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On a balmy night last week in Brooklyn, a line hundreds deep stretched from the door of the club Studio B down the block and around the corner. The crowd's excitement was palpable; their attire impressive. Nearly everyone sported some combination of thigh-high tube socks, extra short shorts, mesh tank tops, matching headband / wristbands, and here and there I caught the glimmer of a glossy leotard. The girl behind me wore pigtails and a care-bear t-shirt. "I cant believe it's finally happening! I cant believe it's finally happening!" she breathed. "It" was the evidently long-anticipated Down and Derby Roller Disco, organized by party promoter Vince Masi and presented by myopenbar.com and Saucony. To step inside was to slide back into an era that, my companion observed wryly, might well have been over before most of these eager patrons, now swarming towards the skate rental counter, were even born. But no matter. Despite that fact, or perhaps because of it, the Down and Derby Roller Jam was a fantastic party. Free tube socks were provided to the under-dressed; free beer to all. Deejays Rok One, Lindsey, and Cosmo Baker mixed an irresistible repertoire of old school hip hop and house classics. An enormous disco ball turned slowly and sent shards of light rolling over the neon-lit floor and the circling crowds. Everyone was dancing—or trying to. An enviable few displayed very fine roller skills but among the rest of us there was a great deal of arm flailing, jerking, and sudden sprawling. And laughing—laughter was definitely in abundance. Prizes were given in categories like best dressed, best couple dance, and for the winner of the limbo. At one point a man in pleated black pants and a metallically-sheened green shirt materialized in the middle of the dance floor. He was lithe, graceful, perfectly balanced. He spun and swooped, accompanying his fluid movements with flicks of a little hand-held tambourine. He was fantastic. I hope he won. Unfortunately, I was not there to see it. The free Colt 45 took me down before I could confirm! Although no date has yet been set, Masi said he hoped that the Down and Derby Roller Disco would happen again in Brooklyn soon. If we should be so lucky, I highly recommend that you grab those tube socks from the back of your drawer…
 Dancing on Wheels beneath a Mirror Ball at the Down & Derby Roller Disco Photo © & courtesy of Down & Derby Roller Disco |
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 Putting on Roller Skates at the Down & Derby Roller Disco Photo © & courtesy of Down & Derby Roller Disco |
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 Dressing with Style at the Down & Derby Roller Disco Photo © & courtesy of Down & Derby Roller Disco |
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 Dressing with Style at the Down & Derby Roller Disco Photo © & courtesy of Down & Derby Roller Disco |
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 Cool Shades at the Down & Derby Roller Disco Photo © & courtesy of Down & Derby Roller Disco |
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 Raising a Glass to Roller Disco at the Down & Derby Roller Disco Photo © & courtesy of Down & Derby Roller Disco |
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