Remember DISCO and the UPROAR it caused in the 70's

I know of several who got DF'd for visiting disco clubs in the 70's

 

All the articles about immoral behaviour and homosexuality tied w/ disco-dance music (not that i'm a great lover of disco music; but no need to have a cow!!!!)

Feel free to share!

When I was about seven I didn't get to dance to the song "Shake your bootie".

My mom told me that I could put on some boots and then shake one of them while listening to the song.

I'm sure they were doing more than just dancing.  But I do remember that any elders/pioneers/MS who went lost "privileges." 

Blondie

elsewhere,

ROFLMAO 

I just loved, and so much enjoyed the Disco era.  I could dance it pretty well too!  Entered many a dance contest and did quite well.  Really, really, really still enjoy that music style. 

I listen to the radio stations that carry that style of music quite a bit.

People that hated Disco back then were the ones that couldn't find the beat to dance to it.  The rhythmless ones, you know.

DY

the elders always have it in for ANY upbeat music....during the 60's the beatles and stones ..and any pop/rock for that matter was looked down upon..but most of the elders were from the late 40's and mid 50's....then when zep and alice cooper came the fear rose to new levels...the disco as you stated.......i was a DJ from 1991 to2001..and when i did witness weddings i had this long list of songs i could not play...and that made it ruff for me...because 2/3 of the songs i could not play..were ones most everyone would dance to.......one elder tried to get me DF  because i played daddys little girl and YMCA at a witness wedding...the dubs have a strong fear of good music.......UNLESS its country...they for some reason will put up with country music...i think it goes back to countrys roots being tied up with gospel music...i think in the back of there mind its more holy some how....HOW LAME.....but time and time again i saw it over and over...donald

That was probably the only thing the society ever got right. Disco music sucked so bad!

Walter

Hi mapleleaf

Here's the Kingdom Ministry from 26 years ago - I was 15 at the time and I still remember it....

LMAO!!!  They can't be serious can they?!?!

I wonder what historical references they used to connect Disco to Ancient Fertility dances???  Did they find some ancient engravings depicting The Hustle?

 

Oh yeah baby.........I was an avid disco participant in spite of mom sicking the elders on me.....I was fading out anyway [post 1975 era]......such great memories!!!!!!!rocky220

Elsewhere, they connected rock and roll dancing, the Twist, to fertility dancing in the 1960's.  New dances, same old explanation.

*** g79 3/22 pp. 5-8 What Are Its Roots? ***

What Are Its Roots?

THE roots or sources of anything generally have a lot to do with what is produced. What, then, about disco? What are its roots?

You may be surprised. Consider the cover of the January 1978 issue of Discoworld. Advertising one of the articles inside, it announces:

THE PARTY PEOPLE DISCO?S GAY ROOTS

Is that startling to you? Yet it is true that homosexuals have had much to do with the development of discos. And they continue to be a major force behind them. The new book Disco Fever published a list of discos, and observed:

"Some readers will recognize that many of the discotheques listed are gay discos or gay clubs. ?Billboard? magazine [a prominent entertainment trade journal] has estimated that at least 50 percent of the discotheques in the country are gay, which is not surprising since the disco movement got its primary impetus from the gay community. Invariably, as news about a new gay club with great sound and decor gets around, straight people who want to dance start knocking at the door."

No efforts are made to conceal disco?s homosexual connections. To the contrary, the Detroit Free Press notes: "Disco probably will be remembered as the first cultural happening where gay participation was openly publicized."

Yet more than that, there sometimes seems to be a certain pride about such gay connections. Richard Peterson, a Vanderbilt University sociology professor whose specialty is the social implications of contemporary music, observed that in the disco world being gay "is not only acceptable, it?s even sort of chic."

There have indeed been great changes in standards of sexual morality in recent years. And discos mirror this change to a greater degree than perhaps any other feature of modern life. Pointing up this fact, Horizon magazine of May 1977 said:

"In the dancing of men with each other and women with each other, the disco represents a really drastic change in social convention and sexual attitudes.

"It is neither a secret nor an excuse for gossip that some of the best discos in America and Europe were started as gay establishments that began to open their doors to anyone who wanted to dance. . . . The fact that some discos are gay or ?mixed? is casually noted in night-life features of the major newspapers, which take for granted freedoms that until very recently were the basis of scandal."

A Matter of Concern?

Rather than be concerned, many applaud the changing sexual standards. They are glad to see inhibitions set aside and welcome the new sexual freedoms that are so manifest among the disco crowd. But those who have high regard for the teachings of the Bible are concerned. Why?

