Videotaping
began in late 1975 throughout 1976 and the first show aired
on January 1, 1977. It was created, produced, written
and first hosted by former disco dj and music business
entrepreneur, Marty Angelo. He was inspired back in the
1950s to go into the music business after watching Dick
Clark's American Bandstand.
The
dancers vote to "Make" or "Break" a song
on this segment of the Disco Step-by-Step® dance show. If
the song "made it" it was added to a future
playlist. If the dancers did not like the song and said to
"Break It," that is exactly what would happen on
the air.
Each
one hour program consisted of four segments: Disco Profile™
- special guests, Disco
Dance Instruction™ - professionals teaching
the latest dance styles, Disco Spotlight™ - featured dance couples,
and Disco Make It or Break It™ -
introduction and judgment of new songs.
Disco Step-by-Step® professional dance
instructors from Buffalo New York's Debonaire Dance Studio, Sam Fiorello and Darlene Kesler
Ceglia. Each show consisted of two 10 minute segments of professional hustle dance instruction. This was one of the highlights of the show... teaching people to hustle dance "step-by-step" in the privacy of their own homes.
The
latest disco dance music played in between each segment as
experienced dancers danced either the New York Hustle, the
Latin Hustle, or the Salsa.
The
dancers vote to "Make" or "Break" a song
on this segment of the Disco Step-by-Step® dance show. If
the song "made it" it was added to a future
playlist. If the dancers did not like the song and said to
"Break It," that is exactly what would happen on
the air. The record would be smashed to pieces. This clip
all four songs "Make It."
The
first shows aired in black and white throughout Western New
York and surrounding areas on local cable television
channels. They were video taped live at various
discos.
Disco
Step-by-Step® video
clip
- 1979
The program remained on cable from January 1, 1977 to June
30, 1977. It moved to a local network affiliate (WBEN/WIVB
TV Channel 4) for the 1977 fall season.
Disco Step-by-Step® - promotes "Saturday Night Fever" - 1977
This dance segment helped promote the movie, "Saturday Night Fever" prior to its general public release in 1977. A film clip featuring John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney hustle dancing was edited and inserted into the show during post-production.
The promotional clip was sent to the show by the
movie's producer, Robert Stigwood.
Marty Angelo was
contracted to create, produce and write his original Disco
Step-by-Step® show for this
new production. The network affiliate supplied the
remote videotape facilities using broadcast quality
equipment. The new enhanced show premiered on
September 23, 1977.
Disco
Step-by-Step® professional dance instructors, Sam Fiorello,
Darlene Kesler Ceglia, Susan Godios, and "the late
Richard DiSarno" present a special disco dance
demonstration - 1978.
Disco Step-by-Step®
was not only the first television show in the world
dedicated to disco dance music, it was Buffalo New York's
first cable produced television show to ever cross over to a
local broadcast network affiliate.
Disco
Step-by-Step® was authorized in 1978 to present two gold
records to special guest, "the late Eddie Rivera."
Rivera was the founder of the International Disco Record
Center, the second disco dj record pool in the United
States. Rivera surprised everyone by turning around and
presenting the awards to Marty Angelo and Disco Step-by-Step®.
Nielsen
Media Research rated the show as the leader in its Saturday
3-4 pm time slot. It had over 400,000 weekly viewers in
Western New York, parts of Pennsylvania and southern
Ontario. These ratings attracted hundreds of local and
national advertisers.
Disco
Step-by-Step® video
clip
- 1979
Disco
Step-by-Step® video
clip
- 1979
A total of 73 shows aired (45 original programs plus 28
reruns) from January 1, 1977 to January 15, 1980. All
available master tape copies were donated to the United
States Library of Congress in 2001.
Disco
Step-by-Step® "Disco Profile™" Interview with
"the late Eddie Rivera" founder and president of
the International Disco Record Center... the nation's
largest disco dj record pool back in the glory days of
disco. Rivera was also considered one of the first and best
disco djs. 1978
Some
of the guests who appeared on Disco Step-by-Step®
either in person or via videotape are: Andy Gibb,
Bar Kays, Bee Gees, Celi Bee & Buzzy Bunch,
Cerrone, Chic, Claudja Barry, Commodores,
Donna McDaniels, Donna Summer, Earth - Wind and
Fire, Eddie Rivera, Fist o Funk Orchestra,
Gary Criss, Grace Jones, Jacksons, John
Travolta, Johnny Guitar Watson, Odyssey,
Peter Brown, Platters, Rick James, Ritchie
Family, Saturday Night Fever movie,
Sharon Williams, Silver Convention,
T-Connection, Thank God It's Friday movie,
Vicki Sue Robinson, Village People, William
Bell, Yvonne Elliman and others.
Disco
Step-by-Step® video
clip
- 1979
A
25 year reunion party was held on June 7, 2002 in Buffalo, New
York at the Tralfamadore Cafe.
Disco Step-by-Step® - Closing Credits
_____________________________
THE EXPERIMENT! - 20+
Years Later
Did Disco Really Die?
Disco Step-by-Step® - "The Experiment" - Hustle dance video track from television show taped in 1979 with
a 1999 audio track.
Twenty year later... the answer to question... "Did Disco Die?" Hardly!!! You be the judge.
"I knew the disco craze would be a
gold mine, but there was still a lot of work to be done. How can we get more people interested
in disco? I asked myself. The answer shot into my mind like a bullet: a television
show. So I decided to start one. I’d never produced a TV program before, but I knew I
could do it..."
"In spite of this most recent
success with my disco television show, my life was still full of confusion and hopelessness. Oh, I seemed happy on the outside.
But deep down I was completely empty..."
"I stayed high almost the entire day, listening to the hundreds of records people
sent me. I stayed out all night in bars..."
"I was on my way, for sure. But on my way to where?
... I didn’t stop to consider such questions. If I had, I might
have been prepared for the problems that were on the way. But some people just can’t learn the easy way..."
"I heard a rumor that the station wanted
to syndicate the show. But they wanted to bring in a production company from New
York to do the work. I couldn’t believe it... I owned Disco Step-by-Step®. I’d created it. I wrote it. I dreamed it. It was all I
had. Losing it would destroy me..."
"I felt like somebody had shot an
arrow into my heart. My mind filled with rage. I was almost too angry to speak..."
Once Life Matters is a second
chance ministry founded by minister/author Marty Angelo that brings hope to
those who are weary from the weight of the world with the love of Jesus Christ
Once Life Matters Ministries, Inc is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, gifts to which may be deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
