Disco dancing has strong roots from the music of the early 1960s in terms of sound and style. It started from the radio DJs playing recorded dance music in clubs in Europe, which replaced live bands. Quickly spreading to the U.S., it rose in popularity in Hispanic and African-American communities on the East Coast until it traveled westward across America. Its followers further expanded with the hippies and psychedelia culture where free-form dancing, trippy lighting and colorful outfits became the "in" thing.
As disco music was meant to be happy and danceable, disco clubs were designed to make people have fun on the dance floor. Disco dancing was influenced by the cha cha, swing, samba, mambo, tango and fox trot. It went to many variations with a number of line dances meant for dance tandems and groups of people. People embraced the distinctly loud disco music while they also enjoyed the ever-changing lights and colors seen from the dance floor. These helped vary moods and removed inhibitions when dancing and having a good time.
The disco's driving beats and almost hypnotic feel inspired people to dance and stomp their feet to the beat of the music. Clubs became typically filled with fun-loving people wearing tight-fitting outfits, mostly Qiana shirts with slightly long and pointed collars for men and flowing Halston dresses for women. Men often wore necklaces and medallions over their open-chest shirts. Meanwhile, women wore big and colorful jewelry, including earrings, necklaces and bangles. Fashion was primarily influenced by the celebrated music artists and movie stars during those times.
The disco's popularity during the 1970s further peaked with the success of the John Travolta film "Saturday Night Fever." With the huge commercial success of the movie and its top-selling soundtrack, disco soon marked its place in mainstream culture. Many disco songs featured titles and lyrics about or referring to dancing such as "Dance Yourself Dizzy" by Liquid Gold, "Come on Dance, Dance" by the Saturday Night Band and "Everybody Dance" by Chic. A number of disco dancing favorites of the era also suggested romantic or sexual undertones such as "Love to Love You Baby" by Donna Summer and "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky with Me" by Peter Brown.