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Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
Members of the Disco Amigos rehearse their routines during a late-night practice Nov. 27 at The Club in Birmingham. According to Forest Park resident and “Disco CEO” Toni Dennis, there are about 15 Birmingham Amigos who practice across the metro area, from downtown and Homewood to Hoover and Mountain Brook.
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Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
The self-described “Disco Doc.” The Amigos are planning a busy 2018, with appearances to include the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Do Dah Day Parade and the Pride Parade.
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Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
Some pumped up kicks on the dance floor.
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Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
Members of the Birmingham Amigos throw their hands up in unison while practicing their moves.
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Photos by Sarah Finnegan.
It’s a scene straight out of “Saturday Night Fever”: shiny silver bell-bottoms reflect the multicolored dance floor, as a dozen hands point toward the sky.
There’s no John Travolta here, but the Birmingham chapter of the Disco Amigos does its best to channel the spirit of the 1970s.
The Disco Amigos got its start in New Orleans, as a dance “krewe” that participated in the Mardi Gras parade. Forest Park resident Toni Dennis first saw the Amigos about three years ago when some friends convinced her to experience Mardi Gras “like a local.”
“They came by with these flashing lights and all these costumes,” Dennis said of the Amigos. “There are floats, there’s a 1970s conversion van called the Disco Machine.”
There are many themed dance groups in the parade, but the Amigos stuck with Dennis, from their part-disco, part-matador costumes to their obvious joy in what they were doing.
“It was so happy. I don’t even know how to explain; they were so energetic and funny at the same time. You know, big wigs and bell-bottoms, great music. It was like a rolling party,” Dennis said.
First, she got her friends to join the group. Then, Dennis stayed in New Orleans for two months to learn the choreography and be part of a Mardi Gras parade herself.
“It was the time of my life,” Dennis said.
She brought her zeal for the dance floor back to Birmingham and found a handful of people who wanted to regularly disco together just for exercise and fun. But the 130-member Disco Amigos wanted to bring the boogie outside New Orleans, and Dennis decided to help create its first chapter in her hometown.
“I call myself the ‘Disco CEO’ because I did not know it would be this difficult to get a club like this going,” she said.
There are about 15 Birmingham Amigos now, Dennis said, who practice all over town: at The Club to take advantage of its colorful dance floor, at Bar 31’s disco nights in Hoover and at the Levite Jewish Community Center, in exchange for teaching a disco class there.
The chapter officially started in September, though Dennis had a small group of people dancing together before then. She said it has been fun to watch some initially reluctant participants, including the husbands of some of the original dancers, become passionate about disco and often find their way to the front of the stage.
There’s choreography, but Dennis said they don’t require any level of dancing experience beyond a willingness to learn. It’s open to “anybody who’s got a sense of humor, who likes to dance.”
The Birmingham Disco Amigos made their public debut at the 2017 Do Dah Day parade, where Dennis said they found quite a few new members. Part of the appeal, Dennis said, is that the music is fun and recognizable.
“It’s all very familiar to people, too,” Dennis said. “It’s just a real fun, danceable music.”
They have also appeared in the Mystics of Mountain Brook Parade, the Alabama Theatre, a Rocky Horror Picture Show performance and at Day of the Dead. The Disco Amigos drew cheers from appreciative crowds in New Orleans, Dennis said, but reactions in Birmingham have been more mixed.
“Birmingham just seems to have been a little shocked,” Dennis said. “I don’t think they know how to handle us yet.”
She’s confident, though, that this year will “be our year” as they get more public exposure and show people that the Amigos are everyday people underneath the wigs and shiny shirts.
The appearances they’ve planned for this year include: the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Do Dah Day Parade and line dancing in the park that day, a disco night at the Birmingham Barons, The Club, Bar 31, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mystics of Mountain Brook Parade, Day of the Dead, Pride Parade and charity events.
Dennis said they also want to perform at private and public events around town, as they have both choreographed routines and easy-to-teach line dances to encourage audience participation.
Those interested in joining the Disco Amigos can visit discoamigos.com to find out more about being a member. There’s one strict rule about practices, though: no politics, no religion, just disco.
“It’s strictly a place for fun and having a great time and dancing,” Dennis said.
As the Disco Amigos make a name for themselves, Dennis said their costumes, music and exuberant dance moves will make them hard to miss around town.
“You’ll see us,” she laughed.
