jazzercise

While Petrzela revisits many well-known names — Jack LaLanne, Jazzercise, Jane Fonda — she also introduces less familiar personalities, such as Vic Tanny, whose gyms were outfitted with tropical fish tanks.

Taking a break in one of the village’s gyms, where neighbors pedal on elliptical machines and two-step in a Jazzercise class, Friedman says he feels dumbfounded because history seems to be repeating itself in a more disturbing way.

I found myself unable to work up much nostalgic amusement at the mention of erogenous zones, Gestalt therapy, assertiveness training, Jazzercise, Bataka bats and geodesic dome homes.

A self-taught aerobics fan who was inspired by Jazzercise, Zumba and classes at the now-closed Sweat Spot in L.A., she continued to be fueled by dance and often talked about teaching dance aerobics while working Saturday kitchen shifts at a local restaurant.

"RuPaul's Drag Race," for example, has had contestants serve "country realness," "Meryl Streep realness," "Soul Train' realness," and "fierce jazzercise realness."