Photo: Equinox
FromMadonnatoJAY-ZtoMariah Careyand more, the 31-year-old French-born dancer tells PEOPLE that even though he considers his clientele to be just like everyone else, he feels honored and inspired to hit the dance floor with them.
Equinox
While the French actor acknowledges his clients all have strong work ethics, Madonna particularly has a drive that stands out. And after working with the singer and actress for a decade, he’s still blown away.
“I think I’ve never seen somebody work as hard of Madonna,” Mabanza tells PEOPLE. “She is a workhorse. I always say, one year with Madonna on tour is 10 years of experience.”
Mabanza even credits the mom of six for giving him the best advice he’s ever received in his career, and it’s quite simple.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Figure it out,” Mabanza shares. “She’s the type of person that will tell you, ‘Listen, I want this to happen. I want that, this and that, and that and this and that and that… Make it happen.’ You look at her and you say, ‘But that’s really not possible right now.’ She will tell you, ‘Figure it out.’ And somehow you managed to figure it out when you first thought that it was impossible.”
And that’s exactly what he’s doing with his partnership with Equinox’s LIFE IS THE LUXURY campaign, which focuses on the pursuit of independence, freeing yourself from the constraints of the mundane, and fully engaging in every aspect of your life. It’s a commitment to the elevated art of living, something Mabanza takes quite literally.
“Personally, I take it as a literal sense,” Mabanza says. “Life is real luxury because it is almost limited assets or time is almost limited assets. I really value my time on this planet. I value my life. I value the experience. I have it on this life and my health and my wellbeing. So all of that, I cannot really take it for granted and I think that luxury, whatever you value, whatever you put a price on, whatever you put value on. And to me life, it’s the most valuable thing next to my family that I can value.”
source: people.com
