'Air' force

YO. YOU FROM PHILLY? Grow up around here? Are you 29, same as you've been the last decade or more? Then you know "Dance Party U.S.A." And, if you're for real for real, you know "Dancin' on Air."

But in case you don't quite know what's up, here's the deal: "Dancin' on Air" and "Dance Party U.S.A." were Philadelphia-based teen dance TV shows, '80s versions of "American Bandstand," pop copies of "Soul Train," a top-40/"Tiger Beat"-like parade of Merry-Go-Round jackets and Z Cavaricci jeans and extremely big hair and very extreme Philly accents. They were not "Solid Gold" or "Dance Fever."

Together, these shows aired from Oct. 12, 1981 (the start of "Dancin' on Air"), to June 27, 1992 (the end of "Dance Party U.S.A.") — 3,344 episodes in all, with a few-month overlap in between. "Dancin' on Air" was on Channel 17. "Dance Party U.S.A." was on USA. They were basically same thing, different channels.

Both featured lip-synced performances by Madonna (in her first TV appearance), New Edition, Boyz II Men, Duran Duran, Vanessa Williams, Grandmaster Flash, the Pointer Sisters, Menudo, Curtis Blow, the Jets, New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul, LL Cool J — pretty much anyone popular in pop music in the '80s and early '90s. Still, these acts, even the biggest ones, weren't the shows' real stars. The real stars were the kids dancing on the risers behind the stars. The real stars were real kids, Philly kids.

Mike Nise, the shows' creator, says 800,000 teens appeared on his stages. But that number is confusing. Ask DOA or DPUSA fans about their favorite people in front of the cameras, and they won't remember Madonna or LL. They'll remember a handful of standout dancers. They'll recall "Romeo," "Bobby Catalano," "Kelly," "Andre," "Desiree," "Mitch," "Phil", "Annette" — and, definitely "Princess."

These names belong to the shows' regulars, teenage dancers who showed up after school and on weekends to participate in live and recorded shows in an unair-conditioned studio. Sometimes, these teens traveled to Wildwood, Great Adventure, Hershey Park, Dorney Park, Ocean City, Penn's Landing and the Cherry Hill Mall to dance to Ah-ha and Sugarhill Gang and Gloria Estefan.

They were mostly high-school kids, some from the burbs, some from the city. They were unpaid. Many made their own clothes. A few were chaperoned. They came on SEPTA, in carpools or in the backseats of the family station wagon piloted by Mom or Dad. But that was behind the scenes.

In front of the cameras, beamed into fat television sets, they lip-synced hits and did "Spotlight" dance routines and reported on Hollywood gossip and gave advice to fans and dated and broke up. The regulars were absolute teen heartthrobs, Philly celebrities — some of America's very first characters on reality TV, the real high schoolers of Greater Philadelphia.

By the time the shows went off the air, a few of these kids were on their way to superstardom. Others faded into the background. Many didn't make it big, but they made it, well, regular.

Here's where a few of them are now. (You know you wanna know. After all, says Princess, a/k/a Heather Day Slawek, "The '80s, for some reason, is really popular right now.")

Then: Discovered dancing atop a speaker at Pulsations, this Glen Mills girl boasted a purple tear on her cheek that she said she wouldn't remove until she met Prince. The show's brightest female star, complete with a chic handmade wardrobe and hundreds of fan letters a week.

After: Worked for MTV and VHI, became a fitness instructor, won "Miss Philadelphia Fitness" in 1997.

Now: A married mom of two, owner of Awakenings Pole Fitness in King of Prussia and, this fall, a second location in Manayunk.

Memory: Princess kept a part-time job at a Dairy Queen. When she was recognized at work, she'd tell her fans, "If I was Princess, would I be working here?"

Then: A shy Jersey guy from a South Philly family who says his signature Ray Ban Wayfarers weren't a fashion statement: They were a way to hide. (His hair, clearly, was an homage to George Michael.)

After: Moved to NYC to make it big in acting and modeling, posed for Steven Meisel.

Now: Lives in Austin, Texas, plans to move to Vegas soon, runs what he describes as an "online media network and website-development company that's sort of a Girls Gone Wild meets Playboy." Now wears sunglasses "only when it's sunny out."

Memory: Lip-syncing to Wham's "Careless Whisper" on a Valentine's Day show — when he did the big reveal by ditching those sunglasses.

Then: Just your average Eastern High School student known for big hair, an absolute-sweetheart attitude and major aspirations (to be a TV newscaster).

After: Joined the cast of "All My Children," where she played Hayley Vaughan Santos from 1990 through 2002, also played Hope in "Hope & Faith."

Now: Co-hosts a little morning show called "Live with Regis and Kelly."

Memory: Totally rad lip sync to "So Many Men" by Miquel Brown in 1986, also, letting herself be talked into breaking up with then-boyfriend Chris Kelly on live TV.

Then: North Philly dancer and original "Dancin' on Air" regular, later became a floor producer for "Dance Party U.S.A."

After: Toured as a dancer, formed America's first professional hip-hop theater company, Rennie Harris Puremovement.

Now: Among his many accomplishments: honorary doctorate from Bates College, teaching posts at UCLA, Stanford and the University of Colorado, and cultural ambassadorship from President Obama.

