MANILA, Philippines - Mention the ‘70s, and visions of bell-bottom pants, Jovan Musk Oil, Faded Glory, NikNik shirts, disco and Penthouse 7 come to mind. A long line divided male and female roles, at least in the Philippines. Men set the pace. Women followed.
John Travolta of the hit dance movie Saturday Night Fever gave his partner that smoldering look and led her across the dance floor where they danced nonstop to the disco beat of the Bee Gees.
The disco fever was on! GMA’s Penthouse 7 was one of the first to introduce it. The show, hosted by Archie Lacson and featuring dancers of the modern group Mike Monserrat, Poncy Quirino, Sandy Hontiveros, Ida Ramos, Marlyne Feliciano, Gina Valenciano, RayAn Fuentes, Ana Garcia and Pipo Liboro, among others, danced to its beat and kept viewers glued to their TV sets Sunday nights. Parents let their children watch it until the closing credits rolled, even if they had to wake up early for school the next day, eager to show off the dance steps they learned in the show’s instructional segment.
It was the Golden Era of Dance. Young people did The Swing, Pop Lock, The Rock, Funk and others for all they were worth. They crowded discotheques like Where Else, Circuit, Another World, Velvet Slum, Coco Banana, to mention a few. They partied hard.
Penthouse 7 and its classy viewing fare became a habit that had viewers dancing in their homes for seven years, beginning 1974. “We had to extend the show,” Liboro, now a successful businessman, recalls. Penthouse 7 saw him and others in the group through college. He adds, “Ten more minutes of commercials meant an extension of 30 minutes which sent us backstage to improvise a dance step for five minutes.”
Today, 35 years later, Liboro and his peers lead separate lives. But the spirit of Penthouse 7 — fun, let loose and free — is calling them to relive those glorious years. Penthouse7, Inc. was born. Milky Evangelista, Boyet Sison, members of the Vicor Crowd Dancers and Pipo, Sandy and Gina, Penthouse 7 mainstays — formed the company to bring the disco era back. To their delight, those who love the ‘70s — mostly professionals, flocked to their first three events at Stumm’s Bar and Restaurant along Jupiter and a fourth event at Bellevue Hotel to disco the way they used to.
Penthouse 7 is not wanting in event sponsors: PAGCOR, Delimondo, San Mig Foods-Magnolia, Nissan, Crossover 105.1, JRS Express, Mazda, Sparta and Mac Graphics Carranz. That’s because those behind Penthouse7, Inc. know disco like no other. And they’re making sure those who feel the same way have the time of their lives, now that they have the means and the time to have fun.