The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, April 20, 1978, Ad lib, Page page 2, Image 18
thursday, april 20, 1978 page 2 ad lib Would-be Travoltas vie for Saturday night fame By Casey McCabe What is this that is out to unseat rock 'n roll as Ameri ca's most popular music? What is this phenomenon that's turning the complacent youth of today into frenzied dancers? It's disco, friends-and although a couple of years behind the coasts, it's finally hit the midwest with ever increasing intensity. Depot's aisles. "I guess the attraction is to find out who the best dancers in the midwest are." Rytych is a three-year veteran of disco deejaying, splitting his time between the Depot and Pogo's in Omaha. For tonight, he has some back up help from Todd Shanno and Omaha AM radio celebrity. Jimmy O'Neil. 'The movie's been the biggest thing to ever encourage disco," he says. "It's changing the style from freestyle, to dancing as couples. There's a lot more practicing taking y ,P JRF"- , ;.. , Photo by Mark Billingslay Depot deejay Dennis Rytych oversees the Omaha Disco Club dance finals. The people closely involved with disco in the area are quick to admit, "It's the movie." Saturday NigHt Fever, the story of a young New Yorker's fame as dancing king the discos has been an unexpected gold mine for the movie industry. Already viewed in Lincoln by over 35,000, the film has enjoyed a healthy stay at the Plaza Theater since December and the crowds keep pouring in. Besides earning an Academy Award nomination for John Travolta, and producing cne of the most success ful soundtracks of all time, Saturday Night Fever has had a profound social effect as well. Suddenly everyone is a star. With a lighted dance floor, loud music and strobe lights, mild mannered Clark Kents are quickly turned into their alter egos. People are dressing up and using choreography, unheard of for years in popular dance. In searching for the heart of disco-mania, we were lucky to hit the jackpot. A large 'crowd converged on the Depot Bar with the intent of seeing "the real thing" when the Omaha Disco Club held its dance finals in Council Bluffs last Thursday. Borrowing its format from the movie, the contest featured nine couples who had made the weekly pre liminaries, battling for trophies and a $500 first prize, f- largest ever given in the midwest. 'This crowd is really amazing," says deejay Dennis Rytych, reflecting on the mob of people filling the place." "And attitudes are changing," notes Rytych. 'The poeple who used to dance to rock are dancing to disco. My duty as a D J. is to know what people like by instinct. And it's pretty much been pure disco." Rytych introduces me to contestants Kris Karabatsos and Ed Nestlebush. 'They're the best we have," he says. Kris and Ed have been dancing together since October. Both are Creighton University students, and both are 18. Which means they, like many other enthusiasts, must either drive to Council Bluffs where the drinking age is lower, or depend on fake IDs in order to make the disco scene. But here at the Depot they're the local favorites and re ceive the loudest approval from the crowd throughout the night. To get down their current routine, it has taken a month of hard practice. But it's worth it they say. "We just love dancing, or anything with disco in it," says Kris. They've each seen Saturday Night Fever twice and agree it has done a great deal for their favorite hobby. Ed is a seasoned veteran of the disco world, having moved to Omaha from his home town of Las Vegas. He didn't expect how far behind the rest of the country mid west is in catching on to disco. "When I think of dancing, I think of loud disco," he says. "Rock turns me off. I was surprised how many live night on the town Two Eyed Jack's: freeride, April 23, Jade, April 29, 8:30 p.m. to midnight Oscar's: J J. Buxun, April 20 through 22, Highway Call April 27, 8 p.m. to midnight Tony and