Billy Blanks Jr. presents at the QC Fit Fest at the Bend XPO February 26 and 27
Saturday, February 26, and Sunday, February 27
Bend XPO, 922 Mississippi Parkway, East Moline IL
Designed for all ages interested in health, fitness, and athletic performance, the 2022 Quad City Fit Fest will be held at East Moline's Bend XPO on February 27 and 27, the eagerly anticipated two-day event boasting vendors, activities, demonstrations, speakers, and a number of special guest visitors, among them Billy Blanks Jr. of the worldwide phenomenon Dance It Out.
Born to Billy Sr. and Gayle Blanks. Billy Jr. grew up in the Boston area, and at age nine, he was cast in a production of The Little Rascals. In an interview with ACT: Dance Model Sing magazine, Blanks said that he was told he was too young to be in a production of 42nd Street but could help out the crew. Yet when the director saw him imitating some tap choreography, he was cast in the show. When the family subsequently moved to Los Angeles, Blanks and his sister helped teach classes at Billy Sr.'s Tae Bo studio, and after pop superstar Paula Abdul took classes there, she discovered young Billy had an interest in dance, so she helped him develop his skills as a dancer and choreographer. Upon his graduation from Hollywood High School at age 18, Billy Jr. landed a role as Tyrone in the Fame musical's European and U.S. tours in 1999, and he continued work with Abdul, also staring in various commercials, videos, and stage productions.
Following his creation of the cardio-dance workout regimen “Cardioke,” Blanks and his wife developed a series of DVDs that included 2010's Cardio Fit and Groove & Burn, 2011's Fat Burning Hip Hop Mix, and 2012's and Dance Party Boot Camp. This led to the eventual launch of Dance It Out, a workout program that has traveled nationally and internationally with over a thousand certified instructors. In 2017, Blanks moved to Greenwich, Connecticut, where he opened his dance and fitness studio at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, and served as the artistic director for the Wall Street Theater in Norwalk. Three years later, Blanks worked with Lifetime television to produce Dance It Out as a "moving fitness talk show" that would feature interviews followed by dance segments in which Blanks invites everyone to participate. He has said that his goal was to get people moving when they were stuck in their homes during COVID-19 quarantine, and in 2021, he launched an app with Touchpoint Group Holdings, Inc. that allows subscribers to live-stream classes hosted by Blanks and other instructors from home.
The 2022 Quad City Fit Fest will take place at the Bend XPO on February 26 and 27, hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is $10 for adults and $5 for ages 10 and under. For more information on the weekend event, visit QCFitFest.com.
