Long before the popularity of square dance boomed, there was disco. For those in their 50s and 60s, it might be the memory of their youth and their golden age.

For those in their 20s it's something trendy, and for people in between it's likely a form of music that was always in the background while growing up.

Just as this history is fading out of memory, Italian Fabrizio Massini and a couple of his friends are hosting a dance show in tribute to the golden age of disco.

Their show, Disco-Teca, is about to meet the audience next week. Though it is a contemporary work featuring five dancers, Massini said it is more like a theater, exploring how disco music arrived in China, its influence on fashion and social etiquette, and the way people approached each other.

A scene from Disco-Teca Photos: Courtesy of Li Zhifeng and Lu Shiya

The most obvious change coming along with disco was fashion.

"Before the reform time, there was such a control over your body. You shouldn't behave in a certain way. You were not encouraged to put on lipstick, to dress pretty or put your hair in a certain way. This is something that changed in the 1980s with the new wave of disco style, which featured the large trousers, the sunglasses and longer hair for guys, short skirts for girls," Massini said.

He pointed out that going out to dance also reshaped the way people socialized with each other.

"Going to dance was not socially acceptable at the beginning. In disco clubs people turned down the lights, turned on the disco balls and people danced in the dark atmosphere in a transgressive way. Because in the dark, anything can happen, which in the time was not socially acceptable. And in those years if you were married and you went to dance by yourself, people would say bad things about you. This slowly changed through the years. You can see these changes happening on the dancers' bodies, the way they moved and dressed," Massini said.

Disco also brought a new style of music. Altogether, it made for an exciting time, and it all happened at the disco hall. People in the same club would listen to both disco and Teresa Teng.

"It's like a magical box that people went into, and they found all these new and exciting things together. It was like a time machine in China. Before its arrival, China was very much closed, and all of sudden it's like the opening of a door. You go into the discotheque and you experience all these styles," Massini said.

Interestingly, the disco music in China at that time was "very Chinese," because things couldn't be too explicit, so people could see the change of culture and the country through music.

Disco-Teca is more like a theater, exploring how disco music arrived in China, its influence on fashion and social etiquette, and the way people approached each other.

"The disco music in China is very special. There is a band called Modern Talking. They had a song called 'Brother Louie' that talked about one man who wanted to chase a girl in the disco while the other man said just let it go. When it arrived in China it changed. The content became the little girl on the road who can't find her way. It's very fun. It becomes very Chinese," Massini said.

Massini and his team have been working on the show for over a year. It was first performed in November to wide acclaim.

"The reaction was very big. Because you don't get many Chinese experimental things in Europe. There was a lot of interest and the feedback was good. It was so original and unexpected," Massini said.

Asked about his original motivation to do this show, Massini said that studying something like disco music in China is interesting for him as a global phenomenon.

"I like to think myself as a migrant. I was born in Italy and then I lived in London, Beijing and Shanghai. I moved to China in 2009. I am part of here. With the global situation, you have to find your own roots and be part of the community wherever you are. For me I am especially interested in global phenomenon that shows exchange of culture. For me it's a very exciting time that is full of possibilities," Massini said.

Date: July 12 and 13, 7:30 pm

Venue: 1933 Micro Theater, 1933 Shanghai

Address: 2/F, Bldg 1, 611 Liyang Road

溧阳路611号1号楼2楼

Tickets: 100 yuan ($15) to 120 yuan

Call 6888-1933 for details