Stars Who’ve Dated Backup Dancers: Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and More

Credit: Shutterstock (3); Courtesy of Madonna/Instagram

Stars Who’ve Dated Backup Dancers: Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and More

If Dirty Dancing and Step Up taught Us anything, it’s that even the unlikeliest of pairs will fall in love if you give them the right steps and some good music. It’s not uncommon for stars and backup dancers to hook up or date — and some have gone even further by tying the knot. Take Britney Spears and Kevin Federline for example. The Princess of Pop met the Fresno, California, native in April 2004 at Joseph’s in Hollywood in the midst of her Onyx Hotel Tour. Federline had danced for LFO when the boy band opened for Spears on her (You Drive Me) Crazy Tour in 2000, but the two never interacted until that fateful nightclub run-in. Less than three months later, the “Toxic” singer and K-Fed were engaged. (At the time, he was expecting his second child with ex-fiancée Shar Jackson.) Spears and Federline documented their whirlwind romance and September 2004 wedding on their short-lived UPN reality show, Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. They welcomed two sons together, Preston and Jayden, before she filed for divorce in November 2006. Spears, who has been dating personal trainer Sam Asghari since late 2016, was not the first music artist to marry a backup dancer though After her high-profile split from Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jennifer Lopez was introduced to Cris Judd in 2000 on the set of her “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” music video. She and the choreographer exchanged vows in September 2001, only to divorce the following June. (The “Jenny From the Block” songstress went on to date another dancer, Casper Smart, before getting engaged to former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez in March 2019.) Mel B also had a short-lived marriage to one of her dancers — and, like Spears, got a child out of it. The Spice Girl started seeing Jimmy Gulzar in 1998 during the Spiceworld tour. They got engaged that May, and she announced her pregnancy just weeks later. After saying “I do” in September 1998, Mel B and Gulzar welcomed their daughter, Phoenix, in February 1999. The pair separated 11 months later and finalized their divorce in November 2000. Scroll down to see more stars who have dated backup dancers!

Credit: Shutterstock (3); Courtesy of Madonna/Instagram

Stars Who’ve Dated Backup Dancers: Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and More

If Dirty Dancing and Step Up taught Us anything, it’s that even the unlikeliest of pairs will fall in love if you give them the right steps and some good music. It’s not uncommon for stars and backup dancers to hook up or date — and some have gone even further by tying the knot. Take Britney Spears and Kevin Federline for example. The Princess of Pop met the Fresno, California, native in April 2004 at Joseph’s in Hollywood in the midst of her Onyx Hotel Tour. Federline had danced for LFO when the boy band opened for Spears on her (You Drive Me) Crazy Tour in 2000, but the two never interacted until that fateful nightclub run-in. Less than three months later, the “Toxic” singer and K-Fed were engaged. (At the time, he was expecting his second child with ex-fiancée Shar Jackson.) Spears and Federline documented their whirlwind romance and September 2004 wedding on their short-lived UPN reality show, Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. They welcomed two sons together, Preston and Jayden, before she filed for divorce in November 2006. Spears, who has been dating personal trainer Sam Asghari since late 2016, was not the first music artist to marry a backup dancer though After her high-profile split from Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jennifer Lopez was introduced to Cris Judd in 2000 on the set of her “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” music video. She and the choreographer exchanged vows in September 2001, only to divorce the following June. (The “Jenny From the Block” songstress went on to date another dancer, Casper Smart, before getting engaged to former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez in March 2019.) Mel B also had a short-lived marriage to one of her dancers — and, like Spears, got a child out of it. The Spice Girl started seeing Jimmy Gulzar in 1998 during the Spiceworld tour. They got engaged that May, and she announced her pregnancy just weeks later. After saying “I do” in September 1998, Mel B and Gulzar welcomed their daughter, Phoenix, in February 1999. The pair separated 11 months later and finalized their divorce in November 2000. Scroll down to see more stars who have dated backup dancers!

Credit: Courtesy of Madonna/Instagram

Madonna and Ahlamalik Williams

The “Vogue” singer sparked dating rumors with Williams, who is 36 years younger than her, in late 2019. His father later confirmed that they were an item. The dancer has since joined Madonna on trips across the world.

Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka

Carey sought comfort with Tanaka, a backup dancer on her Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour, after her bitter October 2016 split from fiancé James Packer. Though the couple met in 2005, their friendship didn’t turn romantic until November 2016. “I’ve always had a thing for Mariah. I love her so much,” Tanaka told E! News at the premiere of Mariah’s World, which documented the evolution of their flirtation.

Credit: Robino Salvatore/GC Images

Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez

Alvarez performed alongside the “Dangerous Woman” singer on her Honeymoon tour in 2015. They were first linked romantically that July when she was seen kissing him in footage from the now-infamous #Donutgate incident. Though she gushed in May 2016 that they were “happy,” they split just a few months later.

Credit: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup

Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart

The “Ain’t Your Mama” singer started dating Smart, who is 18 years her junior, when he was a backup dancer on her 2011 tour. The two dated on and off until August 2016.

Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Madonna and Brahim Zaibat

The Queen of Pop and Zaibat, who is 30 years her junior, started dating in 2010 after he performed at the launch of her daughter Lourdes’ Macy’s clothing line. They split after three years.

Credit: Chris Polk/WireImage

Ashley Tisdale and Jared Murillo

The V Factory member appeared as a dancer in Disney Channel's High School Musical movies, which featured Tisdale in her breakout role of Sharpay Evans. They split in April 2009 after two years.

Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline

Federline wasn’t a backup dancer for Spears, but he did appear in her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” music video in 2002. He and Spears crossed paths in April 2004 and said “I do” later that year. They had two sons before splitting in November 2006.

Credit: J. Emilio Flores/Getty Images

LeAnn Rimes and Dean Sheremet

Rimes and Sheremet hit it off when he was chosen to be one of her backup dancers at the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. They were married for seven years until their split in July 2009, when Us Weekly revealed that she had been cheating on him with her Northern Lights costar Eddie Cibrian, who was married to Brandi Glanville at the time. Rimes and Cibrian wed in April 2011.

Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd

Judd appeared as a backup dancer in Lopez’s 2000 music video “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.” They went on to say “I do” in September 2001 but split only nine months later.

Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Christina Aguilera and Jorge Santos

Aguilera fell for Santos when she was first starting her career in 1999. They dated for more than two years before breaking up in September 2001. After the split, she told USA Today, “He had been one of my dancers, and it was my first love and his.”

Credit: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Mel B and Jimmy Gulzar

The Spice Girls singer met Gulzar on the girl group's Spiceworld tour in 1998. They married that September and welcomed daughter Phoenix in February 1999. The duo divorced in November 2000.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

R. Kelly and Andrea Kelly

The disgraced R&B singer married his backup dancer in 1996, and they went on to welcome three children: Joann, Jaah and Robert Jr. Andrea obtained a restraining order against R. Kelly in September 2005 and filed for divorce the following year. The case was finalized in January 2009.

Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Prince and Mayte Garcia

The “Purple Rain” crooner invited Garcia to become a member of his New Power Generation group after her mother sent him a video of the dancer in 1990. He became Garcia’s legal guardian after she graduated high school, and she served as the inspiration for his 1992 album, Love Symbol. The pair married in February 1996 and welcomed a son, Amiir, that October. Amiir was born with a rare genetic disorder and died at 6 days old. The heartbreak drove Prince and Garcia apart, and they divorced in 2000.