I got to meet a nutritionist named Marlisa B. We decided to update the Deal a Meal
Program and we called it….The FoodMover. It was a small gold case and when you opened it up there were little windows. You would slide a card into the case depending on how many calories you were on. Instead of moving the cards you closed the windows. When you closed all the windows you were done eating for the day.
There were also motivational windows and an exercise window. Like Deal a Meal, people embraced the foodmover. So Goodrimes asked me what video did I want to do next.
I said I want to make Dance Your Pants Off. Well these brothers rolled their eyes at the title… then laughed. This set was fabulous. It was a little city and as we worked out we would move to different locations.
It began with the song Celebration. There were four acapalla singers called the Alley Cats. As they were singing I popped out and began dancing. We also worked out to Call Me, Gloria, and She Works Hard for the Money. We were in front of a diner and a lady dressed as a waitress came out and danced with us all.
Everytime I would do a new video, Leslie W would make me a new tank top. She introduced me to Swarovski crystals. She would carefully glue each crystal to my tank top. Boy did I sparkle.
Leslie was one of the most talented people I ever met and created over 200 tank tops. Every time I did a new video, I would travel to different cities to promote it. Everyone in the audience knew the songs by heart and also the dance movements. After the class I would sit and sign autographs and they always told me stories of how this helped them.
Up next was Groovin in The House. This was a house cut in half so you can look in all the rooms. It began in the foyer with a large staircase and we warned up to Dancing on the Ceiling. Years later I went to a restaurant and got to meet Mr Lionel R. What a nice man.
Then we danced in the living room. We worked out to Philadelphia Freedom. Before you knew it we were in the kitchen. Some people stood with me while others sat on the counter doing the movements. By now you know. that Donna Summer’s songs were unbelievable. I chose Hot Stuff.
The video ended when we went out on the patio. There were trees with twinkle lights on them. Our cool down song was Dream a Little Dream of Me. I had every album that Mama Cass released.
Now I thought to myself… what’s next? I shared with you all the Broadway shows I saw in my lifetime. There is something about musicals. They make you feel so good. Broadway Sweat was next.
Where should we tape this one….I was told we got the Disney-owned theater called El Capitan. This theater was so ornate. The theater was three stories. There were balconies and lots of red velvet curtains. Then there was the big stage.
For every song there was a new set. We began with. There’s No Business Like Show Business. We also shimmed our stuff to Oklahoma, Shall We Dance , Ease On Down the Road , and Fiddler on the Roof.
Our cool down was One from A Chorus Line. There was a hole in the floor and I came up to the stage, dressed all in gold. With every video I did a toning video.
For one infomercial we taped at the Motown Cafe in New York. I did Tonin Uptown and Tonin Downtown to all Motown music. There was a group that looked exactly like the Four Tops and a group that looked just like The Surpremes. Dorian G and Mary G helped me with the choreography. To be continued…
