‘To this day, we are like a family’

There was a time when Lillian Narodowski danced on air.

Although she no longer does, the memories of that experience remain alive and cherished by the Cinnaminson resident.

Narodowski was once a popular regular on “Dancin’ On Air” (1981-1987) and “Dance Party USA” (1986-1992), the two teen dance TV series of the 1980s and early ’90s based in Philadelphia and (with “Dance Party USA,” on the USA Network) aired every weekday nationwide.

For Narodowski, every day on the show was a precious moment in time.

“If I could do it again, I wouldn’t change a single thing about it,” she said. “I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. They were some of the best years of my life.”

Narodowski, who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, appeared on “Dancin’ On Air” and “Dance Party USA” from 1984 to 1988. For the graduate of a Catholic girls high school, “Dancin’ On Air” was an extracurricular outlet.

“I wasn’t a cheerleader or on any sports teams,” Narodowski acknowledged. “The show was my after-school activity. I didn’t spend any time with people from my high school – the show was my high school.”

She remembers how getting to the studio for the 4 p.m. live broadcast was an adventure in itself.

“I had to take two buses, the El (the city’s rapid transit line) and another bus,” Narodowski recounted, “and then, I’d have to walk three blocks. School was over at 2:15, and if you weren’t at the studio by quarter of four, you weren’t getting on the show.”

Narodowski soon became one of the most popular regulars on “Dancin’ On Air” and “Dance Party USA.” With her ’80s ultra-permed hair, black tube tops and long skirts, she couldn’t help but stand out from the other dancers.

Another factor in her growing popularity was her numerous lip-syncs to Madonna songs, including one she performed live at Penn’s Landing.

“I was such a huge fan of hers,” Narodowski noted. “I went to all of her concerts, and I walked past her when she was in ‘Speed-The-Plow’ (the 1988 Broadway show). She knows who I am; she’s seen my lip synchs. I know that for a fact.”

For Narodowski and the other regulars, daily exposure on the shows drew fan mail – lots of it.

“I would always go home with a bag of mail,” Narodowski remembered. “We would get fan mail from all over the country, even from people that were in jail.”

That was then – this is now. Even so, the now 55-year-old mother of two, who manages the beauty department of a major retail store, keeps the “Dancin’ On Air” and “Dance Party USA” memories alive through her social media accounts.

Followers of Narodowski’s TikTok and Instagram accounts can see her in mini clips from “Dancin’ On Air” and “Dance Party USA,” as well as her current interactions with some of the former regulars. And for Narodowski, friendships she made with many of those regulars maintain the vibrant spirit of her time on the shows.

“To this day,” she related, “we are like a family.”