Dancing through the Flames: How the DC Dance Culture Survived 1968 video
2018. Dancing through the Flames: How the DC Dance Culture Survived 1968 video. District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office, Office of Planning; Humanities DC; Teenarama Incorporated
This documentary outlines the dancing show "Teenarama", which ran 1963-1970. Black teenagers were able to dance on television, which provided positive, well-mannered, and fun-loving examples of African-American people. Dancers from "Teenarama" in 1968 recount their experiences on the show following the death of Martin Luther King Jr. At the time, Washington, DC was wrought with political turmoil as uprising emerged throughout the city. Media sources often utilized the riots to villainize African-American citizens, and for many young black people, they had little to no positive representation on television or in popular media. "Teenarama" served as a positive outlet for marginalized teens to dance and enjoy themselves while also allowing black viewers to feel positively represented in popular media. Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office, Office of Planning, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P17AF00101).
- Type
- Movie/Video
- Date of Issue
- 2018-09-30
- Publisher
- District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office, Office of Planning; Humanities DC; Teenarama Incorporated
- Units
- HPF
- Keywords
- Oral Histories, Videos