

A: Well, I decided I wanted as much benefit full body-wise as I could, so with the ankle weights I also put them on my wrists and did the prancercise box. I wanted to spring off the ground more, because having different levels that you’re working out at increases the intensity of the workout and whatnot. So I developed the trot, which is a little bit of a spring off the ground, and then the gallop.

Q: How did you invent the arm movements?

A: The arm movements are necessary for springing off the ground. When you do circular arm movements backward, the way I do, you kind of levitate and it helps you spring off the ground.

Q: How did people on the street react to Prancercising?

A: Okay, well first of all, I didn’t really do it in the streets I did it along the Broadwalk where all kinds of fitness people do things. So, people really enjoyed watching me, I got mostly thumbs up, smiles. Some people were scratching their head because they though I was on drugs or something. I got all sorts of reactions, and that was fine by me; I had a good time, I got fit, I got in the shape I wanted to get in, and all was well with the world.

Q: How has the viral popularity of Prancercise changed your life?

A: I’ve had this different role to play, this quasi-celebrity or whatever you want to call it, and I’ve done a lot of appearances, dealt with a lot of press like yourself, had fans running after me who want autographs and signatures. And now I’m able to devote all of my time to Prancercise which is really my passion.

Q: You quit your job to devote yourself to Prancercise. Was that a challenge?

A: It wasn’t really a challenge. It’s just my scheduling is a little different because I don’t, you know, really have a 9-to-5 existence anymore. I do all the work myself pretty much. I have my attorney and a little bit of help. But social networking takes a lot of time and I didn’t even have a social network when my video went viral; I didn’t even know what a social network was! I had a lot of imposters try to take over my identity who put up pages and my name and the Prancercise name, so all that misguided a lot of people. I think the fans that would’ve stayed with me and cared for me were a little lost in the sauce with that.

Q: How many Prancercisers are there today?

A: I say hey, everybody wants to ride the wave and any type of amusement and entertainment they can bring out. Why not, you know? Everybody was so in awe and trying to figure me out, and thought it was kind of funny because of the clothes I was wearing or the way I was wearing them or the way I talked and it was just all so new and different that it was easy to do parodies for it. What do I think about it? Hey, why not? They’re trying to get the publicity that I got by not trying to parody them.

Q: What was it like to be on Glee?

A: It was a unique experience because it was a network, a scripted part even though it was a very small part, and everything was staged and scripted. I’m used to being myself and not having a role to play, so I can’t say I was totally comfortable with that but it was another one of my many experiences this past year.

Q: What new exercises are you going to invent next?

A: Hey, you guys have to learn the first four modes! You want more? I have some exercises that are more like spot exercises and there is another mode of Prancercise that I might develop but that’s hush hush for now. You have enough to chew on. I’ve got to have some secrets to make myself intriguing!