''20 Minute Workout'' is a Canadian-produced

aerobics Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). It ...

-based television program that ran from 1983 to 1984, in which "a bevy of beautiful girls" demonstrated exercise on a rotating platform.

Series background

''20 Minute Workout'' was created by Ron Harris in 1983, produced by Tantra Entertainment in association with the Canadian animation company

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

, and broadcast locally on

Citytv Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television Ass ...

. In the United States, it was syndicated by

Orion Television Orion () may refer to: Common meanings * Orion (constellation), named after the mythical hunter * Orion (mythology), a hunter in Greek mythology * Orion (spacecraft), NASA crew vehicle first launched in 2022 Arts and media Fictional en ...

. Two seasons of the program were produced, although reruns continued to appear for many years afterwards. The first season featured a different instructor for each day of the week, Monday through Friday.

Bess Motta Bess Motta (née Bess Motter) (born February 10, 1958) is an American actress, singer, choreographer, and exercise demonstrator who appeared in the Canadian produced television series ''20 Minute Workout'', which aired for two seasons in 1983 and ...

Arlaine Wright Arlaine Wright (born in Hamilton, Ontario) is the former exercise instructor featured prominently on the Canadian produced aerobics show, '' The :20 Minute Workout''. Wright, Bess Motta, Anne Schumacher and Leslie Smith were the only four women wh ...

, Holly Butler, Nicole Nardini, and Anne Schumacher all had speaking roles. The second season featured only Bess and Arlaine as instructors. One selling point of the show was the young attractive women exercising in leotards. The exercise routines were demanding, high-impact aerobics, followed by a

stretching Stretching is a form of physical exercise in which a specific muscle or tendon (or muscle group) is deliberately flexed or stretched in order to improve the muscle's felt elasticity and achieve comfortable muscle tone. The result is a feeling ...

section. Pulsating music from synthesizers played in the background, although in the first season bass and electric guitar and saxophone were also used in the exercise music scores. For the first season, music was performed by the group

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

, while the second season featured music by the trio Jermyn/King/Ouillet. There are numerous websites hosted by fans that detail about the dancers, and include so-called screen-captures from the show. The '':20 Minute Workout'' is a spin-off from ''Aerobicise'', a series of home videos that were first released in 1981, which had varying subtitles of "The Beginners Workout," "The Ultimate Workout," and "The Beautiful Workout." In 1982, a series of segments aired in the U.S. on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

as unscheduled filler in between features, and lasting no longer than five minutes. Both the videos and the filler featured a different cast, and unlike the show they later spawned, exercise instruction was either kept minimal, or not featured at all, and any that was present was given by an off-screen

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...

. The narrator was Jami Allen, one of the show's producers. "Aerobicise" is also the name of the original 1982 pilot episode of ''20 Minute Workout''. Scenes from the show are visible on televisions in some scenes of 1984's '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'', ''

Beat Street ''Beat Street'' is a 1984 American drama dance film featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Set in the South Bronx, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to var ...

'', '' Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird'' and the 1994

Luc Besson Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films '' Subway'' (1985), ''The Big Blue'' (1988), and '' La Femme Nikita'' (1990). Besson is associated with the ' ...

film '' Leon: The Professional''.

Cast

First season

* Sharon BissetTerrace, Vincent (1986). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials: 1974-1984. Verlag für die Deutsche Wirtschaft AG. p. 427.
Google Books
Retrieved 2009-03-01. * Laurie Briscoe * Holly Butler * Sue Carter *

* Nicole Nardini * Anne Schumacher * Leslie Smith *

Second season

* Michelle Brimacombe * Ella Collins * Sharon Hasfal * Alison Hope * Nerise Houghton *

* Anne Schumacher * Arlaine Wright

References

External links

* Citytv original programming Exercise television shows 1983 Canadian television series debuts 1984 Canadian television series endings 1983 American television series debuts 1984 American television series endings Television series by MGM Television Television series by Nelvana 1980s Canadian sports television series {{Canada-sport-tv-prog-stub