Meet Special Guest Speaker Pepper Von!
Pepper Von is a
national and international fitness educator, motivational speaker and
co-owner of Step I Dance & Fitness in Sacramento, California. He has
presented for the American Council on Exercise, Aerobic Fitness
Association of America, and is a master trainer and examiner for the
World Aerobic Kickboxing Association International. He is a featured
presenter for the California Association of Health, P.E., Recreation and
Dance.
He has been performing on stage and screen for many years. His numerous
credits include appearances on ESPN, NBC Extra, MTV, NBC Television Emmy
Awards, Fox Say No To Drugs/Kids Reaching Out, UPN Good Day Sacramento.
He has appeared in the Cake music video, “No Phone” and the national
television commercial for Ghetto Angel, aired on BET, MTV, NBC, CBS and
ABC. Stage credits include Las Vegas On Stage (Japan), Inner City Games
with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tops In Blue (World Tour), USA National
Aerobic Champion, Arabian in the Sacramento Ballet Nutcracker, Giselle,
West Side Story, Chorus Line, Cabaret and Chicago. He received an Elly
Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for “Smokey Joe’s Café.” As
part of his professional fitness career, he has starred in ten
Blockbuster Videos.
His awards and honors include the Presidential Sports Award, Attorney
General Award of Merit, Leadership Award of Excellence from the Health
and Fitness Institute, Man of the Year for the American Athletic
Association, Instructor of the Year for the American Aerobic Association
International and the International Sports Medicine Association and
Father of the Year from the Sacramento Birthing Project. Pepper has been
featured in several publications including Shape, Hot Skins, Self,
Hollywood Drama Log, Ebony Man, Swimsuit Illustrated, Sacramento Bee,
Sacramento Observer, News & Review, American Fitness Magazine, Inside
the City, Sacramento Magazine, Belly Dancer Magazine and spotlight
stories in other magazines and newspapers too numerous to mention.
He is founder of the Hip Hop Competition Category of the AAU and the
Dream Collective in Sacramento. He is a judge and choreographer for JAMZ,
the National Dance & Cheer Championship and has judged the scholarship
awards for the Public Education Dance Alliance.
He has appeared with several celebrities including Gregory Hines at the
Grand Gala at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, Billy Blanks, at the
Save The Children Weekend in Cincinnati, and the Bill Belamy at the MTV
Beach House. Several of Pepper’s students have appeared with Michael
Jackson, MC Hammer, Madonna, Usher, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Will
Smith, Beyonce, You Got Served and numerous Broadway and World Tours.
