CINCINNATI, OH (PRWEB) February 20, 2004 -
Beginning in February, the Pantene Total Your Tour (PTYT) will visit nine cities nationwide in an effort to help African-American women realize their holistic beauty through positive transformation of the mind, body and spirit. African-American female celebrities including world-renowned poetess and professor Nikki Giovanni, GRAMMY® award-winning recording artist Yolanda Adams, legendary hip-hop pioneer MC Lyte, fitness guru Donna Richardson, actress and comedienne Myra J, special guest emcee Free, VJ from Black Entertainment TelevisionÂs (BET) 106 & Park: BETÂs Top 10 Live, journalist and anchor of BET Nightly News Jacque Reid, and team members from the WomenÂs National Basketball Association (WNBA) will be on hand to entertain and enlighten women on issues of total wellness.
The tour, sponsored by Pantene® Pro-V® Relaxed & Natural - a new hair care collection designed specially for women of color, is scheduled to visit Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. this spring.
The day-long, three-part event will include the following activities: The PTYT Forum where celebrity panelists give personal anecdotes and advice related to womenÂs holistic health  mind, body and spirit. Immediately following the Forum, PTYT attendees in most markets will be treated to live performances from gospel recording artist and GRAMMY® award winner Yolanda Adams and legendary hip-hop pioneer MC Lyte. Attendees in New York and Atlanta only will see live performances from Arista recording artist and three-time 2004 GRAMMY® award nominee Anthony Hamilton, Universal recording artist and winner of VH1Âs Born to Diva 2003 Tarralyn Ramsey, and DKG Music recording artist Rhian Benson. Lastly, PTYT attendees will be pampered during the Wellness Expo, which features hair color consultations, makeovers, manicures, product demonstrations and artistic performances by local talent. In addition, the Expo offers attendees an opportunity to meet the celebrity panelists and receive personal advice and autographs.
"The Pantene Total You Tour provides a fun and entertaining outlet for African-American women to learn about the importance of maintaining total wellness," said Pantene Total You Tour fitness expert Donna Richardson. "More than any other ethnic group, African-Americans suffer from a range of preventable diseases including diabetes, heart disease and stroke that are a result of poor nutritional and exercise habits. My goal is to instill sustainable, positive health choices that will benefit these women throughout their lives."
"The Pantene Total You Tour gives women of color the wonderful opportunity to share their collective experiences and participate in this unique celebration of sisterhood", said Theresa Silver, brand manager for Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural, Procter & Gamble. "Our hope is that attendees will be inspired to embrace their distinctive, individual characteristics as they enjoy the holistic health experience the Pantene Total You Tour provides.Â
The Total You Tour is managed by Grassroots Promotions. Black Entertainment Television is the Pantene Total You TourÂs broadcast media partner. In addition to Pantene® Pro-V® Relaxed & Natural, other participating brands for the 2004 Tour and expo include: Olay®, Infusium 23®, Head & Shoulders®, Tampax®, CoverGirl®, Noxzema®, Secret®, and Clairol® Textures & Tones®.
ABOUT THE PANTENE TOTAL YOU TOUR
The Total You Tour was created in 1999 to educate, empower and enlighten African-American women on issues of total wellness for the mind, body and spirit. Since its inception, the Tour has visited 28 major-market cities nationwide and more than 30 historically black colleges and universities.
The dates for the 2004 Pantene Total You Tour are:
New York - Feb. 21, Atlanta - Feb. 28, Dallas - Mar. 27, Chicago - Apr. 3, Detroit - Apr. 17, Washington, D.C. - Apr. 24, Houston - May 1, Philadelphia - May 8, and Charlotte - May 15.
ABOUT PANTENE® PRO-V® RELAXED & NATURAL
Pantene® Pro-V® Relaxed & Natural is a unique collection of shampoos, conditioners, hairdressings and stylers designed to meet the unique needs of women of color. Created to work on chemically relaxed, color-treated or natural hair, Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural products combine the most advanced Pro-Vitamin technology with essential oils and moisturizing ingredients to help keep hair strong, healthy and shiny. Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural is available nationwide at drug stores, food stores and mass merchandisers. The collection can be found in the hair care aisle next to all other Pantene products.
ABOUT THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY
Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Bounty®, Pringles®, Folgers®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Actonel®, Olay® and Clairol Nice Ân Easy®. The P&G community consists of nearly 98,000 employees working in almost 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
ABOUT BET
BET, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the nationÂs leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience. The BET Network reaches more than 75 million households according to Nielsen media research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET is a dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse group of branded businesses: BET.com, the Number 1. Internet portal for African-Americans; BET Digital Networks  BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip-Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, specializing in a full range of event production services, including event management, venue selection, talent recruitment, sound, lighting and stage production; and BET Books, the nationÂs leading publisher of African-American themed romance novels under the Arabesque Books label, and publisher of new imprints Sepia and New Spirit.
ABOUT GRASSROOTS PROMOTIONS LLC.
Grassroots Promotions, LLC is a full-service marketing strategy firm specializing in the creation, planning, and implementation of targeted promotions. The African-American owned company, based in Dallas, serves as the link between marketing departments of major corporations and grassroots-level marketing opportunities in the urban community. For additional Pantene Total You Tour partnership opportunities, contact Grassroots Promotions at (214) 335-9154 or visit http://www.grassrootspromotions.com.
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