One Night At The Empire Roller Disco, Brooklyn NYC – February 1980

On assignment for Forbes magazine on a winter’s night in 1980, Patrick D. Pagnano’s was in Crown Heights to see the skaters at Brooklyn’s Empire Roller Disco. Formerly the Empire Rollerdrome (built 1941), the rink was now all disco. It was where Cher hosted the release party for her disco classic Hell on Wheels. It was the place to be

 

Carrying a Leica M3,  he watched the dancers move across the ‘miracle maple’ floor. “It was the first time I had been to Crown Heights,” he says. “Once I entered the rink I was transported to another world and was in my element.

 

“The skaters, their talents, enthusiasm, joy and sense of abandonment were inspirational and they enjoyed being photographed and revealing their talents to the camera. I shot this series in one evening of intense involvement in the moment. The session was electric.”

– Patrick Pagnano

 

 

“The Empire Roller Disco was a microcosm of a neighbourhood and played an important role in Crown Heights. The sheer joy, talent, and energy of the skaters was an inspiration.”

– Patrick Pagnano

 

 

“Pat would move in and out of situations seamlessly. When he was on the street, people might be looking right at him but didn’t even notice when his camera went up. He didn’t want to impose himself on the scene because he didn’t want people to change their behavior.”

– Pat’s wife Kari Pagnano

 

 

 

Brooklyn’s Empire Rollerdrome opened its doors in 1941 and soon became the borough’s premier destination for recreational and competitive roller skating. But it wasn’t until the late 1970s that the celebrated rink reached iconic status by replacing its organist with a live DJ, installing a state of the art sound and light system, and renaming itself after the nationwide dance craze it had helped to originate: the Empire Roller Disco was born.

– From the book

 

 

Empire Roller Disco by Patrick D Pagnan at Anthology Edition.