Because, rather than approve, or even condone, homosexuality, the Bible condemns it. In his law to the nation of Israel, God stated: "You must not lie down with a male the same as you lie down with a woman. It is a detestable thing." (Lev. 18:22) How serious was this matter?

God?s Word answers: "When a man lies down with a male the same as one lies down with a woman, both of them have done a detestable thing. They should be put to death without fail. Their own blood is upon them." (Lev. 20:13) Yes, that is how God viewed homosexuality.

Has God?s view changed? Consider this apostolic admonition to Christians: "Surely you know that the unjust will never come into possession of the kingdom of God. Make no mistake: no fornicator or idolater, none who are guilty either of adultery or of homosexual perversion . . . will possess the kingdom of God."?1 Cor. 6:9, 10, The New English Bible.

Yes, God?s Word plainly reveals that homosexuality is wrong, and that those who become involved in that way of life will not enjoy God?s blessing. In view of this, can you see why Christian overseers would express concern about the spreading popularity of disco?

Yet disco has other roots. What are they?

Roots of the Music and Dance

In the opening article it was observed that disco music is of recent popularity. But authorities say that its origins can be traced to earlier times. In a September 1977 feature article, "Evolution of Disco Music," Discoworld says:

"What holds it all together, what makes it Disco music, in fact, is the beat.

"And the Disco beat, to the uninformed, did not begin one fine morning in 1965 . . . nor even when Van McCoy first dented the charts a decade later with his version of ?The Hustle.? That beat?the basis of Disco music?is Africa talking.

"Talk about roots. When you go to a Disco today, you are basically participating in a 1977 version of ceremonies that were going on eons ago on the West Coast of Africa. Certainly, Disco music has been spruced up with the latest technological geegaws such as twenty-four track recordings, synthesizers, eardrum-busting amplification, overlayed strings and cooing vocals. But strip away all those accessories and you?re grooving on the same beat that no doubt was moving the ancestors of Kunta Kinte."

Does having an ancient African origin in itself make disco music objectionable? Obviously not, no more than if the music had an ancient Asian, European or American origin. What does bear on the matter, however, is the purpose of the ancient music. What kind of dances were performed with it?

Disco literature has commented on those ancient dances, and their purpose. In fact, the wild abandon of those ancient dancers is held up for modern disco dancers to imitate; they are urged to cast off the inhibitions that they may have. Discoworld of May 1977 says:

"The natives danced to exorcise devil-demons and evil spirits from their frenzied bodies and to coax Mother Earth to yield new crops. In spring they danced during ?fertility rites? so women would grow healthy children to perpetuate the species. They danced to celebrate new life and even to prepare for death. But no matter what the exact purpose of their dancing was, all dance was really a display of worship of their gods, worship that either paid homage to the gods; sought the gods? good will; or tried to allay the gods? wrath . . . The energy often became so intense that a young virgin girl or lamb would be sacrificed in the hopes that the blood spilled would appease the gods."

Then, in advice to the modern disco dancer, this magazine article goes on to say: "It?s just a matter of letting yourself go. You must liberate your mind first; then your body will follow. When I dance I almost astral project and leave my body."

Another issue of Discoworld also draws attention to disco?s roots "among Voodoo worshipers, primitive tribesmen, the Brazilian Macumba, and the Kalahari Bushmen," and then advises: "Your body is a complex of energy forces blending into one another and connected to even larger cosmic energy forces. This is how the ancients saw it and how we?re beginning to relearn this. Try to become aware of every sensation while you dance until you gradually lose awareness, and blend with your surroundings."

Do disco dancers heed this type of advice? Do they commonly let go in wild abandon? Note what the new book Disco Fever says: "With discotheques came disco dancing?a form of dance totally divorced from the discipline of the Hustle, yet completely at home with it on the dance floor. . . . Disco dancing?whether it is called free-styling or free-form?is doing-your-own-thing dancing." Yes, it is an uninhibited, anything-goes style of dancing.

But is this objectionable? Is it wrong to adopt a style of dancing that the ancients used in the worship of their gods? Yes, for true Christians it is. Why? Because those gods of the nations were condemned by the Creator, the God of the Bible. He did not approve of the ancient fertility dances that were designed to stimulate the sexual passions of both participants and observers. Lamenting the situation that developed among the Israelites of old, the Bible says:

"They too kept building for themselves high places [sites where licentious rites were performed] and sacred pillars [phallic symbols of the god Baal] and sacred poles [representing a Canaanite goddess of fertility] upon every high hill and under every luxuriant tree. And even the male temple prostitute proved to be in the land. They acted according to all the detestable things of the nations whom Jehovah had driven out from before the sons of Israel."?1 Ki. 14:23, 24; Isa. 57:5-8.

