Missing the Venice Beach Dance Plaza?   Re-live last year’s 2019 events via Venice Paparazzi photos. 

Re-live last year’s 2019 Venice Dance Plaza’s opening ceremony!

The Skate Dance Association hosted a ribbon cutting for the newly resurfaced Venice Beach Skate Dance Plaza on July 14th, 2019.  And Venice Paparazzi was on the scene.   View pics below!

Here is a message from Bob Davis, Superintendent of Recreation and Parks Venice Beach.  “We at Recreation and Parks are thankful to Dr. Pamela Pine and The Venice Beach Skate Dance Association that raised the funds for the replacement of the concrete Skate Dance Plaza deck here on Venice Beach.

It is always encouraging to collaborate on projects with groups who are wiling to fund raise especially when budget funds are limited.

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Skaters and onlookers were gathered at the gates that surrounded the newly paved Skate Dance Plaza on Venice Beach. It was 1:30 pm and 2 people could be seen feverishly working on the 6’ x 6’ Logo that was in the middle of the skate area. Finally, at a little before 2:00pm they were finished and some photographers entered the area along with a small group of skaters that had been part of the group for at least 20 plus years.

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There was a special moment when Mad , aka James Lightning, and Pam surrounded the circle alone. Mad has been deemed the founder of the Venice Beach Skaters that began skating on Venice Beach in 1978. Mad, along with Larry, and a few others were the ones that created the Venice Beach “Line-Up,” which is a series of routines with names like ABC, Long Freddie, and Chili Willie, that the skaters have been preforming since the 80’s.

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Jeffrey Young, Terrell Ferguson, Mad, Kyle Johnson, Larry Pitts, Dee Upshaw, and James Adkins

Venice Beach Skate Dance Association’s Vice President Pamela Pine

Mad built Pam’s first sound system in 1993 and she has been bringing music for the skaters most weekends since that time. Finally, Pam went to the sound system turned on the mic and cued up the music. After imparting some information and a couple of jokes the gates were opened, the music began and the skaters leapt onto the new skate area. The Song “We are Family” by Sister Sledge played and the frenzy began. The sound of wheels on pavement could be heard in sync with the rhythm of the song. The skaters were holding hands, laughing and smiling as they skated around the new cement, their excitement and happiness permeating the entire area.

As the afternoon progressed more skaters joined in, some locals, some known, and some new.  By 5 pm there were over 40 skaters enjoying the new space. By 8:00 pm the daylight was dimming and so were the skaters, so we stopped the music, packed up, locked the gates and resumed a different kind of celebration,  awaiting our return next weekend.

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We want to thank Bob Davis, Superintendent of Recreation and Parks Venice Beach who was instrumental in helping us get the job done! We would not have been able to accomplish this without his interest and help.

We also want to thank Victor Jauregui, Senior Director of Recreation and Parks Venice Beach who co-ordinates events and permits, and so much more.

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Re-live last year’s 2019 Venice Beach Roller Disco!

Venice Paparazzi was on the scene, and hosted a fun disco themed photo booth at the first event Saturday Night Venice Beach Roller Disco on Aug. 10, 2019.  View pics below!

Here is the 2019 message from Venice Skate Dance Association.  The Venice Beach Skate Dance Association, with the help of local Venice neighborhood business sponsors, hosted the first ever Venice Beach Roller Disco on Saturday, August 10th from 7:00 until park closure.  The outdoor public skate area was transformed into a glossy discotheque complete with kaleidoscopic lights, a live DJ set by Lady P, a Venice Paparazzi sponsored photo booth, and a 20’ movie screen featuring a montage of nostalgic roller skating footage. 

The evening was a celebration of the newly resurfaced Skate Dance Plaza, funded by the Venice Beach Skate Dance Association and coordinated with the assistance of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks’ Superintendent Bob Davis and Assistant Director Victor Jauregui — both of whom were instrumental in the City’s official designation and signage of the Plaza as an inline or roller skate only recreational space. 

The road towards recognition for the iconic Venice Beach outdoor roller dance culture born in the mid 70’s has taken four decades to secure.  A popular weekend recreational pastime of dancing on roller skates to amplified music from a mobile boombox evolved into an organized group of individual skaters who formed a non-profit to champion their skate culture survival through the Venice Beach revitalization project in 1999 that resulted in a relocation of their skate area amidst rapidly gentrified surroundings.  Those who attended Saturday night represented a diverse union of roller dancers who traveled from thousands of miles away to pay tribute to their rich past and celebrate a continued commitment to the outdoor Venice skate dance culture. 

Center: Venice Beach Skate Dance Association’s Vice President Pamela Pine and Dee Upshaw

The support of the Venice community was apparent in the masses of dancing onlookers.  Locals and tourists were drawn into the Skate Dance Plaza at sundown with its dramatic lighting, upbeat music and exuberant roller dancers weaving in and out of one another with synchronized perfection.  “We have never seen anything like this in our part of the world.  We stood mesmerized for hours” confessed a group of young twenty-something women who had just arrived from Dublin, Ireland. 

With the success of this first Venice Beach Roller Disco, the positive force that is the Venice Skate Dance community is renewed and committed to sharing its unique brand of recreation with the world.  Event producer Wendy Walz summarized the group’s mission in offering this free public event: “We represent a family of skaters that stretches across four decades and around the globe and our hope is to inspire anyone watching us to put on a pair of skates and join in the fun.” 

Center:  Venice Beach Roller Disco event producer Wendy Waltz

Terrell Ferguson, James Rich and friends enjoying the Venice Paparazzi photo booth. Need a photo booth for your next event? Hire Venice Paparazzi

#venicebeachrollerdisco Photo by VenicePaparazzi.com

Click here to view all Venice Beach Dance Plaza photos by Venice Paparazzi

• Hash tag #venicebeachrollerdisco and photo credit @VenicePaparazzi
• Need photographers or a photo booth for your post- Covid-19 event?  Hire Venice Paparazzi

Thank you to the 2019 Venice Beach Roller Disco photo sponsors!  Enjoy your photos!

• Venice Beach Skate Dance Association
• Laurie Woolner
• General Real Estate

For more info, visit VeniceBeachSk8dance.org