Boyd Jarvis, 59

Boyd Jarvis, Whose Synthesizer Fueled Dance Music, Dies at 59
by Daniel E. Slotnik, The New York Times, March 1, 2018

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Dimitri from Paris: Tribute to Frankie Knuckles

I discovered Frankie Knuckles through his music, one that was, gentle, lush with a subdued, understated power that rocked many a dancefloor. I had the privilege to hear him once in the heyday of his legendary residency at Sound Factory Bar in New York. I was submerged, sonically and emotionally by the beauty of the music I heard that night. I remember very clearly saying to myself that this would be impossible to ever equal. That was 20 years ago, and I never got to hear this magic combination again.

--Dimitri from Paris, music producer and DJ

Read more here.

Frankie Knuckles, 59 [UPDATE]

Frankie Knuckles, house music 'godfather,' dead at 59
by Greg Kot, The Chicago Tribune, April 1, 2014

Frankie Knuckles, 'Godfather of House Music,' Dead at 59
Remembering the life and legacy of the man who birthed every aspect of electronic dance music culture
by Michelangelos Matos, Rolling Stone, April 1, 2014
(with audio and video)

Frankie Knuckles, 59, Pioneer House D.J., Dies
by Daniel E. Slotnik, The New York Times, April 2, 2014

"Check Your Body At The Door" and download this doc!

Check Your Body At The Door (2012)

now available for digital download

Download Check Your Body at the Door on iTunes 

Available in six languages and in over 20 countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Italy and Australia

Check Your Body at the Door documents some remarkable underground House dancers and dancing in NYC’s golden decade, the 1990s. Featuring interviews and rare dance footage of the enduring legends of House dance, Check Your Body at the Door follows a group of master freestylists to the clubs, at their jobs and in their everyday lives. Filmed at the clubs, and in a studio against a white background or in silhouette and light pools, this one-hour documentary reveals the virtuosity of this eclectic urban dance style. In 2013, House is a music/dance craze practiced worldwide. Check Your Body at the Door is a significant historical record that contextualizes a wide variety of House dance forms and answers: What did house dancing look like? Who were the dancers? Why did they dance?

According to Executive Producer Sally R. Sommer the idea for Check Your Body at the Door began in 1982 at David Mancuso’s “Loft” where she first went with dancer Archie Burnett. As a dance journalist and social dance historian Sommer saw “amazing artists dancing in the dark.” At the time, club footage only glamorized torsos bouncing to loud music under multicolored lights. “I saw more. I wanted a film that featured dancers and illuminated the entire body in motion.”

Full Territory List: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ireland, Malta, Bulgaria, Latvia, Norway, Cyprus, Sweden, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Estonia

Ortiz traces disco's evolution

Reading Dance critic/blogger Lori Ortiz--who has written for Gay City News, The Village Voice and other publications--has a new book on disco and club dances such as flagging and fanning, ball walking, vogue and dance-skating.

This book sheds light on the fascinating untold story behind what is collectively and disputably called "disco dancing," and the incredible effect that the phenomenon had on America—in New York City and beyond.

Disco is a dance and musical style that still influences these art forms today. Many think that disco "died" completely after the 1970s drew to a close, but in actuality people continued dancing in the clubs after the very word "disco" became an anathema. 

Published by ABC-CLIO/Greenwood as part of its series, The American Dance Floor, Disco Dance provides "a contemporary perspective on a largely forgotten era, with oral histories that may otherwise have been lost forever."

For more details and purchase information, click here.

To preview and purchase Disco Dance on Amazon.com, click here.

New York loves Latin dance

A Latin Dance Scene Spreads Across New York

by Larry Rohter, The New York Times, July 22, 2010

One vision of "Paradise"

Thelma Hill Performing Arts presents:

A Ramp to Paradise

by Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion

Thursday, June 24, 7:30pm

Long Island University's Kumble Theater

One University Plaza, Brooklyn (directions)

Commissioned by THPAC and based on a short story by its Executive Chairman, Alex Smith, A Ramp to Paradise chronicles the life and times of the famed and predominantly black gay New York City underground 1970s and 1980s dance club Paradise Garage.

With special guest artist, Wendell Cooper

Choreography by Kyle Abraham in collaboration with dancers; additional choreography by Wendell Cooper

Post-show talk back with the choreographer and a panel of special guests:

Conrad Neblett, Together In Spirit
Fred Pierce, DJ
Divinah Payne, The Record Pool & West End Records

Tickets

After-party for Souls of Our Feet: People of Color Dance Festival:

Jelani Lounge
507 Waverly Avenue, Brooklyn (between Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue)
718-230-5227 or 718-857-5227