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Soul Train Dance Party with Questlove as DJ
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival Rhythm and Blues program will be hosting “An Evening with Soul Train,” which celebrates the musical variety television program that aired from 1971 to 2006. “Soul Train” holds a unique place as one of the first television programs owned by and marketed to African Americans as well as being one of the longest running syndicated television programs. The show was immensely popular and has become an icon of the times. Just the words “Soul Train” evoke images of platforms, bell bottoms, and afros.
“Soul Train” was the brain child of producer Don Cornelius, who also hosted the show for twenty-two consecutive years. The Soul Train dancers were a popular feature of the program and such moves as “Locking,” “Roboting,” and “Waacking” were originated on the show. Soul Train came about at a time of exploding popularity for funk and soul music as well as Black-oriented radio programming and record sales. Soul Train also became a symbol of Black pride and a vehicle of political protest. Cornelius featured artists with strong political messages and allowed them a space to voice their concerns and frustrations. James Brown spoke on one show about the improvements needed in historically Black universities and followed with his anthem, “Say it Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud!)” Soul Train continued to evolve over time with changes in popular music, adapting to include such genres as disco and hip-hop.
The Soul Train evening concert will begin with a panel discussion featuring Kenard Gibbs, the current CEO/Partner of Soul Train holdings; Tony Cornelius, son of Don Cornelius; Tyrone Proctor, dancer and member of the original Soul Train Gang; Nicholas “NickFRESH” Puzo, DJ and Soul Train historian; and Questlove, Soul Train historian and drummer for the Roots. Following the panel discussion will be a dance demonstration lead by Tyrone Proctor with D.C.-based Urban Artistry, and a Soul Train dance party featuring Questlove on the turn tables. And yes… a Soul Train Line! Soul Train is celebrating its 40th anniversary and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival is delighted to be hosting this unique and exciting celebration of American culture.
An Evening with Soul Train and Dance Party
Thursday, June 30
6 to 9 p.m. on the National Mall
18 comments
Will there be music and dancing after the speaker?
Thanks.
Where is Motor Stage located? Do not see on the map.
The Motor City Stage is next to the Soulsville Stage. It’s to the east; and closer to the Smithsonian Castle building.
Yes! There will be music and dancing after the discussion. Questlove will be DJing.
For those of us that will not be able to make the Thursday affair, will there be DVD’s made of the affair for sale and if so how do we go about being able to get a copy.
Let me practice my robot now! Owwww!
This is going to be a dream come true for me as I’ve always wanted to be a dancer on Soul Train and now I get my chance. Wooo Hoooo!
I plan to atttend. I grew up looking at soul train. I love all the events that have on the Mall
I wanna be starting something. Like Michael Jackson would say
For the Thursday evening concert, can one bring lawn/stadium chairs for seating?
Yes, you can bring your own lawn chairs to the Festival, including to this evening’s concert. Please be aware that there are already chairs set up in the performance tents (about 800 of them), so there won’t necessarily be room under the tent for your chair, but you can set up just outside of it.
What’s the closest metro to the event
Smithsonian (orange and blue lines) metro stop lets you off right in the thick of the Festival.
Metro Center and Archives are about a 10 minute walk from the site.
L’Enfant Plaza is also about 10 minutes away.
THAT was awesome ! I had a great time taking pics & dancing up a storm.
So glad you had a good time and got some photos, too. Do you want to share some of your photos with us on flickr? http://www.flickr.com/groups/smithsonianfolklifefestival. We will periodically post galleries from these photos on the Festival blog.
Come back for the rest of the great performances!
I attended the last hour of the dance party. It was awesome! It also was great to see such a cross-section of people of all ages and races dancing together and having fun.
That Train steamed every which way…and was the most get down-to-it-get-it-all-out-fun event EVER at the Folklife Festival!
Hope we’ll see you out on the dance floor at this evening’s performance by Miss Martha Reeves!
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