I’m wearing orange leg warmers slouched over pink roller skates, blue lace gloves and as many necklaces as Madonna would approve. Old school bangers are blaring and I’m surrounded by lycra and neon.
Welcome to an 80s roller disco party.
The disco subculture came to the fore in the 70s when flares were king, mini-skirts and plunging v-necks were shameless and transitioned through into the 80s where the pants got tighter and the shoulders got bigger.
In recent years, there’s been something of a disco revival, in part thanks to the resurgence of disco vibes in mainstream music and the rapid growth in roller skating. In Auckland, the roller skating scene has skyrocketed, and with it, the return of some pretty impressive outfits, from retro floral flares and shimmer, to baggy jeans and the double denim of the 80s.
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“Retro is so in,” says Macarena Carrascosa, founder of Hey Macarena roller skating and former international competitor.
“2019 saw a new boom in the roller skating scene and it just hasn’t slowed down since. My classes in 2019-2020 were all 70s disco theme and we hosted three sold-out Studio 54 roller discos highlighting music from that era.”
Scroll through social media reels and you’ll discover the return of retro is a global reality, popularised by the latest hit TV series and movies.
“People love the glitz and glamour of Studio 54 and roller skating goes hand in hand with that. Now with Stranger Things and Top Gun back in the mainstream media, the 80s are having their moment. Which just so happens to be a huge era for roller discos too,” says Carrascosa.
“80s pop is just as popular with skaters as 70s. Post pandemic, people just want to have fun, get dressed up and forget their worries. They want to reconnect with their community and feel carefree and skating is just the perfect combination of the two!”
The skyrocketing popularity of roller skating in Auckland means coaching and organising events has become a full time job for Carrascosa. Roller discos are held multiple times throughout the year, including family events as well as discos for adult skaters only.
There’s even a Barbie-themed roller disco being held on Friday, July 8 at Glenfield’s Activezone, for those who want a throwback to their childhood dress-up days.
Supplied
A silent disco walk is planned for July as part of the Elemental AKL 2022 festival.
While roller skating might not be everyone’s jam, there are also other ways to get your disco fix in the city if you prefer to stay steady on two feet rather than eight wheels.
Papaya Stories holds Silent Disco Walks through Auckland – an immersive city adventure by foot. Participants wear wireless headphones which play a curated music list and tell a story, as they wander through the city to music, but without disturbing the general public with loud speakers.
This month, a silent disco walk is being held as part of the Elemental AKL festival. It’s a one-hour walking adventure starting at Victoria Park Market, where participants can groove their way through the city at night.
The original event was created by Yana Kirakovskaya from Papaya Stories in 2018, and since then there have been over 100 similar walks, all with unique themes.
The theme for this month’s walk is around aliens and life on other planets, so participants are encouraged to dress up in their intergalactic finery, adorn themselves with lights and wave around a few glow sticks – with the freedom of breaking out into spontaneous dance whenever they feel like.
“The city becomes not only the dance floor but also the playground, the stage where this performance happens,” says Kirakovskaya.
The walk will follow a story about a mad scientist who feels lonely in the big city, but his mission and passion to explore space helps him start to see the city differently, she says.
“During our walk we are going to experience encounters with aliens – dancing with aliens.”
Supplied
Papaya Stories runs silent disco walks in Auckland, where participants wear wireless headphones to listen to a curated music list as they groove through the city.
That’s not the only disco-inspired event during the Elemental AKL festival – you can also head to Aotea Square’s ice rink for Drag Disco on Ice with local queens Yuri Guaii, Margarita Blades and Shavorn Aborealis for a night of glam, glitz and glitter on July 14.
So if you’ve got some flares, flower power, lycra or double denim hiding in your wardrobe, perhaps it’s time to dust them off if you haven’t done so already and join the disco revolution in Auckland.
See: aucklandnz.com/elemental/silent-disco-city-walk
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Staying safe: New Zealand is currently under Covid-19 restrictions. Follow the instructions at covid19.govt.nz.
This story was produced as a part of an editorial partnership with Elemental AKL. Read more about our partnership content here.
