Wherefore art thou, dancers?
Working from home, I watch way too many movies, particularly old ones, all the time. Last night, it was Footloose, (don’t laugh) which brought up my pet peeve about people never dancing in public anymore. Granted, not a lot of kids in Buffalo can say they’re in a moral battle against the town minister. Still, watching a baby-faced Kevin Bacon (with maybe only three degrees of separation back in 1984 when it debuted) run and dance in a warehouse to terrible midi tracks still reminds me of what dancing back then helped to express – the simple explosion of just being alive, or shaking off all the frustration and anger that you had to keep pent up during the day.
It didn’t matter how you danced back then – looking good was a bonus, but everyone would move to the beat, even if it took Chris Penn listening to “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” to get rhythm. It might have been punk, surf, rock, metal, twang, anything – but everyone danced. Even pre-nose job Sarah Jessica Parker.
So since I’ve come back home, I get asked all the time where the good dance clubs are, and sadly I don’t really know...
even at bands as awesome as Babik, The Whiskey Daredevils, Que Sera… it just ain’t happening, even with a floor the size of Nietzsche’s or the Town Ballroom. The only places I can guarantee people go right now are Roxy’s, and the Transmissions dance parties at Mohawk Place, or maybe some old-school twang bands at the Sportsman’s Tavern and a few nights at Club Diablo. I don’t know if it’s the “shoegazer” music, too much Dance Dance Revolution, the fact that I’m not 20 anymore or that Buffalo never really had a rave scene (I’ve seen literally thousands of people dancing all night in other cities) but it seems to me that as a city we need to get our groove on. To once again quote both the Bible and Kevin Bacon (thus removing ALL degrees of separation): “It’s our way of celebrating life. That’s the way it was in the beginning. That’s the way it’s always been. That’s the way it should be now.”
So your turn, you tell me – Where’s it happening? Why don’t you dance? Or where do you go when you do? (Aside from the nights of Tango at Hemingway's, Lance Diamond shows, and Salsa at Luna. You are all excused. )
Amen! thank you for the call - I've been desperate since I heard that even the djs at Left Bank are wrapping up their Saturday nights.
opm lounge near sheas
Ah, I completely agree! I went to see a Soulive show last December at the Town Ballroom and could NOT believe that I was one of the few people dancing! I saw them first in Binghamton, NY, and even there, the entire place was moving and grooving. If you can't dance to Soulive, who CAN you dance to?
Even the dance floor at Roxy's can be a little tame at times. I personally think they need to institute an 80's night, playing decent, danceable music (The Cure, Talking Heads, Blondie ,etc. and of course the DJ should take requests). And if not them, then SOMEPLACE should. Just my 2 cents.
Don't laugh--I'd love to have an early 90s night playing all the music from when I was in HS--Rob Base, Boys 2 Men, Aerosmith. There used to be this awesome dive in NF, CA called Johnny's Road House that played the best dance music. That was about 12 yrs. ago. For the most part, Chippewa only plays techno (which I hate) and seems to cater exclusively to the "almost legal" crowd. I want to hear songs with words, not a constant, repititous, pulsating beat. Salsa nights are good at Luna. Does anyone remember Wed. Swing Nights (Big band music, not something else :-) ) at the Kingsnake Lounge on Chippewa????
Wow, it's sad to hear about Left Bank, that was a fun scene too. Those of you seeking the 80's can check out Transmissions, which is a request night, although not all the bands listed above.. More like Cure, Blondie, Depeche Mode, etc. I have yet to hit OPM, although it's been on my list forever. .. Keep them coming!
This is true... There seem to be only occasional special events where tons of people are dancing. Over the summer there were Sunset Sundays on the Pearl Street Brewery patio. The Saturday night Left Bank crowd threw a halloween party in an old downtown factory. Wednesday nights at La Luna are often filled with dancers until midnight when the free drinks come to a close. And occasionally Soundlab gets a crowd moving at a more electronic or hip/hop based show.
Maybe there just aren't enough of us? Especially when we all go to different places on different night of the week?
I think that those of us in our thirties (and older) sort of grew up dancing, and feeling pretty good about our skills.
It seems to me that younger kids are either too self-conscious to show that they sport anything less than MTV quality dance moves, or they're somehow convinced that anything but skilled hip-hop is completely uncool.
People don't even "pogo stick" or do that faux mosh thing at shows anymore.