Shakira’s Music Inspired Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas Says Choreographer

Dominic Zito, the choreographer for the USA Gymnastics National Team, revealed how Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas was able to discover Shakira's music for her routine. According to Zito, the talented gymnast was inspired to use the Colombian singer's music while walking inside a mall.

In an interview with Mel, Zito explained that choosing the music for a gymnast's routine goes through a very serious process. Usually, he and national team coordinator Marta Karolyi choose and approve the tracks that can be used.

But this wasn't the case for Douglas. According to Zito, she is only one of the few gymnasts who get to choose which song they will use for their performances. During last year's P&G Championships in Indiana, Douglas went with Shakira's "Dare (La La La)" for her floor exercise.

Zito noted that Douglas heard the song while she was inside a mall. She then used the Shazam app to identify the title of the track and who sang it.

"That's actually how Gabby found her music last year - she heard a Shakira piece playing in a mall, and she Shazam'd it and sent it over," Zito told Mel.

"Gabby's one of the only ones that picks out what she likes - she has a favorite style, that kind of salsa-Latin flair, which actually helps," he added.

Douglas and the rest of the members of the USA gymnastics team took home gold medals on Tuesday at the 2016 Rio Olympics, according to the Los Angeles Times. Despite her performance, Douglas became the target of critics on Twitter earlier this week after she was seen with both her hands down while the U.S. national anthem played in the background.

In response to her critics, who called her unpatriotic, Douglas apologized through her Twitter account and said that she did not mean to disrespect anyone.

Tags

Shakira, 2016 Rio Olympics