Asian American Dance Scene in the 1970s

On November 19th I sent out an email blast seeking out information and recollections of the 1970s Asian American dance scene in Los Angeles, the period of time when I attended public dances at places like the Rodger Young Auditorium and the Elks Club at MacArthur Park, listening to bands like Carry On, Free Flight and Winfield Summit and into the early 1980s at LaMirada Country Club, before DJs and disco completely edged out the live sound.

Collecting the stories is important because it was “our” time as Asian Americans. The experiences, to my knowledge, have not been documented before. The decade of the 1970s was a period in the awakening of Asian pride following the Civil Rights movement, and minority groups were instilled with self-esteem in ethnic identity, as Chicanos and Blacks were experiencing also.

The home-grown band, Hiroshima, has been highly successful in their unique stature as the Asian American group to garner radio play of their music. But their early days were with us, their audience, listening to them play the standards of the day from Earth, Wind and Fire, Steely Dan, Average White Band and Chicago songs, just as we listened and danced to the popular group, Carry On.

I also recall the car culture associated with the dances – cruising took place before, during and after the parties – even heading to places like Stadium Way near Dodger Stadium in the late night to watch modified mini-cars street race. Those years, when gas was inexpensive, kept the streets busy on cruise nights along Van Nuys Boulevard, Whittier Boulevard, and wherever there was an Asian dance or carnival, whether it was held in Little Tokyo or across town at the Buddhist Church behind Crenshaw Boulevard. The participants in the 1970s did not invent the pastime but were continuing the youthful rites of cruising.

The following posts are the responses I received following my email blast. Organized by date of response, I have kept them anonymous to respect the privacy of the responders.