January 7
Born Today:
Don “Campbellock” Campbell
Born on the West Coast, dancer Don “Campbellock” Campbell (1951-2020) created the “locking” style of dancing, performed to funk music in the 1970s. He first appeared on the TV dance show Soul Train in 1971 and soon formed a group called The Lockers. They performed on TV shows such as the Carol Burnett show, Saturday Night Live, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Members of the group included Fred Berry (1951-2003), who would go on to star in the TV show What’s Happening!, Adolfo “Shabba Doo” Quinones, who would go on to appear in the Breakin’ (1984) movies, and Toni Basil, who would go on to sing the 1980s classic song Mickey. This style of street dance has since been incorporated under the umbrella of hip hop dance.
Also Born Today: Choreographer and teacher Georgi Aleksidze (1941-2008) worked in the style of the plotless ballet and created dances with a strong connection to symphonies and concertos for many dance organizations in Russia.
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TV Show Premiere: Fame in 1982