Meet Philadelphia’s Soulful House Dancers | If Cities Could Dance

[@JustSole7]

This is AMAZING !!! Thank you so much KQED your sharing your light with us, our OG’s, DJ’s, Just Sole! SDTC, and the city of Philadelphia! A true honor indeed! 💯🙏🏾❤️ All for the love of House Music, Dance, and Culture! ✊🏾

[@ozziejones1043]

infinitely proud of y'all!!!!!

[@imanigriffith7908]

Love it!!! Thank you KQED for having us be apart of this!!! This is dope!!!🙏🏾❤️🔥🔥

[@dinitaclark4443]

Philly Represent!!! Thank you KQED for taking the time to share our stories! It was an honor to work with you all! 💯🙏🏾❤️

[@kqedarts]

Thank you Dinita and Kyle and the whole Just Sole! SDTC for trusting us to share a small part of your and Philly's contributions to house culture.

[@ozziejones1043]

Get em sis! Love y'all!!!

[@jtherock]

I’m voting now. Thank you for giving so much back to the community.

[@lisaharris6135]

BEAUTIFUL !!! 🙂 ♥️,✌🏾,and Continued Blessings to them All

[@jeannieves6275]

Ain’t no stopping us here Philadelphia ❤️🎼

[@markchichester]

This is truly great, thank you. What a beautiful expression of community, music and dance! The house and hip hop communities I found a home in during the 90’s and early 2000’s have so many parallels to what is represented here. The dear ones who crafted and cultivated those scenes (and are still keeping it going) deserve some recognition, as does Phoenix. I’m happy to make some introductions -

[@lee4547]

what a wonderful video. thank you! "House music all night long!"

[@KevinBrown_philly]

Great mini-doc KQED! Great story! Thanks Kyle and Dinita! I am so happy I could contribute to your story! 🙌💕

[@kqedarts]

Thanks so much for your contributions, Kevin. Your photographs of the scene over the years added so much richness to the episode.

[@dinitaclark4443]

Thanks a million for your photographic genius! The pleasure ours to have been captured by you all of these years! 🙏🏾❤️💯👏🏾

[@jerrydouglas4583]

Rennie Harris! All the dancers are so good.

[@TigerBonez]

Dang, this rly do make me glad I'm a bi man in Philly. I love Philly culture so much. Thanks for makin this! 🙌✊💙

[@jerrydouglas4583]

Yes, I loooove her... This whole thing!!! More!

[@FSonic-r4i]

Philly is a special place,with an illustrious scene and tradition that goes back to David Todd and the Catacombs Great vidéo respect ✊

[@NatashaHulme]

Well done!!!

[@gihonmonks]

Lovely Story and Dope Vibe bless up

[@kqedarts]

We agree! Thanks for watching. 💜

[@hanaj]

I was ready to type an angry comment that House is from Chicago. But I took a moment and actually read the description explaining that this House is different.

[@kqedarts]

Thanks Hana for taking the time to explore further, and I hope you watch the episode! All respect for the Chicago pioneers.

[@CrowdSpectator24]

Yeah, I always heard that Chicago started House music. I know it's big in Jersey along with Jersey Club. NYC somewhat too and I thought one other place, BUT I NEVER heard it associated with Philly. I think more soul music and maybe party hip hop when I think of Philly. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@broncomcbane6382]

The term House Music is from Chicago. The music itself is from anywhere a DJ or producer learned how to re-edit a record on a reel to reel tape recorder. It is an extension of Disco. So NYC, London, Philly, Chicago, Paris all invented the sound by making each year of Disco and ElectroFunk and HipHop more progressive

[@broncomcbane6382]

@@CrowdSpectator24 Philly and the Philadelphia Sound/Salsoul was instrumental in Disco music and that is where House music came from Disco and Soul are the parents of House Music. Guys would cut acetates in Philly run to NY on the weekend and play them on the massive stereo systems. That trial and error refined the off beat dance club(the warehouse....the HOUSE) that became House music

[@CrowdSpectator24]

@@broncomcbane6382 interesting...thanks for the background. All love. ❤

[@derricklanders1921]

P.S. Where did the gentleman get the Garage tee shirt?

