Zoo (dance troupe)

Zoo were a dance troupe who appeared on the weekly British music series Top of the Pops between 1981 and 1983.

Like previous dance troupes Pan's People, Ruby Flipper and their immediate predecessors Legs & Co., Zoo were put together and choreographed by Flick Colby (whose credit on the TOTP end credit changed from "Choreographer" to "Dance Director" on Zoo's debut). However, unlike the previous troupes, Zoo were formed as a repertory dance group with an ever-changing line-up, featuring a mixture of male and female multi-racial dancers with backgrounds in classical dance, the circus and the disco dancing scene.

Zoo were credited as appearing 45 times on TOTP between 5 November 1981 and 27 September 1983, although members of the troupe still appeared on the show in this time and beyond their residence outside their capacity as members of Zoo.

Their first appearance on TOTP featured a routine to the Electric Light Orchestra's Twilight.

As they were styled as a repertory dance group, the line-up for Zoo varied in each of their Top of the Pops routines. While many dancers appeared regularly during the bulk of the troupe's run on the show, some dancers seemed to appear only once.

However, some continuity from the previous TOTP dance troupe Legs & Co. was maintained. Anita Mahadervan, who had been a member of Legs & Co. for their last six months on TOTP, appeared on most of Zoo's early dance routines. Another Legs & Co. dancer, Sue Menhenick, who had been part of the various TOTP dance troupes from 1974 to October 1981, was invited to return for one edition in December 1981 and was credited as a member of Zoo on the show's end titles. Mary Corpe, who was in the final line up of Pan's People, also made a few appearances.

The number of dancers involved in a Zoo routine varied from one (Sue Menhenick, who danced to Jon & Vangelis' "I'll Find My Way Home" on 17 December 1981, and Maureen (surname unknown), who danced to Derek and the Dominos' "Layla" on 18 March 1982) to twelve (for the 1981 and 1982 two-part Christmas specials, and the 2 September 1982 edition).

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