You Should Be Dancing: New York, 1976 and Beyond

In 1976, New York City was in crisis. Its youth rescued and reinvigorated it. You Should Be Dancing transports the visitor to a year of contradictions for New York City.

In 1976, New York City was in crisis. Its youth rescued and reinvigorated it. You Should Be Dancing transports the visitor to a year of contradictions for New York City. The metropolis was the main stage for America’s 200th birthday celebration, with days of parades, festivals, and performances. But it also faced near-bankruptcy, spiking crime, and a housing and drug crisis. Out of this moment emerged musical genres driven by the city’s youth—including disco, punk and hip hop—which forever changed music history. This exhibition surrounds the visitor with music, fashion, instruments, photographs, and original documents to learn about the glitz and grit of this transformative year in New York City’s history. Curated by Ted Widmer, coordinated by Allison Robinson, associate curator of exhibitions with Cristian Panaite as consulting curator

Join us at The New York Historical—both in person and online—for a suite of exhibitions, programs, and a digital project called On Our 250th that has a nationwide coalition of history museums inviting Americans to share their hopes for our democracy.