November 11, 2000

Disco Dance Party Brings Funk to MASS MoCA

(North Adams, MA)MASS MoCA's Hunter Center will be transformed into a funky disco club when legendary New York DJ Bobby Morales fills the hall with the groovy sounds of the '70s on Saturday, December 9, at 7:30 pm. Williamstown's own Sandra Burton, arranged by Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, will provide a refresher course in the bump, the hustle and the bus stop.

"Our production staff is going all out to take you right back to Studio 54's heyday," said Jonathan Secor. "We'll be banning all bouncers with attitude so we're sure you'll find MASS MoCA's Disco party much more fun than the 70s club scene." Partygoers are encouraged to break out their polyester and platforms to help set the mood.

From YMCA to Mozart re-mixed, disco was hard to avoid in the '70s. According to some it never really left and continues to influence popular music today in every genre from techno to R&B. Disco's influence is felt in the music industry as well with dance scene staples now taken for granted such as re-mixes, extended singles, and sampling or mixing between songs instead of a simple segue.

New York-based DJ Bobby Morales has performed in clubs nationwide most notably at the International Hustle and Salsa Competition 2000 in Miami, the Hustle Dance Club, the Stepping Out Ballroom and Latin Dance Studio in New York. He was the official DJ for the Hustle USA Dance Championships and was recently nominated to the World Disco Classic Hustle Dance Hall of Fame.

Dance instructor Sandra L. Burton is a dancer, choreographer and educator whose research and travels in dance include Brazil, Trinidad, Nicaragua and West Africa. She was a member of the Church Davis Dance Company for twelve years. Burton has created choreography for a number of film and theater pieces including Joe Turner Come and Gone, A Song for Mara, Trojan Women, Tales from the Vienna Woods, A Tale of Mystery, and The Bacchae. She is currently Coordinator of Dance and Assistant Professor at Williams College.

Tickets to the Disco Dance Party are $12 for adults, $6 for kids and $8 for students with ID. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office at 87 Marshall St. in North Adams from 11 am until 5 pm every day but Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours. A buffet dinner will be for sale before and during the party. Doors open at 6:30 for dinner before the show.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located on Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org