There may still be time to save Philly's Soul Train record
On a crisp, Feb. 13 in 2012, Mayor Nutter addressed 298 Philadelphia citizens at the bottom of the Art Museum steps who came to dance.
On a crisp, Feb. 13th day in 2012, Mayor Nutter addressed 298 Philadelphia citizens at the bottom of the Art Museum steps who came to dance.
Not just to dance, nearly 300 folks came out that day to set a record that rightfully belonged to the city. That day, Philadelphia successfully set a new Soul Train Dance world record. Seven people were disqualified for various reasons, but Philly was still able to beat the 211-person Soul Train world record set by Berkeley High School in Berkeley, Calif. and now, more than three years later, that record is being threatened.
"Soul Train," the popular dance show that began in the 70s, you see, used "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by super-producers Gamble and Huff as the show's theme music. Owning the Soul Train Dance world record is only natural for the City of Brotherly Love, but across the country, Oakland doesn't quite care about our connection to "Soul Train."
Beginning at 9 a.m. on June 20, 500 Californians will line up at deFremery Park, 1651 Adeline St. in West Oakland to boogie down for about three hours and shatter the 291-person record set by Philadelphia. "Registration is open to everyone who has the ability to dance continually for approximately three hours," reads a write-up about the impending dance session.
With just under one month before Philadelphia may watch their Soul Train Dance world record vanish before their eyes, maybe it's time Philadelphians from every neighborhood unite for a common, disco-themed good.