Jazzercise is dancing in dollars

What if I told you that you could dance your ass off and get into the best shape of your life at the same time?

That’s been the Jazzercise pitch for 50+ years, and guess what? It’s still working.

Though best known for its ‘80s era dominated by neon spandex, Jazzercise had a monster 2021, pulling in $73m in revenue, per Bloomberg.

Jazzercise was founded in 1969…

… by Judi Sheppard Missett in a small classroom near Chicago. Missett, now 78, still runs the company, which has expanded to 8k+ franchisees teaching 32k classes a week.

She attributes this growth in schvitzing to several factors, including:

• Evolving the product: While nostalgia is having a moment, Jazzercise has moved beyond its ‘80s luster. Current classes combine HIIT (high-intensity interval training) with contemporary music.
• Listening to customers: In 2019, the company launched Jazzercise On Demand for at-home streaming. The service blew up during the pandemic and currently has 22k subscribers.
• Offering the right incentives: Unlike many fitness companies, Jazzercise offers teachers franchise equity, motivating them to grow their customer base.

Dance fitness…

… has blown up since the company’s early days, spawning new competitors like Zumba and dance variations of yoga and pilates.

Now in her seventh decade in the fitness game, Missett isn’t worried. “We’re survivalists,” she says.

If you’re looking for an excuse to break out your old neon leotard, look no further — just because Jazzercise has moved on from the ‘80s doesn’t mean you have to.