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Anita Mann

By Laurie L. Dove

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mother who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a woman and a mother. Above all, the Mom of the Month is dedicated to her children. Rich or poor, famous or not, she shines as an example of what mothering is all about.

Meet March's Mom of the Month, Anita Mann, a dedicated mother and grandmother who is using her award-winning choreography talents to create an animated series for preschoolers that encourages children to think and act from the heart.

Across the nation, children have been taking the From the Heart pledge, thanks to a new animated series designed especially for preschoolers.

The DVD/VHS series, itty bitty HeartBeats, encourages children to think and act "from the heart." The heart-shaped characters, which come in a variety of colors, engage children in solving daily challenges by promoting a positive approach to life and doing things "from the heart," says Anita Mann, the creative force behind the series and principal at LevyMann, which is producing itty bitty HeartBeats.

With heartwarming stories and original songs written by top children's composer and LevyMann principal Shuki Levy, itty bitty HeartBeats stars seven lovable "itty bitty" characters who live in a magical world called HeartLand.

"Episodes in the series focus on important values designed to entertain and enlighten children from the inside out," Mann says. "itty bitty HeartBeats is created as an entertaining way in which children can discover and develop important social skills.

"It's important to me because I'm a mom," Mann says. "I've always been aware of what the media can do for children. The media is an important communication tool and we can use it to reinforce values that, as parents, we want to instill in our children. For me, it's been incredible to watch children react to the message. I think it's important to focus on positive messages."

With the many different colors of HeartBeat characters, children learn to look beyond color. "A blue parent and a pink child are all part of the same family, unquestioningly," Mann says. "We can start children off with a better understanding of each other. It's the best possible message in entertainment."

Mann started her career as a dancer and choreographer. She has written, produced and directed a number of memorable projects for network television, film and stage. Honored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as one of the country's top five contemporary choreographers, Mann also is the recipient of five Emmy nominations, one Emmy Award and accolades from every corner of an industry that would not be the same without her behind-the-scenes artistic influence.

Mann's ability to transform concepts into commercially-viable realities can be partially attributed to her formative years. A native of Detroit, Mich., she began dancing as soon as she could walk. As a teenager, she danced in the film musical Bye Bye Birdie and soon landed a role in the Elvis Presley musical comedy Spinout. Both Presley and renowned choreographer Jack Baker were impressed with her abilities and hired her to assist in the choreography of subsequent Elvis films, leading to work on Here's Lucy and The Lucille Ball Show, where she learned how to make magic behind the camera as well as in front of it.

During the mid-1960s Mann became recognized as a breakout dancer on variety shows including Shindig, Hullabaloo, The Carol Burnett Show, The Danny Thomas Show and The Jerry Lewis Comedy Show, among others.

All the major networks have embraced her talents as a choreographer, featuring her work on The Jacksons, The Cher Show, Sha Na Na, The Glenn Campbell Show, The Bobby Darin Show, The Smothers Brothers Show and, presaging a future niche, children's programs including New Zoo Revue.

Mann choreographed such specials as The Academy Awards; The People's Choice Awards; The Golden Globe Awards; The Grammy Hall of Fame; Super Night at the Super Bowl; specials for Doug Henning, Bobby Rydell and the Muppets; as well as TV movies. In 1982, she began a five-year stint on Solid Gold, garnering two Emmy nominations, and established the now-renowned Anita Mann Dancers, who have been headlining across the country for more than 25 years.

It was during this time that she began to create what would become her trademark: live shows. In 1976, Mann choreographed and directed Showtime America, a bicentennial show at Busch Gardens produced by magician Mark Wilson.

Over the next decade she continued directing and choreographing such live shows as the popular Sesame Street Live touring show. "It was so much fun," Mann says. "I'd just had a baby and I was so aware of the characters on Sesame Street."

The sense of fun that captured her heart as she choreographed moves for Miss Piggy remained, even as she worked on other projects. "I was learning so much about family entertainment," says Mann, who gave birth to another son one year later. She cultivated a special relationship with Jim Henson, was nominated for an Emmy for her work on The Muppets Go Hollywood in 1979 and subsequently choreographed the 1981 feature film The Great Muppet Caper.

After producing Blast from the Past, one of the longest running and most critically-acclaimed cabaret shows in U.S. history, she launched her own company, Anita Mann Productions, which would become distinguished by its dedication to detail – Dick Clark's American Bandstand Live, co-producing and directing The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Live Tour and directing Arthur: A Live Adventure, the first children's show ever to play at the Kennedy Center for the Arts.

Mann also exported her talents to casino nightclubs and cruise lines, and she choreographed four years of The Miss America Pageant, receiving an Emmy Award in 1995, the first time in history an Emmy was given to a pageant. She achieved another first with her decade of choreography work for The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in 1997, earning the first Emmy nomination ever given to a telethon for choreography.

In 1990, Mann was selected to direct a public service announcement featuring President and Barbara Bush to promote the historic animated special on substance abuse, Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, which ran on all major networks simultaneously. Branching out into videos, she has directed several fitness videos for Jane Fonda as well as music videos for The Pointer Sisters and Ozzy Osbourne.

Today, Mann's sons are 27 and 28, and she also is the mother of four stepchildren ranging in age from 19 to 36. Her current husband, who has eight young grandchildren, has afforded her a built-in focus group for new ideas.

When her business partner, Levy, showed her itty bitty HeartBeats, she "fell in love with the message and concept. The music is so beautiful, so real and so simple," she says.

Within the next two years, Mann hopes itty bitty HeartBeats will be on television reaching millions of children. And LevvyMann is teaming with Penguin Books to offer ittybitty HeartBeat books.

Whatever the method of communication, one thing is certain, Mann says: "There will always be a message that comes from the same place: the heart."