Luigi's: Cal Stevens, April 20 through 22, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Reubens: Emanon, April 20 through 22, April 24 through 27, 8:30 p.m. to midnight Royal Grove: Sylvester, April 20 through 21, Larry Raspberry, April 26 through 27, 8:30 p.m. to midnight .Jesse's: Sally Cowan, April 21 thorugh 22, Chris Grif fith, April 24 through 25, Mark Ross, April 26 through 27, 8 p.m. to midnight Zoo: Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang, April 20 through 22, Heart Murmurs, April 24, Second Edition, April 25 through 26, Charlie Burton and Rock Therapy, April 27,8:30 Cvm.to 1:30 a.m. Entertainment Editor: Pete Mason. Cover Design: Liz Beard. Layout: Kitty Policky. Ad lib is an entertainment supplement published by the Oaily Nebras Ican. Editor in Chief: Ron Ruggless. Advertising Manager: Gregg Wurde man. Production Manager: Kitty Policky. Business Manager: Jerri Ha ussier. Unless covered by another copyright, material may be reprinted with out permission if attributed to Ad lib, entertainment supplement to the Daily Nebraskan. Ad lib is distributed Thursdays with the Daily Nebraskan. Cover photos by Mark Billingslcy (daytime) THURS THRU WED MORNING. 6:00 O BOZO O NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY ff) CBS NEWS OS U FARM AND RANCH REPORT 1:10 O NEWS :1S fl UNO SCENE (WED.) .30 f J ROMPER ROOM fj BUNKY'S FUN CLUB 7:00 O ARCHIES O O TODAY O CBS NEWS f 1 GOOD MORNING AMERICA O I OREAM OF JEANNIE O MORNING SHOW O SESAME STREET 7.30 0FUNTSTONES 0 MCHALE'S NAVY 100 fJPOPEYE CI OOOO MORNING AMERICA fl O CAPTAIN KANOAR fJFUNTSTONES C3 M-6CH00L PROGRAMMING (UNTIL 3:30) Nova (FRI I JO Q LITTLE RASCALS people here were dancing to rock. Also, people here just dance in jeans or whatever. Back home the people really dressed up, and they're just starting to here." Will the disco craze last long? "It betterl I can't say why it wouldn't. I hope it lasts forever, or at least until I can't dance anymore." After allowing ample time for the crowd to dance, drink, and for the bar to get sufficiently hot and sweaty, the contest begins. It has all the makings of a show itself. Video cameras roll so those who want to see it the next night can view it on a six foot TV screen. Excitement in creases as the Channel 6 Action Cam News team arrives, and the deejays continually do their part, thanking those who make things possible and adding a dramatic tou when ever necessary. When the dust clears, the script has been followed. Kris Karabatsos and Ed Nestlebush earn a $500-f irst prize, and their own place in the disco hall of fame. 'The biggest change in music has been brought on by the movie," said Uncle Sam's assistant manager Jim Smith. "The film has just worked over the nightclub market. Probably one-quarter of all the requests we get are from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and at least 80 percent are for straight disco. Rock has been set back so far, it's almost pathetic." One of the features of Uncle Sam's is a weekly battle of the DJ.'s which directly pits rock against disco. "It's unbelievable to see a crowd divided in half and at each others' throats all night," Smith said. But disco has gained the edge, and the people are taking it not only as a form of music, but as a lifestyle. "It has affected the dress of people too," Smith said. 'The guys who are into it are wearing tight pants and low cut shirts, more girls are wearing dresses and things like flowers in the hair." "Sure, we get about five Travolta's on the dance floor a night," he said. "It bothers me to a certain extent. People start dancing alike, and it gets old." There is another very obvious aspect of the disco. 