Yet, is there really basis for comparing what goes on in modern discos with ancient places where sexually arousing fertility dances were performed? Let?s take a closer look at disco.

*** g79 3/22 pp. 8-12 The Kind of Places Discos Are ***

The Kind of Places Discos Are

AROUND the world, millions of people every week are seeking out discotheques for entertainment. What kind of places are they going to? Are they all much alike?

Not necessarily. There can be considerable variety from one disco to another, for as Discothekin magazine says: "Disco is simply music and dance, and can be shaped into any form desired. People dictate the success of a club, and if the owner/manager is astute he can determine his clientele merely by defining, via the music, the atmosphere he desires to create?be it the Seventies, the Forties or even the Gay Nineties."

There are even kiddie discos for children; others are designed particularly with their grandparents in mind. Regarding persons who are a little older, the Detroit Free Press observes: "It hasn?t been hard updating their lindy steps into the hustle and their fox trots into the foxy trot at subdued disco-supper lounges."

Some places are classified as "restaurant-discos." They may be restaurants during the earlier evening hours. But later at night they serve as discotheques. This enables the restaurateur to generate additional receipts during hours in which his restaurant would normally be closed. In Europe, most discos are places where one can dine and drink as well as dance.

So not all discos are the same; the name can be attached to quite differing kinds of places. But what is the essence?the very substance or soul?of disco? What life-style does it promote? How is this reflected in its music, its dancing, its dress, and so forth?

Disco?What It?s All About

Kitty Hanson, who has researched and written extensively on the subject, says of a modern disco: "Under the glittering canopy of lights, the floor seemed to heave with the pounding of feet, and the air began to crackle with sheer physical energy. Then the room exploded. Cries and calls and a thousand wildly waving arms filled the air as the music virtually lifted the dancers off their feet and off the floor. It was a simmering, sizzling moment of pure primitive emotion. It was the essence of the disco experience."

What is this "pure primitive emotion"?the essence of the disco experience?that is elicited from dancers? Show Business, a professional trade journal, gives us an idea in its article "A Dynamic Decade of Disco," saying:

"An aura of acceptance surrounds the disco trend . . . Antiquated sexual mores, which were successfully battled during the sixties, have yielded to a new sexual freedom in which people deal with their desires honestly and participate without guilt.

"Gays are dancing side-by-side with straights, and neither could care less. It is this multi-faceted freedom that constitutes the soul of the disco, and its heart is the pulsating disco beat."

Free, liberated sexual expression?abandonment of restraints?that is the essence, the soul, of disco. Surely this is reminiscent of ancient fertility dances where worshipers broke loose in frenzied, passion-arousing movements that may well have culminated with participants engaging in sexual intercourse so as to coax "Mother Earth" to yield new crops.

True, not all discos necessarily encourage the casting off of inhibitions, but disco is identified with such a ?sexually-freed? life-style. "What differentiates discomania from most of its predecessors is its overt tendency to spill over into orgy," explains Esquire magazine. "All disco is implicitly orgy . . . By offering the instant and total gratification of all sexual desires in an atmosphere of intense imaginative excitement, the disco-inspired orgy promotes the dawning of an exalted state of consciousness, of literal exstasis, or standing outside the body."

Emphasis on Self

Some may think of disco particularly as a disciplined form of dance featuring the Hustle, and for some it may be that. Yet this really is not what disco is all about. Rather, the attention of dancers is generally focused not so much on dancing with someone else, but on doing one?s own thing??getting down??as the saying is. The scene is one of sexual exhibitionism.

This self-indulgent thrust of the disco culture has been observed, and some thought-provoking comments have been made. Note the editorial "Disco, Narcissism & Society" in the New York Daily News of March 19, 1978:

"Separated by walls of deafening music and swept up in a frenzy of bright lights, dancers do their own thing seldom touching, never looking at each other, or even speaking. It?s a lot like standing in front of a mirror shouting, ?me, me, me, me . . . ? endlessly.

"This pure self-indulgence reflects a dangerously deep-rooted philosophy in our society. It preaches that anything an individual feels like doing is 100% right?no matter how it affects anyone else.

"The attitude shows up in our soaring divorce rate, our legions of broken families and in countless books and movements keyed to self-gratification and self-esteem.

"There is too little room for love in the philosophy that permeates the disco world. And that is a pity, for those who have forgotten?or never known?the joys of giving and sharing are missing the richest part of life."

The Esquire article of June 20, 1978, has a similar thrust, being entitled "The Disco Style: Love Thyself." "That disco has been built on a revival of ?touch dancing? or that it is focused on a step called the Latin Hustle," it says, "is either wishful thinking by instructors at the Arthur Murray schools or just bad women?s page journalism. The truth is that today?s hip disco dancer is into the kind of one-man show that John Travolta puts on in the most exciting sequence of Saturday Night Fever."

