Don "The Dragon" Wilson at the Quad City Fit Fest -- February 25 and 26.
Saturday, February 18, and Sunday, February 19, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Bend XPO, 922 Mississippi Parkway, East Moline IL
Designed for all ages interested in health, fitness, and athletic performance, the 2023 Quad City Fit Fest will be held at East Moline's Bend XPO on February 18 and 19, the eagerly anticipated event boasting more than 40 vendors, activities, demonstrations, a weight-lifting competition hosted by Richmond Elite Performance, a self-defense class led by UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich, and seminars with kickboxing phenomenon Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Dance It Out founder Billy Banks. Jr.
Born in 1954 in Alton, Illinois, Donald Glen Wilson, nicknamed "The Dragon," was described by STAR System Ratings as "perhaps the greatest kickboxer in American history," the organization adding that "he has disposed of more quality competition than anyone we've ever ranked." Wilson won a total of 11 World Titles with several sanctioning bodies that included the IKF, WKA, KICK, ISKA, STAR and the PKO, winning his IKF FCR Cruiserweight World Title in May of 1999 when he defeated Dick Kimber. At the end of the third round, Wilson exploded with a flurry that eventually knocked Kimber to the floor motionless. Referee Dan Stell counted Kimber out on the floor, a count that went into the round break, and Wilson's opponent never stood during the count. Having never been challenged for his title, Wilson voluntarily retired it to move down to the Light Heavyweight Division, where he eventually retired from fighting a few years later.
Wilson's kickboxing career spanned four decades, with his first fight opposite Bill Knoblok in 1974 and his last fight a 10th-round knockout victory over Eddie Butcher in 2002, in Atlantic City. He defeated, among others, world champions Branko Cikatic, James Warring, Dennis Alexio, and Maurice Smith, and Wilson fought a draw with another champion, Jean-Yves Thériault. Over 79 bouts, Wilson was only knocked out by Glen McMorris in 1980. In addition to his legendary martial-arts career, Wilson has also been a frequent screen presence, with his credited movie appearances including roles in Futurekick, Bloodfist 1 – 8, Ring of Fire 1 - 4, Out for Blood, Operation Cobra, Terminal Rush, Redemption, Say Anything..., and Batman Forever, the latter of which found him playing the leader of the Neon Gang.
Billy Banks Jr. grew up in the Boston area, and at age nine, he was cast in a production of The Little Rascals. After his family 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 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 2023 Quad City Fit Fest will take place at the Bend XPO on February 18 and 19, 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.
