Disco Dancing

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Couple dancing, enhanced by the individuality of the 1960s, returned in the 1970s with the

hustle and other elaborately choreographed dances performed to disco music, a simple

form of rock with strong dance rhythms. Disco dancing would completely dominate the

social dance scene of the 1970s and most of the 80s. Eventually the growing popularity of

late 80s music, including new age, punk rock, and funk, would bring about the death of

disco. Disco was yet another "flavor of the month" in the dance world that was victim to

over-exposure. It started out strong, with a small but loyal following; eventually, however,

it was sucked into the mainstream, where its over-commercialization destroyed its fan

base.

The onset of 1970s witnessed the music industry's further consolidation of its

power. It once again sought to mass-produce music styles that had originally been highly

individualistic. Corporate rock, the singer-songwriter genre, and slick varieties of soul and

country-and-western music featuring glamorous superstars playing to massive crowds in

sports arenas defined a new mainstream. Meanwhile, far away from those sold out arenas,

a select few moved their bodies to the rhythmic disco beats reverberating in "trendy"

dance clubs. As with all potentially commercializeable music forms, a few opportunistic

record producers found their way into these clubs, and before long the sounds of groups

like Abba, Baccara, the Bee Gees, Boney M, Chic Donna Summer, Eruption, Gloria

Gaynor, Imagination, and Kool and the Gang littered the air waves.

As disco's popularity gained momentum, the once tastefully sporatic disco dance

clubs popped up everywhere. America had found a new obsession. On the weekends, you

would throw on your bellbottoms pants and polyester shirt, and headed out to the clubs. It

became a way of life for some. For the diehard disco dancer and the amateur who wanted

to find his way out onto the dance floor, dance studios began to offer classes in disco

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