Memory: If you ask his fellow regulars, Rennie's most admired and remembered as a friend who helped launch many careers in dance, like that of Drexel dance prof Clyde Evans.

Then: The West Philly kid who broke hearts and had style: leather gloves, leather pants, earrings on both ears and, most especially, hats — a brimless captain's, a rose-studded derby, a black leather topper before Eddie Murphy wore his in "Golden Child."

After: Choreographed for Brenda K. Starr, got mobbed by fans in L.A.

Now: Founded supersuccessful All Around Entertainment, providing DJs, emcees, dancers, light techs, drapery techs and decorators for parties — most likely to a bar or bat mitzvah near you. BTW: He's booked three years out.

Memory: "We would exchange dance moves with guys from 'Soul Train.' We'd do a certain move one day, and sent it to them on our show. They'd watch our show and do another move back." His signature dance: the prep.

Then: As a student at Pennridge Junior High, she was one of the youngest regulars to join "Dancin' on Air"; took fashion cues from the Cure and Depeche Mode, sang an original song called "Colors" on Earth Day, featured on the shows for "crazy acrobatics and splits, " she says.

After: Her song "Stand Still" hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs in 2001.

Now: Project manager at an interactive agency, attended final space shuttle launch, "still dancing, still singing."

Then: The high-energy, rule-bending North Philly Kangol kid was never without his signature lid.

Now: Audio-video production specialist at the Pennsylvania National Guard, also operates a small event-based video photography business.

Memory: "I was part dancer, part cheerleader. I was partnered up with Romeo....Our primary thing was to keep everyone up on the stage by yelling and screaming and walking offstage and grabbing stuff when the energy was low on the show."

Then: Lived in Upper Darby, attended Monsignor Bonner, wore a skinny tie. His signature move of shaking his shoulders up and down came to be known as the Chris Kelly. Mostly, though, known as Kelly Ripa's proud, then jilted, boyfriend.

After: Moved out of his home senior year, worked his way through high school. Oh, but you want more about the Ripa? They got to know each other at a Bangles concert. Aw! (Also: No way they could have gotten married: She'd be Kelly Kelly!)

Now: Married and expecting his first child, he works for a pharmaceutical company in Delaware to pay the bills, and works on short films in the evenings for fun.

Memory: Aside from the Kelly stuff: Got a kiss from Samantha Fox, escorted Vanessa Williams around the studio.

Then: A Collingswood native who graduated from Washington Township high school, this blue-eyed babe came on the shows for the good-lookin' girls, and stayed for them. Favorite look: a sweatshirt printed with "Italian Playboy."

After: Took acting classes, acted in a recurring role as an extra on "One Life to Live," moved to Vegas, New Orleans, then back home.

Now: Putting the rock 'n' roll cover band back together.

Memory: Lip syncing to Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight."

Then: Student at George Washington High School in Somerton, who wore ahead-of-the-curve outfits — a new one each day! — that he sewed himself.

After: Worked at Blaxx on South Street, opened a showroom in L.A. next to the "Arsenio Show" — Arsenio Hall was a client; showed his collection four times a year at the Javits Center in New York.

Now: Sadly, Philip succumbed to AIDS in November 1994. Today, his still-local parents, Immy and Phil Sr., stay in close touch with Philip's friends from the shows. Immy works as an advocate for people who are HIV positive.

Memory: "Those kids were like the colors of the rainbow, all different sizes, all different nationalities and religions," says Immy. "There was no such thing as 'I can't dance with you.'...Those were the best five years of my family's life."

Then: The Jheri curl, headband and red pants were one way you recognized this kid from Broad and Olney. The other way was, he was most often dancing with Princess.

After: Got in trouble with drugs and drinking, had to leave his family's home, became homeless.

Now: Six years clean, Andre lives in Fort Lauderdale, where he helps run a half-dozen halfway houses and plans to audition at an open call for "The Voice" when it rolls into Orlando this summer.

Memory: Rumor has it, his moves inspired Paula Abdul's choreography of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" video. He says, "The producers [of "Dance Party U.S.A."] said I should take it as a compliment."

Then: A CAPA kid with a striking resemblance to the Material Girl, and therefore did a ton of lip syncs to match.

After: Moved to California, became one of the West Coast's best-known Madge impersonators, also did an excellent Gwen Stefani and taught yoga.

Now: Recently back on the right coast, the newly married Annette's gone brunette and started a cake-decorating business, teaches yoga and is getting Zumba certified.

Then: This star dancer, a Dobbins student, was known for her moves — and her big, curled hair "before Beyonce was doing it."

After: Got into event promotions and organizing dance contests throughout the city.

Now: Renovating a house in North Philly, just founded Desi's Dancing Dolls, a dance group for girls ages 5 to 12, still planning parties, trips and events.

Memory: Won a dance contest with Romeo, performed lip syncs to "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry and to Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine's "Rhythm is Gonna Get You."

Then: Attended CAPA, aspired to meet the New Kids on the Block, hung out and burned up the floor with Dance Party's "No Name Posse."

After: Went to beauty school, became an aesthetician.

Now: A one-woman makeup artist for big-time celebs and magazines, she recently dolled up Katy Perry for a photo shoot, still wins dance contests, still loses her voice at New Kids on the Block concerts.

Memory: Taking a limo with Bobby Catalano and a lucky viewer to see — who else? — the New Kids perform at Madison Square Garden. *