All Night Disco Party

All Night Disco Party

All night disco party! Remember the days when you went to the disco with friends, cousins, neighbors. You danced all night to the rhythms of Kool and the gang, the Begees, Sister Sledge, Earth Wind and Fire. In your belt bottom pants, blue jeans, mini skirts, afro and platform shoes. You danced all through the seventies right on into the eighties to Michael Jackson, Prince, MC Hammer, Madonna, Duran Duran, Sugar Hill Gang and Cyndi Lauper. People imitated artists' style, everything from stacked bracelets and gold bangles, off the shoulder shirts and leggings. Guys you were comfortable in colors, warm up suits and heirloom pants. You came out of all the gravity of the 60’s where men spent a decade getting to the moon. But when that moon man landed in the 1980’s, the flag of MTV was hoisted and waved proudly when video killed the radio star. You were encouraged to wear your sunglasses at night and declare boldly, "I want my MTV!" Fashion was fun, the styles were versatile, the haircuts, the colors, the uniqueness, the glamour. 

Dance was a must, even if you were dancing with yourself. You had nothing to lose and nothing to prove. There was freedom. It seemed nothing was out of the ordinary but everything extraordinary. Music, the heartbeat of these decades. Musicians were in the movies, and actors in music. All genres flourished.. Music was your own heartbeat. It was in your mind and in your car. In your homes, you gathered around to watch Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Kung Foo at the drive-in and Grease at the Shirley Street Theater. Somehow you knew every single word. Snapping your fingers was still cool. The songs a storybook, a photo album, for everything you enjoyed and experienced. Defining relationships, crossing cultural, racial, and gender boundaries. Empowering, uniting.

This is why Style social hosted the All Night Disco Party. This night was for you. Tailored particularly to your experiences. Your story. Your history. Recalling your past, your song because you know that it’s impossible to separate the music from your memories. You came alive again when you heard it. Everything you’ve experienced was in every line and you sang it from your own hearts. The songs you love, the people you love, all the things that are meaningful to you. From the time we introduced this event, old friends, family, and classmates began calling each other, recalling the times they spent, visiting old neighborhoods. They’ve been laughing, talking and reminiscing about the joys of youth, sorrows, heartbreaks, laughter, relationships, places they used to go, people they would see, the songs they loved. We realized it has been an opportunity to return not only to the music, but the people that made it memorable. It has kindled this re-connection we did not anticipate, this buzzing everywhere with excitement. People are expressing how much they needed this and, in the midst of the stresses of everyday life, they got an opportunity to return to an era where it was all about the good times. We saw this beautiful picture being painted, lives woven together, rekindled friendships. We saw this coming together, this gathering, and the bridging of generations. Families dancing together, trying styles.

Somewhere amidst the texts of 70’s and 80’s song lyrics, the phone calls, the emails of outfits being bought and made, the constant singing, we have seen so clearly the heart of it all. Our vision was to fill a room with all that joy, and memory, and passion and music. The music once again bringing people together, resonating with the heartbeat of Style Social, returning to this simplicity, getting dressed up to do the things you enjoy with the people you enjoy. To play again, laugh again, dance freely, have some candy, lick the spoon. This is the sound we longed to hear, the beat we longed to dance to. All night long, all night…