I’ve been tuning in here and there on America’s Best Dance Crew and seen some pretty nice stuff. Crew dancing is not usually my bag (although the kids are certainly talented), so I don’t normally jump up and down about it.

But last week was Disco Week on ABDC, and first that made me perk up. The crews were going to be given a disco song, and they had to incorporate some movement from the song/video clip AND put in a disco dance lift. Easy peasy, right? Well, just tell that to the Heavy Impact Crew who are just that–heavy. AND sooooo much fun to watch!! Just look at these guys. They embrace their differences, rub the bellies and just get to work. Sincerely, although there were great things about all the dances that night, I don’t think I enjoyed any group as much as Heavy Impact. Plus their song was “You Should Be Dancing” by the Bee Gees. Nuff said.

Just watch them tear up the dance floor. That is passion, enthusiasm, and love for dance:

I HEART me some Heavy Impact boys.

I am nothing if not nostalgic. While watching the latest episode of America’s Best Dance Crew I spied this amazing clip of the Jackson 5 performing live on Soul Train. I quick did a search for it.

This is classic, timeless and pretty darn cool. Sure, it has the standard group moves in it, and “Dancing Machine” was such a huge hit for the Jackson 5, it really put them on the map.

But just watch MJ take stage do the robot. Smooth, effortless, super quick and very robot-like. Watch him do a fast turn, walk with his head moving side to side, then smile like “hey, that was FUN!” Amazing.

Michael Jackson was certainly a born artist and entertainer. We miss you. Sigh.

MOMO, a writer colleague of mine on the So You Think You Can Dance Social found this gem and I couldn’t help but pass it on.

Soul Train used to be some strange show to me that used to come on after all the cartoons were over on Saturday morning/early afternoon. Strange and…intriguing…as the intro started with that psychedelic cartoon of a train running on the tracks (and turning into the “Soul Train” logo), and the voice calling out “It’s the Sooooooooooul Train!”

I would watch young people in outrageous clothing shake their hips and wave their arms. It was odd to me and not odd. I can’t explain it. All I know is that years later I would learn to sing by attempting to imitate Aretha Franklin (not truly succeeding but not unsuccessful either, as I am from Kansas and severely Caucasian), I would be fronting my own 8 piece soul/R&B/Blues band and singing the very song in this video (Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” is one of the best soul songs out there). Oh, and also shaking my hips (pretty nicely, I might add). If I ever scan in the pictures and convert the VHS tape to DVD I’ll show it to you sometime. Me, in leopard skin pants!

Soul Train is a jewel of American culture, created in 1965 on a UHF channel in Chicago, and Don Cornelius (and his fab hexagon spectacles) pretty much invented the line dance–and I don’t mean country dancing. I mean everyone lines up in two lines facing each other, then take turns in twos going down the row and struttin’ your stuff. Plus they had amazing soul acts on the show: The O Jays, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Tower of Power and Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Anyway, enough nostalgic-ness, enjoy the video!

Was there ever a more iconoclast dance movie than Saturday Night Fever? Ok, let’s narrow it down to contemporary dancing (yes, yes, I know about The Red Shoes). Probably nope. Just take the poster for instance:

The pose, the suit, the icon.

Saturday Night Fever was originally seen by Paramount Pictures as this little nothing of a vulgar movie with bad language, nudity, and even a rape scene. Plus, it was doomed by the waves of “Disco Sucks” moving across the US. In the VH1 documentary on the movie, the producer of the movie soundtrack talks about having the masters to the album in the trunk of his car, driving down Hollywood Boulevard and reading the “Death to Disco” bumper sticker on the car in front of him. But then, movie producer Robert Stigwood did something completely unprecedented and brilliant. He released the Bee Gee’s single “More Than a Woman” from the soundtrack a full month before the movie was to be released (of course, this happens all the time now). It hit number one, and paved the way for the movie to follow.

Even greater story than that is a fascinating tale about how John Travolta was shown the original cut of his now famous solo dance on the floor with the colored lights. He was dismayed that it was pretty much all in medium and closeup shots and you missed all the hard work he had done on the dance. He sat down with the editor and helped him re-cut it from scratch, to show everything and really feature those disco moves he did so well. Thanks John, because now we can see this:

Pretty damn amazing, and iconic. Here’s to the genius of Saturday Night Fever!

Gimme a little D-I-S-C-O! I was born in the seventies (ok, that ages me now), and have disco running through my blood. My first album I ever owned happened to be the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. And it was on 8 Track–although they were out of fashion when I was old enough to be aware of music, but I got to take the old stereo and 8 Track player up to my room and have it all to myself. Thanks Dad!

When I first saw this routine on Season 5 choreographed by Dorian Sanchez and danced by Janette Manrara and Brandon Bryant my jaw was on the floor. I had no idea disco dancing could be like THAT. And friggin’ HARD as hell to do! Fast, furious, and pure hands-up-in-the-air, “hooa-hoo”-ing fun! Plus, Janette’s dress is super cute and she looked fantastic in it. And what better song than “Loving is Really My Game” by Brainstorm??!

This is what disco is all about, baby. Let’s get to it: