Television series
Dancin' On Air
was a 1980s television dance music
reality
show. It was the forerunner of the TV show
Dance Party USA
of the same genre. Both shows were produced and created by Michael Nise and his father Frank. The show started with US$100,000 from a small group of investors that included
The Tonight Show Band
leader
Doc Severinsen
. The program earned a 128%
return on investment
(ROI) within the first six months.
Dancin' On Air
was shot live at
WPHL-TV
Channel 17 studios in
Philadelphia
. The production staff worked out of the Nises' production offices and studios located in Camden, NJ.
History
[
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]
Dancin' On Air
broadcast from October 12, 1981, to December 31, 1987. The program reached seven East Coast states. The program was usually broadcast live Monday - Friday from WPHL-TV studios in Philadelphia, but occasionally broadcast live on-location from other locations such as Penn's Landing in Philadelphia; Ocean City, NJ; Wildwood, NJ;
Six Flags Great Adventure
;
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
; and
Hersheypark
.
In 1986,
Dancin' on Air
was syndicated by
KDOC-TV
in Los Angeles. The show doubled KDOC's ratings in its first week and was then picked up by the fledgling
USA Network
. Shortly thereafter, USA Network hired the Nises to produce
Dance Party USA
for the Network. Two years later, Michael Nise learned form USA Network that his production company was chosen over Dick Clark to produce
Dance Party USA
for the USA Network.
During 1986 and 1987, the
Dancin' On Air
studio & set was the same one used for
Dance Party USA
. As a result, during the 1986?87 season, audiences saw the same regulars, guest dancers, and celebrities on both shows on the same days. The programs also shared a weekly talk radio show,
Talkin' On Air
, hosted by Michael Nise.
Some of the Adult Hosts of the show included Eddie Bruce, Bill O'Brien, Chris Trane, Andy Gury, Annette Godfrey, Christy Springfield, Mike Rossi (DJ)|Mike Rossi and Dave Raymond (the original
Phillie Phanatic
). Mike Rossi was a former dancer who transitioned to being a host and in 1986 became one of the youngest hosts of a live daily television program in American TV history. Regular dancers included
Kelly Ripa
[1]
and
Tom Verica
.
[2]
Performers on
Dancin' On Air
(some of whom also appeared on
Dance Party USA
during 86?87) included
Madonna
in 1983 (her first television appearance),
[2]
Will Smith
(as
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
),
[3]
Duran Duran
(with their first American TV appearances),
[3]
Menudo
(including a young
Ricky Martin
),
Stevie Wonder
,
[3]
Nine Inch Nails
,
[3]
The Jets
,
New Edition
,
Sweet Sensation
,
LL Cool J
,
Expose
,
Jody Watley
,
New Kids on the Block
,
[4]
and many other popular recording artists of the era.
[5]
The show's theme song was written by Philadelphia writer/producer
Dan McKeown
and
Michael Nise
. The song was published by
Nise Productions Inc
. Dan was also responsible for the show's entertainment division.
Dancin' On Air
would give selected unknown bands and artists an opportunity to perform in front of millions of dedicated viewers and was responsible for launching the careers of some of today's major super stars!
Revival
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On July 23, 2011, PHL-17 re-aired
Dancin' On Air
as part of a special marathon celebrating the show's 30th anniversary. During the marathon, special vignettes were featured with former regular dancers, hosts of the show, and executive producer Michael Nise sharing their memories, experiences and thoughts from the show and also talked about how the show became a major influence and how it changed their lives.
On November 4, 2011, Mike Rossi, Princess, Jimmy Jam (James Ferguson), Andy Gury and Eddie Bruce hosted a 30th reunion dance party celebration. The show was rated #1 in its time slot.
On March 6, 2012, WPHL announced that
Dancin' On Air
would return to the air on March 31, where it would air Saturday mornings at 10 a.m.
[6]
WRDW-FM
has been tapped as the official radio station for the program. Core group members include Brittainy Taylor, DeAnna Marie, Jeanna Zettler, Mikey P, Paulie Scalia, Anthony Vee, Anthony Franzzo (AKA DJ ZO), Nicole Peraino, Nicole Zell, Ian Ashanti, John Haslett, Kobi Kearney, Casey on Wired, Michael (Mikey P) Pericoloso and DJ Josiah. The show was produced by Michael Nise, Executive Producer and Chrystel Eberts, Supervising Producer.
On Jan 27th 2016, "Dancin' On Air" returned to TV on the cable music channel FUSE TV. The show was co-executive produced by Michael Nise and Chrystel Eberts and directed by Michael Nise and Rob Schwartz. There was a reality show based on "Dancin' On Air" called "Saturday Morning Fever" which also aired on FUSE TV by executive producers Michael Nise, Chrystel Eberts and Tom Forman, Relativity Real. Both shows lasted one season.
[7]
(All
Dancin' On Air
and
Dance Party USA
copyrights and trademarks solely held by OMNI 2000 Inc., Michael Nise, President/CEO. Website: www.omni2000.biz.)
Controversy
[
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On April 10, 2016,
Philadelphia
magazine published an article detailing a new feud between many of the people who were on
Dancin' On Air
in their teens and the producer of the show.
[3]
References
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External links
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