Dance Party USA
A daily dance show that launched careers and moved audiences.
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Dance Party USA was a daily dance show on the USA Network that ran from April 12, 1986, to June 27, 1992. It started as a half-hour program and grew to an hour in 1987. Filming took place at Philadelphia studios like WPHL-TV/17 and WGBS, and the show was often taped in batches, with multiple episodes shot in a single day.
When three episodes were recorded at once, guests had to bring three different outfits. The production team worked out of Nise’s offices and studios in Camden, New Jersey. The show was originally called Dancin’ USA for its first few episodes. It followed the format of its predecessor, Dancin’ On Air, a popular daily dance show that aired on Philadelphia’s WPHL-TV from 1981 to 1986.
In 1986, Dancin’ On Air was syndicated by KDOC-TV in Los Angeles, doubling its ratings in the first week, and was soon picked up by the fledgling USA Network. The network then hired the Nises to produce Dance Party USA. Two years later, Michael Nise learned that his production company had been chosen over Dick Clark’s to produce the show for USA.
Noteworthy regulars
Kelly Ripa, later known as an actress and host of Live with Kelly and Mark, began as a dancer and segment host on Dancin' On Air and Dance Party USA before landing the role of Hayley Vaughn on All My Children in 1990. Heather Henderson, called Baby Heather on the show, became a professional burlesque performer, singer, model, filmmaker, producer, and podcast host, as well as a vocal atheist activist and member of Penn Jillette's No God Band.
Did You Know?
- For the first few episodes, Dance Party USA's original name was Dancin' USA.
- When 3 shows were recorded on the same day, guests were told to bring 3 changes of clothes for each episode.
- During 1986 and 1987, the Dancin' On Air studio and set were also used for Dance Party USA, so audiences saw the same regulars, guest dancers, and celebrities on both shows on the same days.
- The show's theme song was written by Philadelphia writer/producer Dan McKeown and Michael Nise.
More in USA Network Original Programming
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Dance Party USA (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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