dancing queen
jewels catch one disco
(jewel thais-williams and a patron at jewels catch one, picture credit, msnbc)
during these heavy times, ive been trying to commit to moving my body more. my dance moves are limited, to say the least, but one thing i’ll miss about my summer time social life is going to crowded house parties with my friends. the kind that are defined by rooms with red cups sprawled across them, windows left steamy by passionate dancing between friends and lovers, and the small group of lone wolves stretched out on the porch discussing birth charts and new moons. its hard to recreate that vibe in a house by yourself, but I bought a new bluetooth speaker and committed to dancing around a little bit more, even if alone. though summer may not be all lost…we’ll always have zoom and a good playlist.
in 1973 jewel thais-williams opened jewels catch one disco, a bar in Los Angeles, which was open for 40 years, and is known as the longest running black queer club in LA. when jewel bought and rebranded the bar in the early 70’s, white patrons stopped frequenting it, and the space became a haven for black folks, especially black queer people who had few places to convene. when the catch one changed ownership in 2015, it became known as the last black disco in the US. I wonder how many nights were spent there full of dancing and laughter between black girls who look like me.
“First taking over one room, then the entire building, then the building next door, Jewel has occupied the corner of Pico and Norton Ave., for these 40 years. The Catch has served as a haven for entertainers, artists, progressives, gays and people who appreciated diversity including Sammy Davis Jr., Warren Beatty, Melba Moore, Phyllis Hyman, Freda Payne, Chaka Khan, Sylvester, Weather Girls, Rick James, and Esther Phillips, to name a few. Madonna held an album release party at The Catch. Scenes from the movies “Pretty Woman” and the Wayans’ “I’m Gonna Git You Sucker,” have been shot there, as well as an episode from the popular television series, “Cold Case,” among many others.” - the lavender effect