Since the movie Saturday Night Fever has had so much to do with the phenomenal growth and spread of disco, let?s consider it. What kind of life-style does that movie feature and, in effect, promote?

"Saturday Night Fever"

The main character of the movie lives for just one thing?to shine at the disco on Saturday night. The sexual escapades of the disco crowd are featured, including oral sex, which is performed out in the car during interludes to the dancing. The language is of the filthiest kind. Yet all of this is presented as normal?the way of life among those who go to discos. In a news article, "Why Teenagers Should Not See ?Saturday Night Fever,?" New York psychologist Dr. Herbert Hoffman says:

"What Travolta and his friends are teaching teenage boys is to become sexually involved with girls without any romantic feelings whatsoever, to use girls as sex objects, to depersonalize the entire sexual experience.

"The ideas that teenagers will carry away with them from this movie can tragically damage their entire lives.

"Young boys will be out to ?score? with the opposite sex, with the idea that a relationship with a girl is an accomplishment to brag about to friends in order to enhance group standing.

"Young girls will be convinced either that promiscuity may be required to insure popularity, or that men are after ?only one thing.? In either case, their opportunity for deep and lasting emotional involvement is jeopardized.

"It?s a sick movie to allow susceptible teenagers to see."

Yet millions of youths around the world, often along with their parents, have flocked to this movie, making it one of the biggest box-office successes in history. As noted, it features what disco is all about. But so do other aspects of the disco scene.

Music, Dress and Drugs

As its popularity grows, there are few people who are not familiar with the sound of disco music. Many well-known songs of earlier decades have been blended with the pulsating beat of disco. As they get used to these tunes, even some older persons who liked the originals find enjoyment in listening to the updated versions. But again, what is often a dominant thrust of disco music?

Reporting on one of the popular disco groups, Discoworld says: "On ?Baby I?m On Fire,? from their current album, ?Arabian Nights,? the three women pant and purr ?Oooh, I?m on fire.? A phallic saxophone enters, turning the song into a fabulous soundtrack for a Times Square peep show." Then the magazine adds: "The sex-charged style of the Ritchie Family falls within the sphere of the main thrust of today?s disco music, which is to celebrate pleasure."

Disco?s blatant exploitation of sex, including attempts to arouse listeners sexually, was also noted in Time magazine. Its article "Gaudy Reign of the Disco Queen" said: "Back in 1976 . . . she got a gold record by simulating orgasm 22 times."

Disco album covers, too, give an idea of the type of music they contain. Nudity is sometimes featured, although sexual exploitation is often more subtle. Discoworld says of one cover: "The stances of Jaqui and Dodie, combined with Ednah?s, create a three-letter symbol which on casual observation is invisible to consciousness, but instantly perceivable at the unconscious level: S-E-X."

The dress styles of the disco crowd are also in keeping with the emphasis on sex. The book Disco Fever shows a photograph of a dancer at a New York disco. Her dress is slit to the waist and her leg is uplifted, showing an inside view of almost her entire thigh. The caption reads: "The scene . . . sums up the appeal of disco." Paulette Weiss, staff writer of Stereo Review magazine, says of those caught up in the disco experience: "I?ve seen women strip off their clothes on a dance floor."

In keeping with the disco emphasis on so-called "pleasure," drugs flow freely at discos. Recently a drug arrest at the best known disco in New York city hit the headlines. But the New York Daily News observed: "The discovery of drugs in Studio 54 will come as no surprise to anyone who has spent time in the place, according to regulars. Cocaine and marijuana reportedly have been exchanged, sold and used openly there since the place was opened in April of last year."?December 15, 1978.

Sound and Lights

Sound and lights are generally considered vital to the disco experience. The sound is not simply heard; it is so overwhelming that it is felt.

But can sound that powerful be dangerous? A recent news report from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said: "The possibility that discotheques are hazardous to health has caused the government to hold off issuing licenses to 20 establishments in the southern city of Porto Alegre pending a medical investigation." The question may well have been about noise levels, and understandably so.

Last year the sound was checked at discos on Long Island, New York, in the United States, and inspectors found 18 establishments that had noise levels of over 95 decibels for more than 30 seconds. Each was forced to post a warning sign at its entrance: "SOUND LEVELS WITHIN MAY CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING IMPAIRMENT." Medical research indicates that noise levels commonly experienced at discos can cause lasting damage to certain people?s hearing, particularly those exposed to such noise levels on a regular basis.

