Nothing brought disco to the attention of the public as the movie ‘Staying Alive’ featuring John Travolta and his riveting moves. The disco movement started in 1971, but disco clubs didn’t start popping up until 1974. The first disco hit was ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ by Gloria Gaynor.
Disco Music was a huge underground club scene in the early 1970’s. Old warehouses and abandoned building were transformed into social scenes where dancing, taking drugs, and having sex were common elements of fun. The movie ‘Saturday Night Fever’ starring John Travoltra in 1977 brought the scene to the attention of people all over the world. The dive into the disco scene was phenomenal. Disco clubs with disco balls sprouted up everywhere imaginable. Another appeal of disco was the use of disk jockeys, commonly referred to as DJ’s. These DJ’s played the music while providing a live MC show to go along with it. People found this very entertaining.
Disco dancing became very popular in the early 1970’s. It involved intense dance moves, creative clothing, and loud music. Complete with a disco ball, it was the dance craze for about 10 years. The movie ‘Saturday Night Fever’, released in 1977, portrays the life style and dance moves. While disco went out of style some many years ago, that movie is still well known and frequently watched.
Disco balls were first used in the 1920’s in nightclubs. They represent the disco era of the 1970’s and 1990’s. This ball reflects like in all directions, creating a unique display of light. The surface of a disco ball has hundreds of facets, which are some geometrical shapes. The ball works best if it is suspended on an axis, allowing it to rotate. Rumor has it that watching the disco ball was entrancing, especially for those under the influence of drugs. This sensation made the disco ball popular, not the effect of the light reflecting from it. This has never been proven. It is still used in some dance clubs today. Most disco balls were replaced by laser lights in the 1980’s and with advance lighting systems in the 21st century. 90% of disco balls make to day are manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky.
The disco era certainly played a role in the clothing industries during the 1970’s and early 80’s. Disco clothing for women included mini skirts in loud colors and hot pink leather pants. The leather pants came in lots of colors. Tie-dye clothing was also very popular. Shirts often came with long, wide sleeves. For the men, it was tight pants with collars shirts. The pants often had wide leg bottoms and they were very tight around the waist. The pants were often black in color and the shirts were silk or another shiny material. The most common material used for this clothing was polyester. Platform shoes were worn by both men and women.