Jazzerjam: jazzercise turns 20 - aerobic exercise convention

American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 1990

JAZZERJAM: Jazzercise Turns 20

Over 7,000 Jazzercisers are expected to flock to Chicago's McCormick Place November 3-5 for Jazzerjam--the international convention that marks the 20th anniversary of Jazzercise. There will be celebrities including the founder of Jazz Dance Chicago, Gus Giordano, and actor/dancer Gregory Hines, a huge fitness health, fashion and beauty bazaar, a salute to the history of Jazzercise and Jazzercise classes. Event promoters describe the finale as "the largest dance-fitness class ever assembled," led by Jazzercise creator Judi Sheppard Missett.

Founder and president of Jazzercise, Inc., Misset created the company in 1969 after recognizing the need for a creative, easy-to-follow method to get in shape and have fun at the same time. What started out as a one-woman operation has turned into a $13-million business (ranked 15th in the top 100 franchises) consisting of 4,000 instructors and more than 450,000 students worldwide.

A dancer since childhood, Missett began performing with internationally known jazz-dance choreographer Giordano in the late '60s. With a degree in theatre and dance from Northwestern University, she also taught dance classes in an Evanston, Illinois studio, but found that students, without professional aspirations, were intimidated by traditional instruction. Consequently, the drop-out rate was high. With the only alternative being calisthenics classes, Missett created a new concept--blending of jazz-dance choreography, aerobic muscle-toning and stretching exercises.

Jazzercise caught on rapidly. In 1972 Missett moved to northern San Diego County and launched the business with the help of a couple of friends. The first five years she taught every class herself, and found that she was getting exhausted in the face of a growing demand. In 1977 she began training other instructors and two years later, Jazzercise was incorporated. Last February she signed a deal with Japan's People Co. Ltd., to offer Jazzercise classes to club members. Today roughly one-third of the privately held company's revenue is from its home video production company and its internationally distributed catalog of workout clothing, shoes and accessories.

A Knack for Extravaganza

Missett has been in business long enough to experience ups and downs. The mid to late '80s were particularly tough years for the franchise business, and she recognized the need to raise enrollment figures once again. A master of cross-promotion, Missett became a savvy marketer once again, offering Jazzercise performances at the Olympics and at SuperBowl halftimes. She is now appearing weekly on national television, is back on the talk show circuit, writes a syndicated newspaper column and produces a fitness video each fall season. Her second-wind campaign also includes advertisements on Nabisco packages and other point-of-purchase displays. Her vision for the future extends to her own attractive gyms with child care centers and Junior Jazzercise programs for kids.

Upgrading the safety of her programs with a staff exercise physiologist, Missett offers intensive Jazzercise workshops covering exercise modifications, pacing, dance technique and CPR certification, all part of the current national standards. Missett still choreographs the new routines to music every eight weeks, but doesn't wear quite as many hats as she used to in the early days of the business. The corporation counts on professionals developing continuing education programs, as well as top marketing and administrative experts. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California with over 100 staff members, the Jazzercise home office heads up franchise operations.

The Unlikely Franchise

After Missett had trained about a dozen instructors in 1977, she received start-up fees from them along with 30% of their revenues in exchange for use of the Jazzercise name and her routines. About five years later, she formally franchised the operation and now collects a $500 start-up fee with a 20% royalty. Most franchises have initial fees of $25,000 to $500,000 with very low royalties--2 to 5%. Missett's success relies on a low start-up cost for instructors, mostly women and housewives, who have to find their own facilities to teach, and advertise for students themselves. The agreement is profitable for her corporation due to the enormously high royalty fees. Missett counts on self-motivated instructors who want to teach dance and fitness more than they want to clean house. The Jazzercise instructor is an independent entrepreneur with unlimited earning power, compared to Jacki Sorensen's Aerobic Dancing Inc., instructors who are employees of the corporation, earning aboout $10-15 per hour.

PHOTO : Judi Sheppard Missett celebrates a 20-year success story.