Anita Mann is an American choreographer, dancer, and actress born October 21, 1946, in Detroit, Michigan. She was one of David Winter’s (English-American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, distributor, director, and screenwriter) dancers on shows such as Shindig!, The T.A.M.I. Show and Monte Carlo: C’est La Rose, a Grace Kelly documentary special.
Anita has danced with and choreographed for Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, Michael Jackson, Davy Jones. She choreographed 5 seasons (55 episodes) of the 1980s pop-dance television show, the TV series “Solid Gold”. Mann has also choreographed “The Cher Show”, “The Jacksons”, “The Academy Awards”, the “Golden Globe Award”, “Academy of Country Music Awards”, the “Miss America Pageant”,
“The People’s Choice Awards”, the “Grammy Hall of Fame Award”, the “Emmy Awards”, “The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon”, “The Great Muppet Caper”, “Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Live”, “Sesame Street Live”, “The Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Tour”, “Snoopy’s World of Magic”, “Arthur Live Tour” as well as countless other live, film and television shows.
“He was a very improvisational performer. Like Lucy had to know where her little finger had to go; everything had to be choreographed. … But Davy Jones was just free. He was a different kind of improvisational performer, and on camera, that could scare some people, but he lived for that moment.”
Anta Mann
Anita danced with Davy Jones for The Monkees Cuddly Toy song. The Episode was “Everywhere a Sheik, Sheik” (Season 2, Episode 3 September 25, 1967). She was the choreographer for all 58 of The Monkees episodes.
Anita choreographed “Elvis: The Comeback Special” where her favorite number was cut for being too sexy for the show. This was the bordello number “Let Yourself Go” which can now be seen in later releases. She thought that the director Steve Binder did a great job filming the dancers for that show. Anita said that Elvis was one of the natural movers, and made it easy to dance with and around him on the stage.
Anita also choreographed two of “The Jacksons” TV shows, the episodes “Redd Foxx” (1977) and “Sonny Bono” 1976 where The Jacksons performed “Forever Came Today” and “Steppin’ Out with My Baby”, “Dancing Machine” “Love Will Keep Us Together”, “Blues Away”, “Enjoy Yourself”, “Puttin’ On the Ritz” and “Keep on Dancing”. She also worked with Lucille Ball and had her own dancers, “The Anita Mann Dancers”.
