Some of us remember the mesmerizing effect of a spinning ball, high in the ceiling, covered in hundreds of tiny mirrors shedding light on every part of the room as it twirled around. Couples took to the dance floor with their latest moves to the sound track from the movie, Saturday Night Fever. The music, a dance partner, and the gleaming, spinning light was all that was needed to bring a room to life. During the 70s, that amazing ball of light became famously known as the Disco Ball!
Although the disco ball had its heyday in the 70s, it existed in obscurity for almost 50 years and was simply known as the mirrored ball. It was seen in some European nightclubs in the 1920s and depicted in films such as the 1942 classic, Casablanca, with Humphrey Bogart. Its popularity reached a peak in the mid-1930s during the big band era; but, it wasn’t until the 70s that it became a phenomenon.
Today the disco ball has become commercialized and can be seen at reunions, proms, concerts, and even in the homes of some Hollywood stars, who have installed them as an attempt to bring back yesteryear and recreate the look and feel of New York City’s popular nightclub, Studio 54.
Amazingly, musical artists have taken the disco ball to extremes. Pink Floyd used a massive disco ball on its 1994 Division Bell Tour that measured 4.9 meters in diameter. Madonna topped that during her 2006 Confessions on a Dance Floor Tour with a two-ton disco ball covered in Swarovski crystals that cost about $2 million.
Currently, the disco ball has become a recognized symbol as millions of viewers tune each week to see the popular TV dance competition show, Dancing with the Stars. As it opens, the famous disco ball is shown, mirrors spinning, the show’s logo appears, and the dancing begins. The mirrored ball has become a world-wide symbol associated with dancing and gala events and is here to stay!
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