PLUS Dancers!
One time in 2003, Microsoft introduced a piece of software called Plus! Digital Media Edition. It came with an analog recorder for transferring vinyl records to a digital format, Picture It, etc. etc., and my absolute favorite of the bunch hands-down - the Plus! Dancer application, which sticks a, well, dancer onto your screen (no, not a naked one!) that fades in when music plays. It comes with a handful of dancers out of the box, but to download more you had to go to their website, which also provided dancer bios; the website itself is down, but if you can scrounge up the app you had to download to download more dancers that still works against all odds. This is where this website steps in; its goal is to keep the spirit of dancing computer people alive by offering them for the two people trying to make Plus! Digital Media Edition work. (You have to apply a registry fix before you install; the activation is internet-based and won't go without the now-dead activation servers)
The files on this site WON'T work with the version provided with Windows XP Media Center 2005 and I cannot provide Plus DME due to copyright!
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Unzip files
Copy to <MS Plus! DME installation directory>/Dancer/Dancers
If the option to fade in and out with music doesn't work with your PC, take this update out for a spin!
Add all the dancers in one fell swoop! (This will take up a whole gigabyte of storage space... but I don't have a gigabyte of space available)
INDIVIDUAL DANCERS:
Click on the pictures to download!
L = Large Size
M = Medium Size
S = Small Size
Note that Josh and Q-Taro never had bios; indeed, Josh had a "Coming Soon" notice on the official website for over a year before being given up on when Q-Taro, the last-ever released dancer, rolled up. As a consolation prize of sorts they get to be up here:
Josh |
Q-Taro |
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General dance style: Country/Western |
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General dance style: Hip-Hop |
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Amanda General dance style: House This 19-year-old, full-time college student is also a dancer, coach, choreographer, instructor, business owner, and part-time travel consultant. She has been dancing competitively and professionally for 14 years, with formal training in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, step, cheer, and hip-hop. Amanda, who started teaching dance at age 14, is currently a co-owner and artistic director for a dance studio. She is also a dance choreographer for several award-winning, competitive cheerleading teams. Amanda was a member of the dance group for a professional basketball team during the 2001-2002 season. |
Arkantos Game: Age of Mythology - PC game Arkantos of Atlantis was born during a time of great turmoil. His homeland was under constant siege by enemy armies. At the age of 15, Arkantos took up spear and shield and quickly earned a reputation as a great leader and one favored by Poseidon, the Father of Atlantis. Over time, Arkantos became so indisputably skilled in waging war that the Council of Atlantis named him admiral and placed him in charge of their entire military. Now a time of peace, Arkantos now commands only a token force to fight off the rare bandit or pirate, including those that killed his wife and left his son, Kastor, as his only heir. It seemed that Arkantos' days of glory had ended but fate had something different in mind. Lead Arkantos and his companions through epic battles with heroes and creatures of Egyptian, Greek and Norse mythologies. Unleash the wrath of the gods with special powers that will obliterate your opponents and augment your troops in Age of Mythology from Ensemble Studios. |
Ben General dance style: The Sprinkler As the son of a jazz musician and jazz singer, Ben grew up dancing with the customers outside the dance clubs where his parents performed. Comedy has always played a major role in Ben's dance style, and he cites Jackie Gleason, Chris Farley, and John Belushi as his influences. With his amazing combination of humor and dance, Ben has made numerous appearances at shows, clubs, and sporting events across the nation and is always popular with the crowd. Fans may have seen him dancing in center court with the team mascot for a professional basketball team. As an upcoming stand-up comedian, he can also be seen at comedy clubs on open-mike night. |
