Dance, Baby Dance
Parents and keiki do ‘The Hustle’ on down to The O Lounge for an afternoon dance party called - are you ready? - Baby Loves Disco. The O Lounge transforms from its usual hip nightclub to a child-proof disco this Saturday, welcoming youngsters (from 6 months to 7 years) to let loose in an afternoon dance party.
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The O Lounge transforms from its usual hip nightclub to a child-proof disco this Saturday, welcoming youngsters (from 6 months to 7 years) to let loose in an afternoon dance party.
The event is called Baby Loves Disco, an international phenomenon that has made its way across the country and recently launched parties in England (London and Manchester).
“This is the first time I’ve been to a club in seven years,” says Ryan Engle, who attended last month’s sold-out Baby Loves Disco event with wife Jenny and their two children Calder and Lily. “My daughter loves music and loves to dance, so it’s fun for her. And a lot of the parents seem to be having a lot of fun too.”
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Founded in Philadelphia by Heather Murphy Monteith, Baby Loves Disco originated as a onetime deal.
“As parents, we’re always looking for something new and different to do with the kids that we can enjoy too,” says Murphy Monteith, a mother of two and professional modern dancer. “So, in 2005 I had an idea to do a dance party for kids and pitched it to a club owner in Philly. I prayed that maybe 40 or 50 people would come, but we sold out with about 200 people.
“Then, as I’m packing up all our stuff, the club owner said we need to do this again, this was great.”
A couple of months later, music producer Andy Blackman Hurwitz teamed up with Murphey Monteith to take Baby Loves Disco to New York and with great success.
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“That’s when we said we’re onto something here,” says Murphey Monteith.
“Other parents have the same desire we have. So we started moving west and before you knew it we’re across the country. We’re nearing 27 cities in the U.S., and internationally we’re in the U.K., and we have people looking to have partnerships with in Poland, Japan and Tel Aviv.”
Each Baby Loves Disco location is hosted by local parents. The Hawaii party is presented by First Years Hawaii and hosted by Natalia Sandoval.
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“I saw a little story about Baby Loves Disco in Parent magazine and they were looking for people who were interested in bringing it to their town,” says Sandoval. “A group of us moms had just formed a non-profit organization called First Years Hawaii and we kind of decided that it may be a good thing for us to put on.”
From there, Baby Loves Disco arrived on the island last month and is scheduled to take place again May 3 and June 14 from 2 to 5 p.m. at The O Lounge (1349 Kapiolani Blvd.).
Festivities include dance music spun by real DJs, bubble machines, hula hoops, a chill-out area (where kids can color, play and hang out), diaper changing stations, a spread of healthy snacks and prize giveaways.
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And, yes, the bar is open for non-driving parents over 21.
“This was fantastic, we’re coming back again,” says Darian Schiffman with husband Jason and their two children: 2-year-old Jacob and 15-month-old Chloe. “Jason loves dancing, that’s how we first met. And our son dances all day long, he does the robot, the guitar dance, the back kick.
“He’s been excited about today for the past week. He told his hair-dresser that he’s going to a dance party so she cut it extra short on the top so he could put gel in it.”
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Beth Gonazalez of Liliha admits that if it wasn’t for Baby Loves Disco, her Saturday afternoon would probably be spent at home cleaning or doing some usual family activity (with husband Oscar, 3-year-old Ki and 1-year-old Genesis), such as going to the beach.
“This is a great idea, I love it,” she says. “It’s nice to have something new to come to and tire them out. Also, Ki is very outgoing and Genesis is a little more shy, so it’s nice for her to see other kids that are just themselves, and she can go out and have fun and not be embarrassed.”
Cost is $12 per walking human and tickets can be purchased at www.babylovesdisco.com
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