The lights, too, pose a possible health hazard. How so? Well, certain discos have laser light systems. "If the beam enters your eye," says Professor Paul L. Ziemer of Purdue University, "you could get a burn on the retina?a permanent blind spot." In addition, the strobe lighting, which flickers in time with the music?s beat, can produce dizziness, nausea and hallucinatory fits. Among those who have issued warnings about this is the British government, which did so in a booklet on safety in schools.

Does this consideration of disco?its roots and the kind of places discos are?help you to see why those Christian overseers gathered in Brooklyn, New York, last December were concerned about the growing popularity of disco?

However, many people enjoy disco because of the very things about them that others consider hazardous. They believe that any risks are minimal, and that they are worth taking to enjoy what they consider to be a pleasurable time. Really, how great are the dangers? Does going to discos pose risks to a person?s lasting welfare and happiness? These are matters for us to consider.

[Blurb on page 11]

"Sex is monopolizing disco. . . . Dirty disco is making money?a lot of it?and more record companies and radio stations are jumping on the bandwagon."?US, January 9, 1979.

*** w62 7/1 pp. 409-414 How Should Christians View Dancing? ***

How Should Christians View Dancing?

"CAFÉ society, having ignored rock ?n? roll for years, has suddenly, by an apparent process of mass hypnosis, embraced the teen-age craze," recently reported the New York Times. "The elite of the social set and celebrities of show business have discovered a sensuous dance called the Twist, performed to rock ?n? roll, and are wallowing in it like converts to a new brand of voodoo."¹ A ritualistic "voodoo twist" is even being done in West Berlin, for the dance craze has spread from New York to Britain, France and other countries. Few dance crazes in recent years have provoked so much discussion, so much controversy.

But dances come and dances go. Tomorrow?s dance fad may be entirely different from today?s. What, then, is to be the Christian?s view toward dancing, especially since styles change every so often?

PROPER DANCING NOT CONDEMNED

In the Holy Scriptures there is no outright condemnation of dancing in itself. When divine disapproval came upon dancers, as in the case of the Israelites dancing before a golden calf, it was the idolatry associated with the dancing that was wrong, although there may also have been a factor of abandon in the dancing. Such dancing brought dishonor to Jehovah.?Ex. 32:1-35.

In ancient Israel dancing was usually done by women, especially on occasions of victory over Jehovah?s enemies. Such dancing was an expression of thanks to God, an expression of joy over his victory, all to his glory. After Jehovah?s victory over Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea, Moses? sister Miriam led the Israelite women "with tambourines and in dances." After God helped David defeat the pagan Philistines, "the women began coming out from all the cities of Israel with song and dances." After Jehovah gave Jephthah the victory over the Ammonites, his daughter came out to meet him "with tambourine playing and dancing." When the ark of the covenant of Jehovah was brought to the city of David, King David himself expressed his joy by "dancing around before Jehovah with all his power."?Ex. 15:20; 1 Sam. 18:6; Judg. 11:34; 2 Sam. 6:14.

The Scriptures also use the word "dancing" as an emphatic term for joy or gladness, such as at Psalm 30:11: "You have changed my mourning into dancing for me."

What about the Christian Greek Scriptures? In them we do not find any condemnation of dancing in itself. Jesus Christ, in fact, told a parable that brought in dancing on an occasion of joy. At the homecoming of the prodigal son, his father rejoiced and prepared a celebration. Dancing took place in conjunction with the feast: "Now his older son was in the field; and as he came and got near the house he heard a music concert and dancing." (Luke 15:25) It is evident that the Son of God did not condemn dancing in itself; otherwise he would not have mentioned it as part of a worthy celebration.

Many dances, moreover, display beauty of form and step and, because of their true grace, are beautiful to watch. Rhythmic movement of the feet and body is not in itself wrong. Says one religious cyclopædia: "The Jewish dance was performed by the sexes separately. . . . in distinct and separate companies."

How, then, should a Christian view modern dancing? God, in his written Word, has set down certain commandments and principles that should guide a Christian in all his ways. The Christian, then, has a Guidebook for determining whether a particular dance or the way a dance is performed is proper or improper. When a new dance style comes along, how would a Christian go about determining whether his participation would be proper or improper?

DETERMINING FACTORS

First, find out just what the dance is. What movements are involved? How is the dance described by observers and in newspapers and magazines? If the origin and development of the dance can be learned, this may prove enlightening. Check the facts learned with Bible principles.