'The Hustle" is done off the dance floor as well as on. Every night they come to places like Uncle Sam's or The Depot, often in separate cliques of guys and gals, checking out the opposition, and hoping to make a score. Smith said he doesn't like to look at Sam's as a pick up joint, but ad mitted they use gimmicks like ladies' night to bring in the crowd. "EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT ITS A FOX HUNT, AND ALL THE FOXES ARE AT UNCLE SAM'S," blare the flyers on the tables at Sam's. One young man is slightly disgruntled after unsuccessfully pleading with an attrac tive girl for a dance. "Yeah I like to dance, but I like women better," he says. "You'd be kidding yourself if you didn't think 90 percent of the people here were looking for a piece of ass. I mean I don't think these girls are dressing up the way they do for each other." He returns to a table to be consoled by his buddies. Meanwhile "Stayin Alive" the theme from Saturday Night Fever comes on, producing "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd. An exhausted couple about to leave the floor, drag themselves back on and start churning again. For those without a partner the search continues. Views of the disco craze are fairly well divided, either you love it or hate it. Others maybe just don't want to admit how much time a day they spend with an AM radio and their Disco Trimmer. Nevertheless it's a valid fad and a very profitable commodity. How long it will last is hard to guess, but like the marquee says-"the fever is spreading." FORTUNE Rollers (EXC.FRI.) O CARTOONS 0:00 O TOO CLUB 0 O SAN FORD AND SON (THUR..FRI.) Card Sharks (MON , TUE .WED.) O ALL MY CHILDREN CI PASS THE BUCK Q PHIL DONAHUE SHOW O NEW ZOO REVUE C3 ROMPER ROOM 30 O O HOLLYWOOD SQUARES 0 PRICE IS RIGHT O BCVITCHEO 10:00 O 0 WHEEL OF (THUR.,FRI. High (MON , TUE , WED ) O HAPPY DAYS fl HAPPY DAYS Martha s Kitchen (FRI I O NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY m IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING (UNTIL 3:30) 10:30 O RELIGIOUS PROGRAMMING fj KNOCKOUT (THUR..FRI.) Wheel Of Fortune (MON ,TUE.,W ED.) OO FAMILY FEUD O KNOCK OUT (THUR, FRI.) Wheel Of Fortune (MON ,TUE . W- ED.) 0 LOVE OF LIFE fl FATHER KNOWS BEST 1140 O NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY O TO SAY THE LEAST (THUR..FRI ) Sanford and Son (MON , TUE , WED OO (20.000 PYRAMID O TO SAY THE LEAST (THUR., FRI.) Sanford And Son (MON .TUE .WED ) O 19 YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS O HAYBERRY R.F.O. 11-30 0 O GONG SHOW 0 CONVERSATIONS 00 RYAN'S HOPE 0 C3 SEARCH FOR TOMORROW O HIGH HOPES B IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING (UNTIL 3:30) Arabs And Isarells (MON ). Writer In America (TUE ) AFTERNOON 12m f FOR RICHER, FOR POORER flOOO NEWS ONOONSHOW J ALL MY CHILDREN 0 JIM NABORS SHOW fj SESAME STREET IMS 0 FARM ACTION 12:30 0 DICK VAN DYKE SHOW 0 O DAYS OF OUR LIVES O CROSS WITS 0 fQ AS THE WORLD TURNS 1:00 0 LUCY SHOW OOONEUFETOUVE 0 MOVIE The Cat People" (THUR.), Toughest Man Alive" (FRI ), 'Double Dynamite (MON ). Roseanna McCoy (TUE ). "Call ing Dr. Kildare"(WED ) IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING (UNTIL 3:30) 1:30 0 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES 00 DOCTORS 069 GUIDING LIGHT 2:00 O PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES 0 O ANOTHER WORLD O O GENERAL HOSPITAL 2:30 0GOMERPYLE 0 0 ALL IN THE FAMILY O DENVER NOW 3:00 0 MICKEY MOUSE CLUB 0 0 FOR RICHER, FOR POORER O 0 EDGE OF NIGHT 00 MATCH GAME 0FUNTSTONES 3:30 O TOM AND JERRY 0 0 GILUGAN'S ISLAND O PASS THE BUCK 0 PHIL DONAHUE SHOW 0 1 LOVE LUCY 0MERV GRIFFIN 0 KALAMtTY KATE'S CAR TOONS 1B ELECTRIC COMPANY 4 00 0 GILUGAN'S ISLAND 0 MY THREE SONS 0 1 DREAM OF JEANNIE 0 DINAH 0 SUPERMAN fTHUR.FRU My Favorite Martian (MON.. TUE., W ED) O MIKE DOUGLAS (S MISTER ROGERS 4:30 0 LEAVE IT TO BEAVER O BEWITCHED BRADY BUNCH 0 BIG VALLEY O FAMILY AFFAIR 0 SESAME STREET t OO f ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW 0000 COUPLE 00 ABC NEWS 1 J I LOVE LUCY 3 30 0 ROOKIES 00 NBC NEWS 0 BEWITCHED U0 CBS NEWS 0NEWS O ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW OVER EASY