[ad#ad-1]I feel that I have become a music snob, but for the right reasons. There are only three genres that I go to when I just need to CLEAR my mind or JUST DANCE. Disco is one of them. I have so many things on my plate that I just need to tune out the outside noise. So what did I just grab? “The Hustle”. Disco is just one of those eras that puts a smile on my face. Why do I bring this up? Last Friday showed what music can do, if you ask me.Once I stumbled across an article announcing the Donna Summer Roller Disco Party, I couldn’t put this FREE event in my calendar fast enough. YES I have my four wheelers, complete with red pom-poms. Truthfully, I move faster on rollerblades, but in this case, old school won out. Working downtown at Post Office Square put me in the perfect location to attend. Oh yeah, and the co-workers saw the skates and were just puzzled. I was absolutely determined to ignore my swollen-bum-knee after the Dela Soul concert the night before.
Boston Magazine and @bostondotcom were among a few that announced the event. I am still piecing together the information, but the celebration was also to kick start the campaign for a Donna Summer Memorial. Yes, the Queen of Disco was one of our own from Boston. Coming soon will be collaborations with local DJ’s (@kon1200 and @djbobdiesel), Political figures, old house heads, and hopefully lots more. I will most definitely do what I can to contribute.
What surprised me was how many folks showed up, despite it only going out through certain channels. Boston is an interesting city, and I am damn proud to be a Bostonian. But that doesn’t always mean everyone takes part in the many fabulous things happening in our city. As a 40-something, there really isn’t a lot there for us. I don’t need a class, rather I just need a convenient place to dance. I shared the article multiple times leading up to Friday, hardly able to contain my excitement. Yet there were so many people I knew that just didn’t rally. (Well their loss.). I love our city, but honestly, too many people don’t take advantage of what is happening as Boston booms. Are we overrun with so many promos on social media that no one takes things seriously? Or dares to venture?
Friday’s Roller Boogie was a dedication to Donna Summer, the First Annual Celebration of Summer, complete with roller rink and free rentals. It was absolutely wonderful seeing young and old come out to simply skate and enjoy. Some folks were dressed in their disco gear, others not, but it just didn’t matter. Everyone had fun. I bumped into old customers, co-workers, 80’s era fellow old house-heads, schoolmates, and the list goes on. At 6:30pm, the line for skates extended down the steps of City Hall. A few of us waited patiently to get into the rink , and then gave up. We started our own, with two of us circling, and then everyone started rallying EACHOTHER, circling, dancing, almost falling, and the crowd grew and grew. The wide open space of concrete turned it into the extension of the roller rink. There was such JOY zzzzon everyone’s face, whether it was a skater, a bystander, or someone without skates who just decided to dance.
The party just didn’t stop. One of my favorite moments caught on video was a woman in a wheelchair, who had been walked around by others, and then got pulled into the party. In one of the dance circles of non-stop dance-offs, she was pulled into the center, and 10 or so people just started boogying around her, cheering her on. In attendance, in full Donna Disco regalia, were members of the Donkey Show and Roller Derbies.
By 9pm my day had been so long that I tapped out. The line still continued the length of the City Hall steps. The concrete dance floor was PACKED with people, with many dance circles happening. You could hear folks cheering on “dancers”, who were just regular folk like you and me.
Why doesn’t this happen more often? What frustrates me that there was so much more attention AFTER the fact, yet the local publications did share the event. Come on folks!!! Everyone loved the pictures and videos, AFTER the fact, and were completely bummed that they missed it. Folks, I know we all get stuck in our own routine, but take a look around you and look for something new and adventurous. Keep in touch with happenings and you never know what gem you may stumble on.
I am absolutely honored to have taken part in tribute to Donna, dancing and boogying with her sister. I fully plan on digging out my vinyl, one album from a set from “Thank God It’s Friday”, and continue to think back on the mini dance parties with my little sis growing up, “Hot Stuff”, “On the Radio” “McArthur’s Park”, “Bad Girls”…..
Thank you to the folks I know who took part, and to all those I don’t know. I left after taking part in one of the most fulfilling events that I can remember.
“Boston Parties On Wheels”
“In Disco We Trust”
@Memorial4Donna
