Here it is -- another installment of the SGDC's "20 Questions" feature!! This time, Solid Gold Dancer Lezlie Mogell was gracious enough to take a moment out of her busy schedule to answer your questions! And like Deborah, she answered WAY more questions than we asked of her!! Thanks, Lezlie, for participating in this feature -- I'm sure we speak for ALL of your fans when we say that your time spent on the questions is greatly appreciated! And a special thank you to all of the SG fans who made this feature possible by submitting questions -- this would not have been possible without you! So without further adieu, here are Lezlie's answers to your questions... enjoy!
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I loved watching you on SG. I was wondering if you could tell me what Nicole Romine was like? Also, I was wondering how the dancers got chosen to dance to a particular song, and who chose them?
dena holtz - thanks so much for watching. nicole was a cutie! it was one of her first professional jobs and we all pretty much took her under our wings. what a talent she was! i remember how nervous she was in the beginning, but she certainly blossomed into a real pro. the choreographer almost always chose who would dance to what.
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What made you want to be a Solid Gold Dancer and why?
jk: who didn't want to be a solid gold dancer!?!? first of all, it was one of the most prestigious jobs back in the 80's that a dancer could have. the show aired all over the world so we were very well known. we got to work with all those hot groups, singers and celebs, and it was a steady gig! i really was very proud to have been associated with the show.
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If Solid Gold were to come back on the air again, would you go for it? Why or why not?
would i ever do the show again if it came back? YOU BET!! i'd love to have a solid gold reunion.
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What and who inspired you to dance?
i started dancing when i was 3 yrs. old, and knew from that first moment that that was what i wanted to do.
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What do you think is the best memory you have of SOLID GOLD and why?
one of my fondest memories was when i got to meet jimmie jamison of survivor. i always loved his voice and their music. there are many, many memories......as you can imagine!!
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What are you up to these days? Still dancing? Why or why not?
these days i work as an emergency room nurse. ( big switch, huh!!?? ) but i still choreograph many videos and commercials. thanks for the questions.
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What was it like backstage? Hectic and full of complaining, or more relaxed and fun?
jeff from illinois: thank you for the wonderful compliments!! backstage was hectic, exciting, nerve wracking, fun, and always hurry, hurry, hurry! a lot of times the choreography would be changed at the last minute, so not only were we trying to get dressed, but also going over new steps at the same time. YIKES!!
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What led you to getting a job as a Solid Gold Dancer? That is, how did you find out about the job?
hi oskar. i'm trying to remember how i got the job. i think i got a phone call from the choreographer to come in for an audition.....went to the studio, danced, and got the job. it was very exciting.
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Were you, or are you friends with any of the other dancers? Which ones?
i knew some of the dancers, most of us had worked with one another on other jobs, and still keep in touch with jamilah ( who is one of my best friends ), and paula, who is also a close friend. i also keep in touch with gayle, pam, and deborah.
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When you were on the show, did all of the dancers get along, or was there friction in the troupe?
we all got along really well, actually i don't remember there ever being any friction at all. i worked with great people!!
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Overall, was being a SG Dancer fun, or was it hard work?
it was fun AND hard work. (we just made it look easy!)
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At the time, did you realize that every teenage girl in America wanted to be you, and that every teenage boy wanted to date you? What did that feel like?
it was very flattering to know we had so many fans.
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What kinds of music are you/were you into when you danced on the show? Was it a drag dancing to all that Top40 music?
the music was great, but sometimes when a particular song stayed in the top 10 for months and months, we got kind of sick of dancing to that song.
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Were you married or single when you were a SG Dancer? If single, did you ever date any of the famous musicians that were on the show? Are you married now, or is there a special someone in your life?
i was single while i did the show, and i did have my share of dating some musicians! (they shall remain anonymous!). no, i am not married at this time.
