Dance Party USA
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| Dance Party USA | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Dance/Variety show |
| Presented by | See list |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, Camden, New Jersey, United States |
| Running time | 30 minutes (1986–87) 45–48 minutes (1987–92) |
| Production companies | Nise Productions On Air Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | USA Network |
| Release | April 12, 1986 – June 27, 1992 |
Dance Party USA was an American dance television show that aired on cable's USA Network from April 12, 1986, to June 27, 1992. It was originally a half-hour, but was expanded to an hour in 1987.
The program was shot live-to-tape at Power House Recording Studio in Camden, New Jersey and produced at WGBS in Philadelphia. Its predecessor was Dancin' On Air, a program on Philadelphia's WPHL-TV.
Hosts
- 1985-1986: Dave Raymond
- 1986-1989, 1992: Andy Gury, Annette Godfrey
- 1989-1991: Bobby Catalano, Heather "Princess" Day
- 1989-1990: Amy Brady, Alvin "Spicy" Ramirez, Cindy Stark, Romeo Levi Robinson King, Tyrone "Mr. Mitch" Mitchell
- 1989: Christy Springfield
- 1990: Aubrey Ayala, Kelly Berridge, Chris Bustard, Pete Conicelli, Joanna Mistretta, Matt Robbins, Desiree Wynder,
Noteworthy regulars
- Kelly Ripa, actress and host of Live! with Kelly
- Jeffrey Glassman known as "Jazzy Jeff" went on to be a semi successful DJ in South Jersey.
- Bobby Catalano was the man with the shades who would only remove his trademark sunglasses once a year on the Valentine's Day show. He was a very popular dancer and host.
- Bruce Williams, who was known as "Beastie Bruce" because he wore a VW chain as did the Beastie Boys, had a rap collection that did well in the Philadelphia area. It was a break off of the Philadelphia rap group "Tuff Crew".
- Dealin LaValley was a dancer on the show and went on to do Law & Order and national TV commercials. He now works as a celebrity makeup artist.
- Heather Day was nicknamed "Princess" on the show because she was a fan of Prince and could be seen wearing dresses or other outfits like an eye-patch that reflected her devotion to the singer. She would meet the singer in 1994, two years after Dance Party USA ended its run. Today, Heather Day Slawek, a graduate of Temple University and mother of two children, owns a fitness studio which specializes in pole dancing. [1]
- Heather Henderson known as Baby Heather on the show, is a professional burlesque dancer, singer, model, filmmaker, producer and host for Ardent Atheists and Skeptically Yours podcasts. She currently is a member of Penn Jillette's No God Band and is a vocal activist for atheism and against psychics.
- Alvin Ramirez, known as "Spicy" now going by AL-X Spicy (recording artist)
Controversy
On April 10, 2016, Philadelphia magazine published an article detailing a new feud between many of the people who were on Dance Party USA in their teens and the producer of the show.[1]