Boo Who? General dance style: Spooky Groove An avid dancer and amateur contortionist, Boo Who? or Boo as his friends call him, graduated cum laude from Contoso University in 1994 with a degree in the performing arts. Driven by dreams of fame, upon graduation Boo did a short stint of dinner theater in Boca Raton, Florida where he participated in a showtunes revue. It was after a harrowing incident involving a fork that Boo followed his classmates, entering the Information Technology industry where he served as Chief Technology Officer for Fitch & Mather. It was during that time that he formed a rock band and moved to Seattle, only to miss the grunge movement by two days. Disheartened, Boo returned once again to the familiar IT industry working for a short while for a Redmond, WA based software company, where he continued to work until being retired in 2001. Since then, Boo has been hanging out on the LA mime circuit, practicing his dancing, acting, and singing in the hopes of becoming a triple threat on a future reality-based talent show. In his spare time, Boo picks up extra money as a part-time model for children's Halloween costumes. |
Chanel General dance style: Hip-Hop/Funk Chanel is a 20-year-old dancer based in Washington. She has been dancing hip-hop and jazz for three and a half years and is currently a member of a popular hip-hop dance group. She performs and competes at numerous dance events and clubs and was a backup dancer for an up and coming pop singer. Chanel hopes to be a professional backup dancer and tour with pop singers so she can dance around the world. |
Cobey General dance style: Hip-Hop Cobey is a 20-year-old, full-time college student and hip-hop enthusiast. She has been dancing hip-hop for four years and is currently a member of a popular hip-hop dance group. Cobey started ballet at the age of five and also received formal training in jazz dance. She has been a member of hip-hop dance groups in Hawaii and Washington. She also enjoys hula and Tahitian dancing. |
Daniel General dance style: Club Daniel is 23 years old, has been dancing for fun since he was 2, and started classical training when he was 18 in Seattle Washington. He has toured North America in Fame: The Musical. Daniel has also performed with his favorite artist, Michael Jackson and *Nsync, at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards performing Wade Robson's choreography. Daniel has also been teaching and choreographing around the country since he was 18 years-old and was a director of his own dance company for 3 years. Daniel recently performed at the 2003 BET Awards and the Much Music Awards in Toronto with Ashanti. He also recently fulfilled one of his goals of being in a music video with the artist formerly known as Prince. He can also be seen in "How to..." with Brian Friedman. Daniel studied ballet, modern, jazz, musical theater dance, Graham, and Laban Movement to compliment his style of hip-hop dance. He was a scholarship recipient at both Cornish College of the Arts and Westlake Dance Center in Seattle and Tremaine Dance Center in Los Angeles. He continues his dance education at Edge PAC and Millenium Dance Complex. |
Evan & Michele General dance style: Tango Evan and Michele are passionate about Argentine tango. They have been dancing, teaching, and performing together for six years, and in that time have developed a reputation for excellence in all three fields. They are obsessive about tango dancing and travel frequently to Argentina and other tango communities throughout the world. Michele has been dancing all her life and teaching partner dancing for over 12 years. She now teaches dance full-time, specializing in Argentine tango, salsa, and West Coast swing. She is also a prolific producer of tango performances. Evan is a physicist, inventor, and software entrepreneur. He draws heavily on his scientific background to lend a unique analytical perspective to all his classes, emphasizing the fundamental physical principles underlying the dance. Together, Evan and Michele continue to strive to express the endless beauty, sensuality, strength, and passion of the tango. |
Exile Game: Tao Feng XBOX Exile, at 6'8" and 300 lbs, is the embodiment of brute force. He is massively powerful and unblinkingly vicious. Without conscience and unquestioningly loyal, he is Wulong Goth's primary enforcer. Sent by his master to Metro-China years ago, Exile was responsible for numerous bad deeds at Wulong Goth's command. Exile can be found in the new fighting game "Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus" available March 19th, only for Xbox. A new kind of fighter from the co-creator of the Mortal Kombat series, Tao Feng is the most brutal and lifelike fighting game ever created. |
Hawk Game: Brute Force XBOX Hawk comes from a family with a long tradition of military service for the Confederation. As a child she lived pretty much everywhere, traveling with her parents from assignment to assignment. She is the fastest and quietest of her squad, but is the most lightly armored. In stealth mode Hawk has the unique ability to blend in with her environment, and can move without making a sound or leaving footprints. While in stealth mode Hawk can sneak up behind an unsuspecting enemy and perform a silent hit, using her powerblade. She is an excellent scout, and believes in gathering the facts before bulldozing in. Hawk can be found in the newly commissioned 23rd Special Forces unit, coded named "Brute Force". "Brute Force" is a new sci-fi action shooter that lets gamers experience the intensity of a shooter with the cunning strategies of team-based tactical combat. Available May 2003, only for Xbox. |