To illustrate: Suppose a young adult or a parent has heard about the twist and wants to know whether it would be proper for a Christian. Well, observe how people describe it. You will likely find frequent comments in newspapers, perhaps such as this one: "The Twist, stemming from a dance called the Madison that erupted a number of years ago in Philadelphia, is a rhythmic, shoulder-shaking, hip-swiveling step in which the partners synchronize their movements but do not touch."¹ One popular American magazine devoted many pages to the dance and said: "To the song?s insistent beat the partners rock back and forth on the balls of their feet while frantically twisting their hips."² If local news media shed little light on the matter, one could find publications in a public library that discuss recent trends. Thus if one opened the 1962 Britannica Book of the Year, he would find several comments, including this: "There was also a revival during 1961 of two teen-age dances, the twist and the fish. They were publicly condemned by several U. S. clergymen. In late fall, the twist in particular suddenly took on the characteristics of a major dance craze. . . . It features a minimum of movement of the feet and a maximum of bodily gyrations."

Many of the news reports will likely have a few words about the origin of a new dance, and this is true of the twist. Time magazine, for instance, commented:

"The Twist at first was an innocent enough dance; it has since been largely discarded in favor of such refinements as ?The Roach? and ?The Fly.? But the youngsters at [a certain New York nightclub] have revived The Twist and parodied it into a replica of some ancient tribal puberty rite. The dancers scarcely ever touch each other or move either feet. Everything else, however, moves. The upper body sways forward and backward and the hips and shoulders twirl erotically, while the arms thrust in, out, up and down."³

That nightclub and its revised twist, further explained this same news report, "might well have remained just another flesh spa for the midtown beatnik crowd" had it not been popularized with café society by a newspaper society editor.

So what have you learned about this dance? In this example we have found that the dance craze mainly involves bodily gyrations and that the words used to describe them are "frantic," "sensual" and "erotic." You have also learned what kind of persons developed the dance and that it is basically an imitation of some pagan tribe?s dance, involving gestures of a sexually suggestive nature.

Now, what are the Bible principles and commandments that will illuminate the facts you have learned? If you do not know, ask a mature Christian. Or use the Watch Tower Publications Index to direct you to those principles. You will find many. For instance, does the dance involved conduce to holy conduct? God?s Word says: "Become holy yourselves in all your conduct." God?s Word speaks out against "cravings for sensual pleasure." It warns against "shameful conduct" and "things which are not becoming." It requires modesty for Christian women. Christians are told to consider and practice whatever things are "chaste."?1 Pet. 1:15; Jas. 4:1; Eph. 5:4; Phil. 4:8;1 Tim. 2:9.

Now ask yourself: How does the dance you have in mind measure up to those Scriptural requirements? You should be able to make the right decision now.

WHERE IS THE EMPHASIS?

Many dances put emphasis on foot patterns, accompanied by graceful movements of the body. But some dances have little to do with foot patterns and movement; they put the emphasis on body movement, which may or may not be erotic. Some dances of primitive tribes and peoples are designed to stimulate sexual feelings. The Canaanites had fertility dances. Similar ones were performed at the ancient Bacchanalia, which served as an excuse for immorality. In his book World History of the Dance, Curt Sachs expresses the belief that "hip and belly dances" of such places as the South Seas have "only the purpose of sexual stimulation. But the original goal was magical: coitus movements, like all other sex motives, promote life and growth." If a modern dance is an imitation of the erotic gestures of some pagan dance, then Scriptural principles would rule it out for Christians. Vigorous movement in itself is not the determining factor; the polka is fast but not necessarily erotic. Nor is the sole determining factor whether partners touch one another. It is not necessary for physical contact to take place for persons to have their passions aroused. Observing the movements of dancers may well excite base thoughts or passionate feelings.

So when any modern dance puts the emphasis on gyrating of the hips and rolling of breasts by females, it is well to realize that this is not modest behavior, that this same sort of thing is done by native people in various parts of the world in their fertility dances. The Christian can be certain that it has the same effect upon people where he lives as it does among primitive people.

Christians may find enjoyment in dancing; but when they find that the dance currently in vogue in the old world is sexually suggestive (highlighting erotic movements of the breasts and hips), then they avoid it, instead of feeling that they ought to follow the crowd. Some may laugh at you because you do not go along with the crowd, but the important thing is that you have a good conscience toward God.?1 Pet. 4:3, 4.

WHAT IS THE DANCE?S REPUTATION?

