PULSE ROCK OF (ALL) AGES JAZZERCISE STEPS INTO THE NEXT GENERATION WITH NEW APPROACHES TO FITNESS.

Byline: Mariko Thompson

Back in the go-go '80s, when big hair and off-the-shoulder ``Flashdance'' sweat shirts were all the rage, old-school aerobics gave us the illusion that we, too, could be dancers. No other fitness phenomenon tapped into this desire quite so well as Jazzercise.

Jazzercise was created by Judi Sheppard Missett in 1969 and became ubiquitous in the '80s. Unlike other exercise fads that disappear into oblivion, Jazzercise has managed to age with grace.

Missett stayed with her dance roots while incorporating the latest fashions in group exercise. The formula has paid off. The company reported a record year in 2002 with $62.2 million in sales. Pass by a local recreation center on Jazzercise night and the place will be packed with women in leotards, grapevining and chasse-ing to an up-tempo beat.

Looking to hook a new generation of Jazzercisers, Missett has released two new DVDs, ``Pure Jazzercise'' ($24.95) and ``Stretch by Jazzercise'' ($21.95). ``Stretch by Jazzercise'' leads viewers through 10 calming segments. The routine borrows some poses from yoga, set to jazz instead of new-agey music.

In ``Pure Jazzercise,'' the ability to absorb other trends is on full display. Some choreographed segments have a hip-shaking Latin flavor. Some co-opt kickboxing moves. Even strength training with hand weights has a dancer's pizazz.

After the drudgery of step aerobics and the joint-jarring cardio kickboxing craze, going back to dance aerobics is like reconnecting with an old friend. Nostalgia aside, Jazzercise may not be the hippest offering out there. But we'll see how karaoke indoor cycling stacks up in 30 years.

For more information, visit www.jazzercise.com or call (800) FIT-IS-IT.

KID SUPPORT: The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura will offer a free education and support group for kids ages 5 to 12 who have a parent or close relative with cancer. The Kids Circle program will be held at 10:30 a.m. on consecutive Saturdays starting this Saturday. A separate group for parents and relatives will meet at the same time. The Wellness Community is located at 530 Hampshire Road in Westlake Village. Call [phone] for more information.

AU NATUREL: Herbs have gone so mainstream that their hippie image now carries a certain cachet. So as long as you're stocking up on organic soy milk and flax seed power bars, why not give your teeth the same kind of natural care? The Natural Dentist toothpaste and mouth rinse contain echinacea, goldenseal, calendula, bloodroot and aloe. Unlike many other oral-hygiene products, the Natural Dentist uses no alcohol, sugar or chemicals. The company's toothpastes and mouth rinses are available in most retail outlets, including Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

BARD SCIENCE: In his eulogy of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson wrote that the playwright ``was not of an age, but for all time.'' Four centuries later, Shakespeare's keen observations of human behavior extend well beyond the realm of theater - perhaps even further than Jonson could have imagined. In ``The Bard on the Brain'' (Dana Press; $35), authors Paul Matthews and Jeffrey McQuain use Shakespeare as a launching point into modern brain science. Hamlet's despair leads to an exploration of the role of serotonin in depression. A statue brought to life by music in ``The Winter's Tale'' poses the question of how music affects the brain. ``King Lear'' maps the descent into dementia. The book contains performance photos of acclaimed Shakespearean actors such as Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins interspersed with artistically rendered MRI and PET images of the brain. By turning to Shakespeare, Matthews, a professor of neurology at the University of Oxford, and McQuain, author of several books examining language, have created a fascinating introduction to the brain in what otherwise might have been a dry treatise on neuroimaging.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 3) Jazzercise instructor John Rapozo puts a class through its paces in Northridge. Two new DVDs - ``Pure Jazzercise'' and ``Stretch by Jazzercise'' - are now available.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer(4) no caption (The Natural Dentist oral-hygiene products)

(5) no caption (Book: ``The Bard on the Brain'')