[@derricklanders1921]

Black Banana, Second Story (with DJ Frankie - my man), Kennel Club, Sundays @ Club Impulse, parties @ Mitten Hall (Temple) and at the U of Penn - I remember them all! However, those places were NOTHING compared to Smart Place, Backstreet, Nile Club and of course the one and only CATACOMBS!! DJ's David Todd (Friday Nights @ Catacombs) and Donald Stone (Saturday Nights @ Catacombs) provided music/dancing "Heaven on Earth"...and for me these clubs and the DJ's set the standard for Club/Underground music/dancing in Philly. I haven't heard of or seen anything since that could rival them. Am I being biased - NO - just telling it like it is. My exposure actually began in NYC (1981...WBLS Saturday Night Dance Party, Kiss 98.7 w/Shep Pettibone). Then my first night at the Legendary PARADISE GARAGE (who knew how funky one could get to "Lucky In Love" by Mick Jagger...LARRY LEVAN knew and we got funky with it), then BETTER DAYS, LOFT, ZANZIBAR (in Brick City), the SHELTER...then to Baltimore/DC @ ODELL'S! So, these Clubs, the music, the DJ's, the dancing - this is my standard. I even have to a shout out to Detroit, which was starting to rock as well! #toomanytoname #yettobesurpassed

[@Stussmeister]

As someone who's lived close to Philadelphia my entire life (with the exception of college), I can definitely appreciate the history, culture, and talent represented in this video. I will, however, admit that while I used to be a bit of a break dancer, I'm more concerned now that doing so would result in me breaking something.

[@broncomcbane6382]

In the very beginning House did NOT come out of the gay community. Thats nonsense and I wish people would stop implying that. House came out of the Disco community. They were re-editing Disco records to remove the lyrics and just the rhythm section, then dubbing in the vocals and adding other spoken word tracks to the recordings to make them unique. Then when the project was finished they would play them in ad hoc dance clubs which were former industrial wareHOUSES, hence how House Music got its name. The overly ornate Disco element dropped by they wayside, the DJ and MC became prominent as hip hop and rap progressed and House music was an extension of this!

[@derricklanders1921]

The whole "House Music" thing is overblown now. I'm too old skool to even get excited by what I hear passing for dance music today - some good, most generic. Even the dancing is "eh".

[@broncomcbane6382]

@@derricklanders1921 you have tp refine your antennae. Most of the dance music is corny true. But look at House Music in South Africa, London, Chicago, New York, Detroit to focus on the core of what House was. Look up Anane Vega, Jihad Muhammad, Soopa D, Sef Kombo, Tony Dennis, Louis Vega. True House music DJs. The dancing? It isnt the same as before because none of the moves are new to you. These are the same moves from the 1990s.

[@derricklanders1921]

@@broncomcbane6382 I admit that I don't follow the scene as much anymore, and some of the names that you mentioned I will check out, but when I say "too old skool", I'm talking about my having a membership to Catacombs and paying people standing in line to get me in Paradise Garage (before becoming a regular). I've heard and danced to Louie Vega live...as well as Jr. Vasquez, David Todd, Donald Stone, Timmy Regisford, Frankie Knuckles, Jellybean Benitez, Merlin Bob, Francoise K', Tony Humphries and of course Larry Levan - too mention a few! In regards to the dancing - it's become so robotic that it makes me cringe. My first exposure to "Lofting" was 1982/83 by Haitian dancers from Carnarsie (East Brooklyn)...I can't imagine grooving to say, "Go Bang" by Dinosaur any other possible way! I used to groove right next to dancers from Alvin Ailey's dance troupe and the Dance Theater of Harlem...tough acts to follow. I carried baby powder!😊 Alas, time moves on...but I will check out some of the other DJ's...thanks for the reply!