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What led you to make such a drastic career change and become a nurse?
i became a nurse because i had always wanted a college degree, and i knew i couldn't dance forever, so i figured i better do something that would allow me to make a living and also help people.
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The dancers were obviously the most important element of the show. Did the producers realize/admit this and if so were you guys treated well?
ken curtis: again, i'm so flattered by your compliments. yes, we were treated very well.
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Were you disappointed when some of the dancers were (forced?) off the show? How was the firing of a dancer handled? I can't imagine anyone firing you! I enjoyed your fine work in the Billy Idol video "Eyes Without a Face". I love that song. Yours was by far and away the best of the three bootys so prominently displayed.
as far as the " letting go " situations, yes, i was "let go" after 2 seasons. let's just say that some of those situations were handled better than others. but it was okay because doing the show was a wonderful experience, and then i went on to do other wonderful jobs. thank you for mentioning the billy idol video. that was a blast working with him, he was a doll!
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What advice would you give to someone interested on going on some dance auditions?
hi cheryl. my advice regarding auditions is to watch the choreographer CLOSELY! they are looking for someone who can do their style and yet bring their own personality to their work. do what they are asking for! be clean in your dancing, if they want you to spot on 3,4.....don't spot on 5,6. and if you screw up, don't stop. just keep going. stand in front so they can see you. don't hide in the back. if you truly love what you are doing, it will show.
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Which Solid Gold dancer do you think you danced best with when paired up?
i loved dancing with all the girls, for various reasons, but i thought jamilah and i looked good together. we would make each other laugh!
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Which Solid Gold costume was your most favorite?
we had a red sequined dress with cut-outs that we wore for one of the christmas specials that was absolutely my favorite. i loved that dress. we also wore it in the " miss teen " pageant.
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Was it hard dancing in those heels?
YES!! those heels were hell!!!
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Do you remember your first dance recital? If so what style of dance, song, and costume did you have?
of course i remember my first recital. i was a little bunny rabbit........enough!
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What kind of music is your favorite & what CD is in your radio or car right now?
right now in my car are lots of different cd's. stevie wonder, cher (of course, since i toured with her for 2 yrs. ), sound track of chicago ( broadway version ), some great salsa stuff, and the best of journey.
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What's your most favorite thing about Michigan?
my most favorite thing about michigan is the people! i still have a few very close friends there and i miss them terribly. the best people in the world!!
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Last really good movie you've seen?
i don't know about the last good movie i've seen, but my all time favorite movie is west side story. the most unbelievable dancing ever!!
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What fascinated you about going into nursing?
i have very mixed feelings about nursing. i don't know if i was ever " fascinated " with the profession, but i knew it would allow me to earn a good living as well as help people. i'll tell you one thing......i've never worked so hard in my life!!
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What's one piece of advice that's help you the most throughout your career?
i think one piece of advice that helped me through out my entire dance career was, if you believe it you can achieve it. i always felt that that was where i belonged.........."dancing" will always be home for me.
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What I would like to know is has your being on the show ever been a problem for you in terms of your nursing work. Have you had problems with your coworkers not taking you seriously or patients questioning if you know what you're doing because they recognize you?
paul v.: thank you and all my fans for taking the time to ask the questions. to be honest with you, i really don't get recognized any more. not only have a few years gone by, but my hair is very, very short these days. all my co-workers know about my previous dance career and are like " WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?? " one night at work, we were very slow, so one of the doctors brought in his laptop and of course we went right to the solid gold web page so they could all see my pics and bio. some of the docs tell the patients " do you know who this is? remember solid gold? ". it's very heartwarming and funny. sometimes i dance for my patients!!
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Besides the dancing itself, what was your favorite thing about being on the show?
The pride I felt about being chosen to be on the show.
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Do you ever think there will be a Solid Gold reunion, and if so, would you like to be a part of it?
if all our fans would keep writing in and begging for a reunion, who knows what would happen. i would do it in a heartbeat!! thanks for the questions.
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