The apostle Paul told Christians to hold to "whatever things are well spoken of." (Phil. 4:8) So in determining whether any dance is proper or improper for Christians, find out what its reputation is. Worldly society or beatniks may approve a dance, but we cannot be guided by those who throw off restraint and who give first place to so-called "sexual freedom." So what is the community feeling? More particularly, what is the feeling of your religious congregation? How would you be looked upon if you danced it? If one wanted the reputation of the twist as popularized by a New York nightclub, he might read an article similar to one written by Geoffrey Holder, a Trinidad-born dancer, who said:

"The Twist? I?m sitting this one out. It?s dishonest. . . . It?s synthetic sex turned into a sick spectator sport. . . . Social dancing was never meant to supply vicarious kicks for spectators. When it does, watch it! . . . When Antony Tudor wanted to establish his hero as a sexpot and phallic symbol in ?Pillar of Fire,? he came out and did the Twist?for a few seconds, to establish character. . . . From the dawn of time, the classic way of showing male potency, sexual vigor, has been the same pelvic movement. In African fertility dances, you always find it naked. Honest."⁴

You do not need special articles, however, to give you an idea of a dance?s reputation. Some very short news items say a great deal. For example: "The City of Tampa has opened 1962 by banning the Twist, a new dance step, in its community centers."⁵ "Moralists debated the propriety of the dance. In her column, Elsa Maxwell confided that Princess Olga of Yugoslavia had agreed with her at the Polish Ball that the twist shouldn?t be danced in public places."⁶ "The White House firmly denied today that President Kennedy or anyone else danced ?the Twist? at a party there."⁷ "The new dance, the Twist, has been banned at Roseland Dance City [New York]. ?It is not, in our opinion, a ballroom dance,? according to Lou Brecker, who founded the theater district ballroom in 1919. ?It is lacking in true grace.?"⁸

Your local news media may also contain letters to editors that often reveal much as to what people are thinking, such as this example; "Let?s hope that the young (and not so young) bodies of our Twisters are lying, that their minds do not behave inside the way their pelvises and pectorals do outside."⁹

So even if a Christian can participate in a dance with a good conscience before God, because of having no wrong motive, that is not enough. He must consider the effect upon the onlooker. The onlooker knows what goes on in his own mind when he sees a sensual dance, and he assumes that such thoughts are going on in the mind of the dancer. One?s saying: "My mind and conscience is clear" is not enough, because the Scriptures are emphatic about keeping "from becoming causes for stumbling."?1 Cor. 10:32.

SELF-DENIAL TO AVOID CAUSES FOR STUMBLING

No Christian wants to turn people away from God?s truth because of his conduct, even when that conduct may not in itself be wrong. But circumstances may make that conduct wrong. What may be acceptable in one place may cause you to be looked down on in another. Even where a dance is accepted, if people recognize it as evidence of abandon, they consider all the participants to be alike. So every Christian will want to heed Paul?s counsel: "In no way are we giving any cause for stumbling, that our ministry might not be found fault with."?2 Cor. 6:3.

So the divine counsel is: "Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person." (1 Cor. 10:24) What is this advantage Christians should seek for others? It is their spiritual advantage. Being encouraging and kind is proper, of course, but such may not cost us anything; and Paul is talking about what costs us something so that the other person gets the advantage. It is a matter of conscience. Not all persons see things the same way. The Christian with an enlightened conscience may be able to do things with a good conscience but which might stumble others. The Christian must consider the all-vital objective: The salvation of others. We do not want to stumble others because of their conscience. This puts a brake upon our liberty and calls for self-restraint even in things that may be proper in themselves. We should act in such a way that nothing we do will hinder others from accepting God?s truth. This makes it a matter, not only of avoiding what is Scripturally wrong, but also of denying ourselves what we may have a right to, so as not to prejudice one against God?s truth.

If, then, we are willing to deny ourselves something that may be proper in itself, for the sake of not stumbling others, how much more so would we refrain from doing what is Scripturally improper!

Showing that the matter of stumbling others is not to be taken lightly are Jesus? warning words: "Whoever stumbles one of these little ones who put faith in me, it is more beneficial for him to have hung around his neck a millstone such as is turned by an ass and to be sunk in the wide, open sea."?Matt. 18:6.

We may not necessarily stumble others by a dance itself, but we could by the circumstances surrounding the dancing. For instance, what if the location where the dancing takes place has a bad reputation? A Christian would not frequent a restaurant that had a bad reputation, even if his interest there was merely for good food. He might stumble others. So location is also a determining factor. (1 Cor. 8:9, 10) Association is likewise a vital aspect, since "bad associations spoil useful habits." (1 Cor. 15:33) A dance may in itself be proper but the whole entertainment improper if it is done in wrong association. Our entertainment should be in association with those who love God and have respect for his commandments.

