Prancercise is a
holistic fitness method which is based on "a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward" created by Joanna Rohrback.[1][2][3] It has been compared to the low-impact aerobics that were popularized by 1980s workout videos.[4]
Many
parodies were created in reaction to a Prancercise video Rohrback uploaded to
YouTube, and have accumulated hundreds of thousands of views.[5][6]
History
Joanna Rohrback graduated from
Florida Atlantic University with a bachelor's degree in Health Services in 1978.[7][8] Around 1989 she became a "committed exercise devotee", regularly working out on the Boardwalk in
Hollywood Beach, Florida.[9] One morning, Rohrback began "nearly dancing" while
power walking, which she cites as the inspiration for Prancercise.[10] Later that year, she created the first video to feature the routine entitled “Funky Punky’s Prancercise Program.”[11][12][13] She coined the term to elicit the “strength and beauty of a
horse.”[14][15]
In 1994, Rohrback wrote a book about Prancercise but couldn't find a publisher. Then, Rohrback became her mother's live-in
caregiver. In 2004, after her mother died, Joanna also began to suffer from severe health complications.[16] She was unable to Prancercise for almost nine years.[17]
In December 2013, she was named the Surprise Star of the Year by the
CNBC[37] and appeared in YouTube's 2013 Rewind Mashup video, which has garnered over 15 million views in less than 48 hours.[38][better source needed]
In 2013 Joanna Rohrback and prancercise appeared on
South Beach Tow where Joanna's car was repossessed and she taught prancercising to Tremont Towing dispatcher Dave Kosgrove who used it to help repossess a car.[39]
In March 2014 Joanna Rohrback appeared in the popular TV show
Glee as one of the judges at Nationals.[40]
In November 2017, the YouTube channel
Jontron made an
ironic review of the workout video.[41]