Disco - need resources

motardmom

motardmom

New Member
Hi all!

I am working on an academic report for a dance class and I need resources for DISCO baby! Yeah! :P A very rough question I want to answer is "what happened to disco?" I want to introduce Disco as a style, do a brief history of it, then spend most of my report on how Disco became very unpopular very quickly, and immediate styles of dance afterwards. I'm looking for evidence of Disco in various dances since the "Disco Inferno" period. I am attempting to prove that Disco never really went away.

Any thoughts? My report will be presented as a PowerPoint presentation, so I am interested in photos, websites, links to videos, in addition to articles.

Thank you!
 
Tough one, unless you have enough time and library access to look at books. Maybe there are disco web sites, but I haven't seen any (maybe because I haven't looked too hard!).

What I HAVE seen on the internet are fragments here and there as I've looked for info on various dances, songs, "moves", etc. Doesn't mean there aren't any.


How much time do you have?
 
I have a week to concentrate on this one project.

I'm not so much looking for "where to people go to Disco in the year 2011", as I am looking more for "how does Swing/club dancing/(insert style) have characteristics similar to Disco" or "____ dancing is like Disco because it fills ____ need that people have for socializing/staying up late at night/doing drugs/whatever". I was thinking I could include the Hustle also... I was thinking of a Hustle --> Disco--> Swing progression. (correct me if you disagree with that chronology.)

Fragments are helpful. :) Thanks!
 
"Swing" has been around since the late 20s in the form of Lindy Hop, but then there was shag, balboa, etc, and the all inclusive "jitterbug" that was the term most commonly used across the US.

"Swing" was preserved by adults during the 60s. That and "Lindy" (NOT Lindy Hop) continued to be taught at universities and be included in books.

Get your hands on a copy of Skippy Blair's "Disco to Tango and Back" 1978. If you are near one of the major universities you may be able to find one quickly. Some of it is on line, I think.

I'm pretty week on the genesis of Hustle and other disco specific dances.

Country Western ate disco's lunch after "Urban Cowboy" came out.

qqSS, a web site based in Houston has some materials about how disco influenced country western dances when the disco dancers started showing up at the newly converted from disco "Cowboy" places.

West Coast Swing was likely influenced by disco music.

I haven't had the time to trace specific moves, which is quite the task.
 
I'm mostly interested in tracking the fashion of dance, with a focus on the end of Disco. I became interested in social/partner dancing during the period of time when Country dance was very much en vogue, but I don't remember (was too young to care) during the transition from Disco.

I will try to get a copy of Skippy Blair's book, I have access through the university to some larger databases. Thanks for your suggestions, they will be very helpful. Even just the discussion helps me to clarify what concept I am attempting to address. :)
 
Pump up the Volume: The History of House Music is a great documentary and shows how house music grew out of the disco scene.

It's not a partner dance but may provide a useful perspective for you.
 
Welcome to DF Lady Jemima.

Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy, Shake (etc) has a chapter about Disco, and the partner dance part of it seems to be just a small part. You can see parts of the book on line.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top