In the early 90s, a young artist from Trenton finds solace in the street dance community of New York City. By diving into the past and present of club culture, a saga of adventure, triumph, and loss unveils the turbulent evolution of club culture into the cultural behemoth we know today.
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pt_001
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the birth of house
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Sekou, a wide-eyed teen from Trenton, encounters House Dance. Born on sun-baked streets, it thrives in New York’s underground scene, surrounded by raw, unfiltered energy. In iconic venues like The Limelight, Sekou immersed himself amongst a group of innovators who would soon fuse into the groundbreaking collective, Dance Fusion. Together, they catapulted their artistry across the globe, unaware of the fractures soon to ripple through the world they'd built.
As the dance electrified global stages, its soul flickered. New York's clubs were gutted by Giuliani's renewal of the Cabaret Law, forcing venues to obtain a license to dance. Overseas, House is gradually stripped of its context, repackaged in Tokyo and Paris as a globalized trend, diluting its roots for profit.
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pt_002
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community
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Enter Marjory Smarth and Voodoo Ray, guardians of the culture looking to preserve its roots. They encourage Dance Fusion to formalize their moves in the studio, translating freestyle footwork into codified curriculums.
The tighter they grip, the more Sekou questions: Does preservation strangle the freedom that birthed it? The Cabaret Law’s 2017 repeal birthed a hollow victory— studios now thrive, but the clubs’s raw pulse is muted.
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pt_003
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next moves
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A new generation of creatives feels the absence and flocks to training programs, battles, and niche parties, where the cypher drowns out the noise. The dance evolves — scarred by Cabaret-era wounds. Awareness doesn't break the cycle — it only makes the déjà vu sharper. Revolution, rinse, repeat. The dance lives on, but history’s cruel cadence remains; Can you outrun the rhythm of loss?