Disco as Spiritual Practice: Dance as Resistance

Resisting through joy, song, history, and authenticity

“I Will Survive,” “Car Wash,” “Celebration,” “Y.M.C.A.”, etc.—I heard these songs growing up and loved them, slowly learning what disco meant through the vintage sitcom reruns I voraciously consumed.

Then, when I became an adult, and as I was coming to terms with my own queer identity, I learned the history of disco...

That it was created by and for marginalized people as a form of joy as resistance.

That it was an invitation to me—as a disabled and queer person—to step into the resistance tradition of my marginalized elders: by listening to and learning from their work and by quite literally dancing in their footsteps.

If you’re unfamiliar with the history of disco, check out Polyphonic’s “The Untold History of Disco,” Broey Deschanel’s “Saturday Night Fever and the Death of Disco,” and the “Disco Demolition Night” episode from the You’re Wrong About podcast.

In learning all this, my love of disco has only grown. I’ve listened and danced to it through some of the hardest moments in my adulthood, somatically processing and transforming my pain and the broader systemic struggles I existed and resisted in.

Disco has been there through long days, heartbreaks, horrendous mental health moments, big and small victories, celebrations, and everything in between. Most recently, I’ve fallen in love with “I Am What I Am” by Gloria Gaynor (great for boundaries and authenticity), “Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life” by Indeep (great for processing heartache), and “Your Disco Needs You” by Kylie Minogue (great for surviving bad mental health days), and more.

For me, disco is spiritual practice¹ because it connects me to all who have engaged (and all who will engage) in the work of resistance.

If that isn’t a portal to divine² love, I don’t know what is.

In Wonder,

Kandi Zeller (she/her)

KandiZeller.com

1. When I describe or experience any tool/practices as spiritual, I want to acknowledge that that is not everyone’s experience. Any practice/tool I share is meant for all, regardless of spiritual label (or lack of label) or whether you experience these tools as spiritual or as some other adjective(s). Labels, while helpful in describing our experiences, are ultimately insufficient, so I want to hold space for that tension here.

2. While I am a Christian, my understanding of how God expresses Godself is expansive. Basically, I conceive of spirituality as our experience with divine love and connection. But even that feels a little religious-y. Put another way, I believe spirituality is the place where we as individuals and communities connect with the “force of love that holds up the universe” (in words sometimes attributed to Julian of Norwich), whether we conceive of that love as divine or as the love shared between fellow humans/other creatures or some combination of both loves. It is the place within our bodies and our communities where we find love and connection with all who have come before and who will come after.