The high priestess of dance aerobics is coming to town. Quick. Can you name her? If you said Jane Fonda I want you to drop to the floor and give me one hundred leg lifts; right leg only, please.
The high priestess of dance aerobics is none other than Judi Sheppard Missett, the founder, president and CEO of Jazzercise, Inc. And she’s going to be at the Colorado Convention Center on September 10 as part of her "Art and Soul Tour" helping raise the big bucks for Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
I am a self-proclaimed Jazzer-Junkie and have been since 2001. I rediscovered Jazzercise in Idyllwild, CA. My husband and I had purchased a rundown cabin in that quaint mountain town. While there renovating I ran across an ad for Jazzercise in the community newspaper. Jazzercise? I remembered it from the eighties. I had taken classes back then from a fellow Frontier flight attendant here in Denver who was an instructor. It had been a blast. I wondered how it might have mutated.
Guess who was teaching Jazzercise classes right there in the tiny mountain town of Idyllwild, CA, to my total astonishment. Oh, yeah. The high priestess herself. Who knew? Turns out she has a home in Idyllwild, which is only a couple hours from the Jazzercise headquarters in Carlsbad, CA. I was hooked.
I recently relocated back to Colorado after fifteen years in California and continue my dedication to Jazzercise right here in Castle Rock. Wow. The instructors here rock.
How old do you think Judi Sheppard is? She’s not talking. But I can do the math. According to published sources Judi, a former professional dancer, founded Jazzercise in 1969 at around age thirty. Take a look at her photo. Is it possible a woman in her mid-sixties looks like that? Before you say pshaw and conclude the photo must be several decades old or generously airbrushed, I assure you Judi does look like this 2005 photo. Come and see for yourself. All you need do is register online for $10 and agree to arrive at the door with a minimum $150 in pledges and you, too, can be a part of the three hour extravaganza.
For more information about Jazzercise classes, Judi Sheppard Missett or the upcoming Art and Soul Tour event on September 10, the Jazzercise website can answer all your questions. Maybe jazzercise.com will be your first step toward many more steps to the beat of today’s fun, contemporary Jazzercise format.