Jade Dragon Game: Tao Feng XBOX Jade Dragon (real name: Aria Chen) is a direct descendent of a line of Master Sages, whose power is alive in her. At 23 yrs, she is more serious than most women her age; she is not concerned with what she considers the trivial matters of life. Lo Shu is considering her as the next Master Sage, breaking the tradition that a Master Sage can only be succeeded by his son. Years of training with Lo Shu have made her a formidable fighter and she has learned to harness her yang energy, expressed in the form of a dragon. Jade Dragon can be found in the new fighting game "Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus" available March 19th, only for Xbox. A new kind of fighter from the co-creator of the Mortal Kombat series, Tao Feng is the most brutal and lifelike fighting game ever created. |
Jarvis General dance style: Hoofing Jarvis started dancing at age 13 and started with the Broadway Style of Tap. He did that for one year and then switched to Rhythm Tap. He currently dances with the Tap Squad in Seattle. They do shows at the Paramount and Moore Theatres every year. Jarvis was honored to meet Gregory Hines when Mr. Hines came to Johnson & Peters Tap studio to teach a class while he was in town for a show at the Paramount. Jarvis studied under and performed with Mr. Hines during his time at the studio. Jarvis is currently dancing full time and plans to attend college shortly as well as perform in a major music production in the future. |
Jen & Dave General dance style: Swing Jen ("Hep Jen") is a professional swing-dance performer, instructor, and choreographer. Jen has been a full-time dancer for six years, specializing in 1930s-40s historical jazz dances. Her primary focus is the lindy hop, which she has performed nationwide in numerous professional groups and has taught to thousands of people at local dance studios and clubs. Her inspiration is the swing-era Whitey's Lindy Hoppers from Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. Dave is a data architect who got hooked on dancing after he took a ballet class at Carleton College. Since then, he has studied modern and jazz dance, and practices swing, jazz, tap, and physical theater. His influences include Fred Astaire, Ray Bolger, and Buster Keaton. Over the years, Dave has taught thousands of people to dance and has performed at clubs, festivals, and theaters throughout the Northwest. He is most proud of producing a popular weekly show that mixes dance instruction, live music, and dance performances. |
Jerome General dance style: B-Boy Jerome ("Jeromeskee") is a 20-year-old professional dancer, instructor, and choreographer. He first started breakdancing in 1996 and has been performing in b-boy events and competitions ever since. Jerome has been a member of several competitive, successful b-boy dance groups and has participated and won numerous dance titles throughout the world. Jerome dances and models professionally for many national corporations and publications. He has also taught at-risk children to dance, working with them at community facilities and after-school programs. Jerome is a judge at b-boy dance competitions and has even written an instructional book about breakdancing. |
Kenny General dance style: Disco Kenny is a 24-year-old dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He started out as a break-dancer almost a decade ago, and has since received formal training in jazz, hip-hop, ballet, and modern dance. He has performed extensively and choreographed for many groups, including the dance group for a professional basketball team. As an instructor, Kenny has motivated dance students at major universities and various dance studios. His other passions and pursuits include musical theater, motorcycle riding, reading, mixing music, cooking, and all things artistic. |
Kris, the Holiday Elf General dance style: Popular Kris hails from the Arctic Region where he grew up in the suburbs just outside the North Pole. He started dancing at a very early age, and recalls preferring to try out new moves and tricks to playing with the abundance of toys that his father often brought home from his work. Kris specializes in dance moves made popular during the 80's and 90's, but with his own special "magic" as he describes it. One day, he hopes to dance at Radio City Music Hall in NYC with the Rockettes. |
Master Sho-Yu Game: Kung Fu Chaos XBOX Master Sho-Yu is one of the stars of the fun-filled, action-packed party brawler Kung Fu Chaos. He is a wisecracking old man, and it is recommended that you follow the path to enlightenment...or he'll punch your lights out. Along with his fists of wisdom, his uncanny Kung Fu moves make Master Sho-Yu a masterful Kung Fu martial artist and a great dancer too. Kung Fu Chaos is a quirky brawler inspired by the '70s Kung Fu movie era where you fight as one of nine outrageous characters on interactive movie sets, going head to head against evil ninjas or battle against and your buddies. |