It is well for Christians to remember that not every dance can be classified as either proper or improper. Many dances can be done either properly or improperly, depending upon the persons doing them. One?s motive could be wrong in a proper dance, so that it is turned into craving for sensual pleasure. A Christian, moreover, does not need a specific ruling for every new dance fad or style, because in most instances he can learn the facts and apply Bible principles. If the Christian wants to pursue an unmarried life, he may find it well for him not to dance with the opposite sex unrelated to him.

So find out what a dance basically is. What are its movements? What is its origin and development? What are people saying about it? What are the news media saying about it? What is its reputation in the community? If you danced it, what would be the effect upon onlookers? How happy we will be if, when there are reasons for doubt about the propriety of pursuing a certain course, we do the things that upbuild our brothers and do not stumble new ones! "Love builds up."?1 Cor. 8:1.

While one?s choice of entertainment is a personal matter, a mature Christian will never insist on his "rights" in this respect when it disturbs the conscience of a fellow Christian or when it may be a cause for stumbling new ones. "Let us not be judging one another any longer, but rather make this your decision, not to put before a brother a stumbling block or a cause for tripping." Let each one use the spirit of a sound mind. Let each one seek the spiritual advantage of others. Let each one conduct himself as he would in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and the holy God, Jehovah. Then "whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else," you will "do all things for God?s glory."?Rom. 14:13; 1 Cor. 10:31.

REFERENCES

¹ New York Times, October 19, 1961.

² Life, November 24, 1961.

³ Time, October 20, 1961.

⁴ New York Times Magazine, December 3, 1961.

⁵ New York Times, January 4, 1962.

⁶ Newsweek, December 4, 1961.

⁷ New York Times, November 15, 1961.

⁸ Ibid., issue of October 21, 1961.

⁹ New York Times Magazine, December 17, 1961.

haha....a cool new disco had opened in glasgow with flashing lights in the floor and me and a friend were going to go the coming saturday cos i had never been to a disco before..not telling my parents of course...and this mag came on the thursday...we thought about not reading it..(lol it wasnt going to recommend them was it) but conscience wouldnt let us....so i never got going

wasnt that bothered...disco music bites

Way to go, GB!  Finally, a PRACTICAL suggestion in one of your publications!

*** w68 4/1 pp. 215-216 ?The Works of the Flesh Are Revelries? ***

Much of modern dancing is passion-arousing, but there are wholesome folk dances that allow for much exercise and joyous exhilaration, such as the American square dance, the Virginia reel and the polka. Such dances involve a certain amount of skill and cooperation and make for mutual, group enjoyment; being without the objectionable features of so many of the modern dances.

*** g83 12/22 p. 28 From Our Readers ***

?m just writing briefly with a minor point of criticism of the otherwise good article "Safeguard Your Gift of Hearing." (August 22, 1983) On page 27 of the article you imply that rock music causes hearing loss. Surely this is not the fault of rock music in itself. Rather it is the fault of the person who should turn the volume down. The fact is that any kind of music, whether it is country, classical, polka or big-band swing, can cause the same hearing damage when played at unreasonable volume.

T. A., Canada

We agree that it is the volume that causes the damage. But rock music especially doesn?t easily lend itself to keeping the volume low?at least the temptation is to keep it high. In commenting on the potential danger of stereo headphones, the article stated: "Keeping the volume low might therefore save your hearing!" But at rock concerts the listener has no control over the volume, and unwary listeners are often exposed to dangerously high decibel levels.?ED.

*** w70 2/1 p. 89 What Do You Want Out of Life? ***

Where the entertainment is wholesome and upbuilding, a pleasant time is also in the offing when friends come together for a social evening. On such occasions young and old may enjoy a good old-fashioned square dance.

So the WTS didn't like to dancing too close but then in my era people danced without touching (like the Twist, Mashed Potato), you just danced near each other.  That was frowned upon too.

*** w64 3/1 p. 154 Beware of Toying with Sexual Immorality! ***

There are other types of dancing that do not require close proximity of partners, a veritable embrace; dances such as square dances, or other group dances, or those performed by persons of the same sex, avoid this pitfall. Of course, even where a dance is performed by one person or persons of the same sex, if it is suggestive or immoral, obviously it is not for Christians.

I love Google. Prof. Peterson has some interesting-looking stuff in print.

His faculty web page at Vanderbilt

http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/sociology/peterson

A report on a speech he gave about the democratizing of popular culture

http://www.utsa.edu/today/2005/03/sociol.cfm

A review of his book, Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2298/is_4_16/ai_55849952

And this is just the kind of thing I used to do as a jaydub: find the books these quotes were taken from and enjoy the yummy, yummy brain candy. Don't know how I missed this one, though.

gentlyferal

If it wasn't for Disco, I wouldn't be here (born 1978). My mother was a wild one back in the day.

 

laters

kaykay_mp