During the mid-1970s, New York City wasn’t doing so well and had no money.<\/p>\n
Case in point, a document exists that officials prepared to declare the municipality’s bankruptcy.<\/p>\n
“At the last minute, there was some creative financing, some new loans. People made some sacrifices to make that possible. Unions took a hit. But it allowed the city to keep functioning through an October weekend in 1975,” said Ted Widmer, the guest curator for a new exhibition on the subject at The New York Historical called “You Should Be Dancing: New York, 1976 and Beyond.”<\/p>\n
Widmer says from that low point, New York was able to bounce back with incredible energy. The exhibition looks at the creative burst that emerged from dark times, in movies, TV and music.<\/p>\n
“For people who weren’t alive then, I think it’s a joyous celebration of a really interesting decade that did include some challenges, but also people with the resources to get through the challenges,”\u00a0Widmer said.<\/p>\n
Widmer put the exhibition together along with the New York Historical’s Associate Curator of History Exhibitions Allison Robinson. Artifacts include Robert Deniro’s outfit from “Taxi Driver” and the actual taxi license he acquired for the role.<\/p>\n
Heading into the world of punk rock, there is one of the original awnings from the legendary club CBGBs and items from Max’s Kansas City too, with a spotlight on bands like the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Patti Smith Group and Television.<\/p>\n
Then step into the world of disco, the early days at LGBTQ+ and Black and Latino underground clubs to larger establishments like Paradise Garage and Studio 54.<\/p>\n
Even the Muppets signed on with a Sesame Street Fever album.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next up, hip-hop, and its beginnings in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, including items like legendary DJ Grandmaster Flash’s turntables and beat box.<\/p>\n
“Flash also hand-picked these examples of vinyl for the wall and if you look closely at it, you can see that these mark the exact moment where a drumbeat starts on the vinyl so he can precisely put the needle down in the right moment,” Robinson, who reached out to more than 30 different lenders who helped support the show, said.<\/p>\n
It covers the influential musical movements that still resonate 50 years later with no end in sight.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
“The theme is universal, the idea that in a moment of hardship, New Yorkers are resilient, they’re creative, they’re innovative, and they’re making a global impact is something that spans generations, and we hope to capture in this exhibition,” Robinson said.<\/p>\n