Disco Lassies
Among the warehouses of the East Glasgow industrial estate, a large golden banner with the words Team Sharkie Dance in glittering letters certainly does not go unnoticed.
As soon as you enter, a wave of energy and heat shocks the room. 6,7,8 GO! GO! GO! Danielle’s squeaky voice bursts from the dance studio as a group of mothers brush their daughters’ hair into perfect buns, waiting for their lesson.
Disco Lassies (A term used for “girls” in Scottish slang), is a photo essay that aims at exploring the world of Disco Freestyle documenting the socio cultural dynamics and the aesthetic of the fascinating UK subculture.
The glittered dance style, invented by Anna Jones in the early 1980s at the end of the golden age of disco music, mixes acrobatics (air splits, jumps, backflips) with dance moves to the beat of fast, pounding music and aims at impressing the judges, who, watching the contestants’ 50-second mini-routines, will vote on the girls’ performance on either side of the stage during the competitions. Since it is vital not to go unnoticed, in addition to talent and physical preparation, the ‘motto’ to keep in mind for every disco divas is: the more voluminous hair, the more glitter and glam, the better!
