Dancing the night away

Every single time I see this picture of Mannequins, I immediate start singing Lionel Ritchie’s All Night Long. While I wasn’t able to gain access to the nightclub until a little more than a decade after it opened (such is the lot of a child of the ‘80s), it just had this incredibly unique vibe to it. So, what did Disney think of this dance palace where you were going to move whether you liked it or not? Below is a quote from the press photo, followed by the text from the plaque affixed to the wall near Mannequins entrance.

DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY -- Mannequins at Walt Disney World’s Pleasure Island specializes in hot dance tunes in a bizarre, warehouse atmosphere for the over 21 crowd. The nightclub sizzles with a revolving dance floor and performances by professional dancers. It is one of seven nightspots in Disney’s new entertainment complex.Mannequins
PLEASURE CANVAS WORKS
FABRICATION PLANT #1
1912

Second building erected on the Island, this actually housed Merriweather Pleasure’s famous canvas works. In the 1930s it was converted to a soundstage for Invisible Pictures, then into a design studio and workshop for various Pleasure projects. Most notable of these was a huge locomotive powered by a combination of steam and magnetic power. A colossal turntable was installed to facilitate the work on this revolutionary product, called “Maxwell’s Demon,” that was intended to revolutionize world transportation. It didn’t.

For further unverifiable information on the life and times of Pleasure Island, refer to the theoretical histerical plaques located at the Island’s entrances.”

All I’m going to say is that it’s a short trip from revolutionizing world transportation to spinning intoxicated twenty-somethings around a dance floor merry-go-‘round. Trust me, if you can’t figure out how you got across the room after spending a few minutes on the dance floor, it is as if you were transported halfway across the globe!