But the dancers would be there so early, well before the call time. We got to meet a lot of the artists. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Damita: No. We taped three shows on Saturday and three shows on Sunday on an 11AM to 6PM schedule. Damita Jo Freeman Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Damita Jo Freeman was born on February 26, 1953 in Palestine, Texas, USA. Soultrain.com: Legend has it that your journey with Soul Train began at the club Maverick’s Flat in Los Angeles. I also chose several of the dancers to perform during a Rolling Stones concert. Damita Jo Freeman was born on February 26, 1953 in Palestine, Texas, USA. I still remember he was so grateful that I acknowledged him in a book about American Bandstand. DeBlanc was born in Austin, Texas, United States. Damita: The bathrooms at the studio were the dancers’ dressing rooms. We saw each other from a distance and we started doing locking moves and played “invisible” guitars before going separate ways. This all happened during my first weekend at Soul Train. Eventually, Joe and I won the finals and we won a trip to Hawaii. Damita: Yes. She also helped get opportunities for other Soul Train dancers whenever she could and fought for better conditions for the dancers while she was on the show. Soultrain.com: More recently, you did choreography for the 36th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, which must have been an honor. I was always trying to help the other dancers and open doors for them. She knew I was a Soul Train dancer. Damita: I became a part of the show due to Dick Clark, who produced the show. She is known for her work on Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988), Private Benjamin (1980) and Bad Dreams (1988). I went on tour with an opera show for a month and when I came back, my girlfriends, Don Campbell, and I and some other friends were back at Maverick’s Flat dancing and locking. I met President Carter and went to the White House. During the early 70s, everything we did was street dancing. What would you say to them? So I chose Eddie Cole, Little Joe Chism and Pat Davis to perform with Diana Ross. I saw her performance on public TV here in Chicago and her enthusiasm is just infectious. No production personnel would be at the studio. I knew I just had to know who this person was. Damita: When Don Campbell and I first went on it wasn’t that good because everywhere we danced, the other dancers complained we were in their space. I loved being on TV! Damita: Joe wanted to be a part of everything! His future bride-to-be, Diana, was also there. You worked with and choreographed so many people. in Neo-Griot, PUB: Call for Submissions: sx salon—a small axe literary platform, PUB: The Magic Oxygen Literary Competition. So I did and this is where I first met Don Campbell. So after Don interviewed him and went down the steps, I went up on stage and I danced! Damita: Me and my girlfriends, Jackie and Linda, went to a club one Thursday night called Maverick’s Flat. Dick Clark gave me the tools once Don opened the door for me. MetaFilter is a weblog that anyone can contribute a link or a comment to. It would become his signature dance step, the Moonwalk, which he first did on the Motown 25 special. (laughs). This was a step I did while I trained as a ballerina. Damita: When he came to the show, he asked me quietly if I wanted to dance with him on stage. After the show, he came backstage and asked how I did that dance step. Soultrain.com: When did your journey with dancing begin? It was a six-week contest in which dancers representing different cities competed. Damita: We are the pioneers. Damita: I was so proud of him! Soultrain.com: You have been friends with Michael Jackson and the Jackson family for many years. Soultrain.com: You also danced on stage with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Soultrain.com: Do you have a word of wisdom you want to share with the readers? Then I pulled my girlfriends on the floor and we all started locking. My training as a ballerina gave me the foundation for dancing later on. I love ballet! Soultrain.com: So is this when you first went to Soul Train? Soultrain.com: We sadly lost both Don Cornelius and Dick Clark this year, two people who were very instrumental in helping you get many opportunities in show business. Michael always stated that he was not a creator of that dance step. Damita: Yes. He opened doors that gave me an opportunity to slip through and help to make dreams happen. Damita: It was so much fun working with him. Soultrain.com: What was it like working with Goldie Hawn in the movie? We bowed and curtseyed before Prince Charles. After my dance performance, all the celebrities stood in line to meet the Queen and she told me that she liked the way I dance. It was impromptu. Damita: Absolutely! Grand Prairie, TX Her style of dancing caught the eye of many in the entertainment industry and helped her to get work in specials, theater and commercials in addition to doing choreography for major events. Sooo fun to watch! How are you able to do that? Damita Jo Freeman was born on February 26, 1953 in Palestine, Texas, USA. They, too, won the national dance contest and won a car. Anthem Theme by The Theme Foundry, DANCE + INTERVIEW: The sensational and dynamic Damita Jo Freeman, http://soultrain.com/2012/08/20/diary-of-an-ex-soul-train-dancer-presents-the-one-and-only-damita-jo-freeman-part-1/. My next question is something a lot of people want to know. Publicity Listings Damita: Michael Jackson was a good friend. And Mr. James Brown was enjoying the view too! Damita: Yes. So my girlfriends pushed me to go out on the floor to dance. A typical weblog is one person posting their thoughts on the unique things they find on the web. I was on tour with him for three years. Joanna Kerns, who later played on the show Growing Pains, and Katey Segal from Married With Children were also in the play. I applaud you for fighting to get the dancers better treatment on the show. Soultrain.com: One of your greatest honors, and there were so many, had to have been choreographing the 1984 Olympics Closing Ceremonies. In 1973, you became a part of the Shakespeare play Two Gentlemen of Verona. Basic HTML is allowed. Soultrain.com: You even had the privilege of choreographing certain acts that came to American Bandstand, right? Damita: I met with the casting director and at the audition. 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