A backup dancer working on rehearsals for a performance of Nicki Minaj's new single 'Anaconda' has been bitten by a 6-foot snake on set. The dancer apparently startled the boa-constrictor on stage.

Nicki MinajNicki Minaj's dancer was bitten by a snake

According to TMZ.com, the dancer - whose name is unknown - is being treated at a local hospital in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles fire department confirmed that the snake was indeed a boa constrictor.

It is unknown whether the reptile will still be featured in Minaj's performance at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday (Sunday 24, 2014). Luckily for the dancer, anacondas are non-venomous snakes, however, they often transmit bacteria that can lead to serious infections. The boa will first strike its prey with its teeth before constricting it until death. Usually, boas consume their prey whole.

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The celebrity gossip website report that the snake in question was safely removed from stage in a container. 

Shoul Minaj still perform with a boa constrictor, she wouldn't be the first star to appear on stage at the VMAs, with a snake. Britney Spears famously performed I'm A Slave 4 U with a yellow python wrapped around her neck in 2001. The awards' show is infamously a hive of controversial behaviour (publicity stunts). Last year saw Miley Cyrus' twerking on Robin Thicke. 

'Anaconda' is the second single from Nicki Minaj's upcoming album The Pinkprint , though a release date is yet to be released.

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