Choreographer for Lifetime's Vivica's Black Magic Says Series Uncovers World of Male Exotic Dance

LOS ANGELES - Jan. 17, 2017 - PRLog -- Award-winning choreographer Darrin Henson said he is pleased with the instant success of Lifetime Television's new hit reality series "Vivica's Black Magic" and enjoyed the challenges of creating sensual dance routines. He also said he hopes that his choreography inspires couples learn the art of seduction through dance.

"I believe most couples want to try different things and would like to experiment with exotic dance," said Henson who won an MTV Music Video Award for Best Choreography in 2000 for *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye." "I think many men want to give it a try, but feel they don't have the confidence or muscles. You don't have to have the big muscles or the best moves. It's about expressing yourself to your lover."

The series "Vivica's Black Magic" follows actress Vivica A. Fox ("Independence Day") as she launches her newest business venture Black Magic, an exotic male revue and ultimate ladies' night experience featuring her eight magic men. "Vivica's Black Magic" airs Wednesdays 10pm ET/PT on Lifetime.

Henson is a distinguished choreographer, dancer, actor, director and producer who is best known for his instructional dance video "Darrin's Dance Grooves," and for his portrayal of ex-convict Lem Van Adams on the Showtime TV series "Soul Food," which is the longest-running drama with a predominantly African-American cast in television history.

Henson started in the entertainment industry as a choreographer for music videos and concerts for such popular music artists as Michael Jackson, Prince, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, Jordan Knight, 98 Degrees, and the Spice Girls.

As his career evolved, Henson earned acting roles in motion picture and television productions like "Stomp the Yard," "Black Coffee," "The Hustle," "The Express," and "Chocolate City: Vegas." He had recurring roles on the television series "Lincoln Heights" on ABC Family and "Life Support" on HBO. In 2003, Henson directed the film "Violation." He will be starring in the feature films "The Choir Director" and "Zulu Wedding" in 2017.

Henson was nominated for twice for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the television show Soul Food in 2004 and 2005. Henson was also nominated for an Image Award for his book of poetry, "Intimate Thoughts," in 2012.

Henson said Fox is a long-time friend and the two have worked together on past projects.

"I respect Vivica as a businesswoman. She asked me to come on the show because she knew of my extended background in choreography," said Henson. "I had never done a reality show so I thought this would be something new to tackle. The choreography always comes from the music. I create choreography based upon what the music makes me feel. I look forward to creating routines with different themes every week."

However, Henson said there were often conflicts because of the difficulty of creating the show in a very short period.

"One of the major challenges was I didn't hear the music until 30 minutes before I had to create the choreography, and I only had two hours to three hours to actually create and teach the choreography," said Henson. "Plus, working with eight different personalities at any given time is in itself its own difficult task."

But Henson said in the end they were created great performances. He said the show highlights the subculture of male exotic dancing that has been around for a long time and will be here for a long time to come.

"What's important to me is to continually learn and grow," he added. "This experience has put me in a position where I am forced to resolve issues and problems on a consistent basis, so I am now growing in a way that I didn't expect - as a leader."

For more information about the show, please visit: http://darrinhenson.com/