Nickole & Marcelo General dance style: Salsa Nickole ("Coco") is a 24-year old dancer who started performing in talent shows when she was a small girl. A few years ago, she took ballroom dance lessons and then discovered salsa dancing. In 2000, she joined a salsa dance group, and has been traveling and performing with them ever since. They have made appearances in several major cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. Marcelo grew up as a hip-hop street dancer with no real formal training. In 2000, he was discovered by a choreographer for a salsa dancing company while he was dancing at a local club. He now performs at dance competitions and showcases around the world. This 26-year-old dancer works as an associate vice president of leasing/development for a property management and development company. |
Scooby-Doo General dance style: The Puppy Shuffle He's afraid of ghouls, vampires, zombies, mummies... even his own shadow. And when the going gets tough, Scooby gets going.... as far away as possible! Speaking semi-intelligible English, the only four-pawed member of Mystery Inc. unwittingly helps his ghostbusting teenage pals solve monstrous mysteries and unmask pseudo-spirits. The key to Scooby's heart - and to whatever courage he can muster - is Scooby Snacks. He'll do anything for 'em, even wear disguises and venture into haunted houses. But you always get the feeling that the big, lovable pooch would rather be anyplace than the spooky place where he always happens to be. |
Seth General dance style: B-Boy/Capoeria Seth ("Pimenta") is a 25-year year-old professional instructor and performer of capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts dance style. He is a member of a world-renowned dance group. He has performed and competed at dance events around the world, including Dance Delight in Tokyo, Japan, and the Out of Fame competition finals in Los Angeles, California. Seth has been dancing for nine years with no formal training. He has his own unique style, which is primarily influenced by b-boy, house, and capoeira dance styles. He has been practicing capoeira for seven years and teaches this dance style at his dance academy. |
Shermin General dance style: Cheer Shermin is 25 years old and started dancing at age 13 while watching her cousins break dance as she was growing up. She always mimicked them and wanted to be a fly-girl and professional dancer. One day cheerleading stole her eye and her enthusiasm and lack of technical training moved her towards that activity. She had the athleticism and a bit of rhythm! Shermin has over 10 years of amateur and professional cheerleading experience including 3 years of cheerleading in High School, 2 years of College Cheer while earning her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. She also took 2 years of college dance classes to learn more than cheer style dancing. She spent 2 seasons on the Stunt team for a professional basketball team and has been a Cheerleading instructor for Universal Cheerleaders Association for 7 years. She hopes to become a pediatric nurse following her cheerleading career. |
Skele-Man General dance style: Spooky Shuffle The Skele-Man is a human skeleton with an eyeball for a head. He is single, loves to party, and has a boundless hatred for Mystery Inc. He is willing to disassemble his body into different shapes -- a toboggan, a machine gun, a giant crab -- to stop them. It's painful, but worth it. He doesn't speak English, but rather a skeletal chattering sound similar to that of a chipmunk, only much, much spookier. |
Taryn General dance style: 60s Retro Taryn is a graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in Theatre Arts. Dancing, singing, and acting have been her favorite activities since she was very little, and today Taryn is proud to do all three for a living! She has performed locally with The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, The Village Theatre, and Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre. A few of her favorite shows include Chicago (Roxie Hart), A Chorus Line (Val), and Grease (Sandy). Offstage, she gets a big kick out of teaching theatre and dance to young students. Taryn wishes to continue performing for as long as she can, and is hopeful to someday soon have her turn on Broadway! |
Wade General dance style: Popping/Locking Wade began popping and freestyle dancing four years ago and moved recently to hip-hop dance style. He performed with a hip-hop dance group for two and a half years, and is currently co-directing a new hip-hop dance group. Wade was born and raised in the paradise of Hawaii and, no matter what he does or where he goes, he will forever be an island boy. In addition to his dancing, this 20-year-old also studies as a full-time undergraduate student. |
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