The History of Disco Balls
In the 1970s, disco balls ruled dance clubs, providing a spectacle of whirling lights as people hit the dance floor. These globe-shaped objects, containing thousands of tiny mirrors, reflected light in all directions as they spun above dancers' and patrons' heads. Although these objects were associated with the 1970s, the history of disco balls, or "mirror balls," dates back to the early 20th century.
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1920s
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The 1920s, known as the Jazz Age and the Roaring 20s, represents the first time that disco balls were used in nightclubs around the world. This decade after World War I represented a time of prosperity for many Americans and Prohibition. During this decade, young people who gained new wealth wanted to flaunt their prosperity by defying conventions, partying in speakeasies and drinking illegal liquor. What is now referred to as the disco ball lit many of these underground establishments from New York to the jazz clubs in New Orleans.
Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt (Berlin: Symphony of a Great City)
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"Berlin: Symphony of a Great City," a 1927 silent film, was a documentary-style production set to an intricate musical score. This movie portrayed life in this major European city in the 1920s. Although there were no words, it was an early avant-garde film that diverted away from mainstream filmmaking at that time. One sequence of this early docudrama features a German nightclub with an early version of the disco ball visible in the scene.
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Casablanca
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The 1942 classic film "Casablanca," with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, features a Moroccan nightclub in the majority of the film's pivotal scenes. In the background of many of these scenes, such as when Bergman enters the room, a type of mirrored ball can be seen.
The 1960s and 1970s
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The juxtaposition of music and mirror balls intertwined during the late 1960s, in the infancy of disco music. By the 1970s, disco balls and disco music became the image of this decade. Clubs around the world had these mirror balls, with their spectacle of lights serving as a backdrop for the music and the dances. In popular culture, disco balls were seen in movies about the era and on television shows that featured disco music.
The 1980s
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When disco died in the 1980s, disco balls were relegated to novelties, used as car mirror ornaments or decorations for people's homes. Instead of disco balls, many clubs relied on new technology of laser lights to create the same reflective effects of multiple mirrors. Most artists of the 1970s who were able to reinvent themselves to be relevant in the 1980s ditched their disco images. However, the classic rock band Pink Floyd embraced the disco ball by featuring a large one on their 1987 and 1994 tours.
1990s and Beyond
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In the 1990s, the age of disco and the disco ball regained popularity. Fashions such as bell bottoms symbolized appreciation for an earlier era. Movies such as "54" and "The Last Days of Disco" illustrated people's love affair with the 1970s. Clubs began using high-tech disco balls that combined the classic appearance of disco balls with new laser technology.
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