Dancin' On Air Christmas Episode from 1981

This is it! The final week until Christmas. It's down to the wire. Let's party! And today, we party like it's 1981!

Today I feature an early episode of the local Philadephia series Dancin' On Air. It was a successor of sorts to Bandstand, in which local teens dance on camera to the hits of the day. This is a Christmas-themed episode from its inaugural year, 1981.

Admittedly, there's not much Christmasy about this episode with the exception of the studio decorations, but I'll use any excuse to showcase Philly 80sness.

Enjoy! You can also see the episode on YouTube here.

 

Dancin' On Air Thanksgiving Episode, November 25, 1982

Thanksgiving is a time for thoughtful reflection, to think solemnly about what we have to be grateful for in our lives.

It's also a time to party!

And party we will, 1980s style! I present an episode of the Philadelphia TV dance series Dancin' On Air, which aired on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1982 here in Philadelphia on WPHL-TV Channel 17. This show, a successor of sorts to that other Philly dance show, later aired nationwide later in the decade on the USA cable network as Dance Party USA. Dancin' On Air was a local cultural phenomenon here in the city and is remembered fondly today. There was a brief revival earlier this decade.

Enjoy! Get your groove on! And Happy Thanksgiving!






But wait, what's this?




YES! IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME! THANK GOD!

Oh yes I need a lot of Christmas, right this very minute! And if you do too, my blog is the place to be. I'll be providing Christmas goodies all season long. Stay tuned, and Happy Holidays!

Friday Night Dance Party--Christmas Edition!

It's the first Friday of December, and there's no better way to get into high gear for the holiday season than with a Friday Night Dance Party! Let's start it off with the best Christmas dance song ever!

Friday Night Dance Party, Halloween Edition Part 2

I had a good response to my last Halloween edition of the Friday Night Dance Party, so like any good horror show, I had to have a sequel!  Enjoy these terrifying tunes, these scary songs, these--well, you get the point. Put down that chainsaw and boogie!



Finally, here is a brand new song that was sent to me via my Zombie Sophia Twitter account directly from the band. It's has a great cool but dark tone that fits the season and its subject matter perfectly. Here is the band I Hate Todd with their latest single "Zombie Love." Enjoy!




Have a great weekend!

Friday Night Dance Party--Halloween Edition!

What do you know--we're at the end of the first week of the Countdown to Halloween! Fortunately, we have four more weeks to go, so we still have plenty of time to get our Halloween on. We also find ourselves at the first weekend of the Halloween season, and I can't think of a better way to kick it off than with a Friday Night Dance Party!

This is something I did a couple of times this past summer which was a lot of fun, so I thought why not do a Halloween version? If all goes well, I may have one or two more this month.

So get out of your coffin and dance the night away with these awesome Halloween hits! Have a great weekend!

Another Friday Night Dance Party!

Hey all! Last week's Friday Night Dance Party was such a success that we're bringin' it back this week. 1, 2, 3, 4, get your woman (or guy) on the floor and get down with your bad self. HOOOOOOOOOOOO!

It's the Me and You Friday Night Dance Party!

Hey there hep cats! It's Friday, the start of a great summer weekend--time to party! Enjoy the first ever Me and You Friday Night Dance Party! Get down with your bad self!

Dance Fever Christmas Special

Ah, Dance Fever. What can I say about this classic, revered hallmark of American television entertainment? Well, it had amateur dancers competing on national television for prizes and cash. Plus, it debuted during the height of the disco craze and continued well into the neon glitz of the 80s. It was as cheesy as you can possibly imagine, and watching now, far removed from its pop culture context, it's delightful fun! And like all fine TV shows, it even had a Christmas special!

Here it is from the Christmas season of 1980, hosted by Danny Terrio, with celebrity judges Robert Blake, Chad Everett, and Connie Stevens, plus special performances from David Copperfield and the Gap Band, no less!. Put on your disco dancing shoes and boogie!

Dancin' On Air Retrospective This Saturday July 23rd!

Hey there!  Sorry for the extreme lack of regular blogging, but I'm afraid the blog tends to be a casualty of the summer season every year.  This, however, is well worth blogging about, at least for my fellow Philly residents.

WPHL-TV Channel 17 will be showing a brand new retrospective on the 80s local dance show Dancin' On Air this Saturday, July 23rd in two parts, from 8 to 10pm and 11pm to 1am later that night.  I've discussed Dancin' On Air before in what became one of my most popular posts ever, so if you haven't heard of the series before, please check that article out.  Get out your hair mousse and get ready to dance, my Philly peeps!

Check out some great video of the show at the station's Web site here.  Thanks!

Pilobolus!

Pilobolus is a dance troupe originating from Connecticut that specilizes in creating spectacles using the human form. One such form is the use of sillouette, sort of taking shadow hand puppets to a whole new level. Take a look at this recent appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Amazing!