The Jazzercise program was founded in 1969 by Judi Sheppard Missett, in Evanston, Illinois. Current headquarters for Jazzercise Inc are located in Carlsbad, California. Judi turned her love of jazz dance into a worldwide dance exercise phenomenon and with very little start up money. The workout program, which offers a fusion of jazz dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, and kickboxing movements, has positively affected millions of people worldwide. This international franchise business hosts a network of 7,500 instructors teaching more than 32,000 classes weekly in 32 countries. In 2007/2008 Jazzercise reported 93 Million in revenue for their best year ever and MSNBC in March 2009 placed Jazzercise in their top 5 list of proven franchises that provide growth opportunity.

History

Jazzercise roots can be traced back to 1969 when Judi was attending Northwestern University in Chicago and taught dance classes at a local jazz studio. Judi quickly noticed that her classes had a dropout rate of about 90% and started to look for various ways to improve retention. After speaking with some students in her class she realized that the classes were strenuous and targeting more of the dance professional. The aha moment came when she realized over and over that her students attended the class to lose weight, have fun and get in shape. With some reworking of her class structure including not using the mirrors for form the students embraced this new fun concept and the mission statement still used today came into play. "Mission Statement: We develop and market fun and effective fitness programs and products that enhance the well-being of people of all ages.”

See also:

• Shopping: Sports: Fitness: Apparel (22)

• Jazzercise Inc.
  jazzercise.com
  History of Jazzercise, how to become an instructor, and a global class locator.