Wondering what’s up with the Venice Beach Skate Dance Plaza?

About: The Venice Beach Skate Dance Plaza is home to the most globally recognized skate dance community in the world. The iconic outdoor rollerskating phenomenon known as “roller dancing” was born in in the mid 70’s with the advent of the polyurethane skate wheel and found its’ most famous home steps away from the Venice Beach Boardwalk, amidst the gritty urban beach landscape that serves as a popular Los Angeles recreational playground.

Every weekend (before Covid-19), people of all ages, races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds have gathered in Venice Beach to admire and share in the free skate lessons and solo and group skate performances that have been immortalized in movies, television and music videos. Aside from its influence on popular culture, the Venice Beach Skate Dance Community has preserved its rich artistic expression in a safe, free, public recreational activity that has served the public and participant alike.

Here is a message from Venice Beach Skate Dance Association

VENICE BEACH SKATE DANCE ASSOCIATION EXPANDS SKATE DANCE PLAZA WITH NEW DESIGN AND RESURFACE GROUNDBREAKING

On October 15^th Venice Beach Skate Dance Plaza resumed re-construction that included an expansion of approximately 375 sq. ft. of additional skateable space. It was an exciting day and a spectacle to watch. The predawn hustle and bustle started at 3:45 AM with trucks from California Skate Parks, AllFlat Consulting, D & D Laser Screed, and Concrete Placement Inc. carrying a 32 meter Boom for placing concrete, and crews from each company numbering 18. Just before 5 AM a procession of 11, timely spaced, Cemex Concrete trucks arrived carrying a total of 110 yards of concrete. The crews, along with the lights and buzzing of machines, created a symphony of sound and movement developing,

by day’s end, into the production of a larger, spectacularly flat Skate Dance Plaza.

The process, ultimately chosen for the re-surfacing, employed a state of the art Laser Screed (22E) that employs a cutting edge coupling of laser and computer technology to create the flattest concrete surface possible. The project initially started as a second attempt at resurfacing since the first attempt had problems shortly after the grand reopening in July, 2019. Currently, Skate Dance Plaza is dressed with heavy white coverings and sandbags to keep moisture inside. She will be watered daily for 2 weeks facilitating a slowed curing process in order to avoid cracking. The drying process will continue for at least a month.

Currently, due to the global health pandemic of Covid-19, restrictions on outdoor recreational areas on Venice Beach remain in place. However, looking forward, the Venice Beach Skate Dance Association will host a grand Re-opening of the new, improved Skate Dance Plaza with an official Ribbon Cutting ceremony when the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks reopens Venice Beach

Recreation Facilities.

As we navigate through the pandemic and are no longer required to observe social distancing and wearing of masks, we will be welcoming a surge of new skaters to Skate Dance Plaza. We will also be making plans for a celebratory follow-up to the 2019 Venice Beach Roller Disco, where the Venice Beach Skate Dance community will once again welcome skaters from around the globe to a vibrant evening roller dance event paying tribute to our rich past and celebrate our continued commitment to the outdoor Venice Beach Skate Dance community and culture.

We again want to thank Robert Davis, Supervisor of Recreation and Parks, for his help in facilitating the creation of the best outdoor Skate Dance area possible. It wouldn’t have happened without his commitment to the project.

For more info: VeniceBeachSk8dance.org

Missing the Venice Beach Dance Plaza? Re-live 2019 events via Venice Paparazzi photos.

2019 Venice Dance Plaza’s opening ceremony!

The Skate Dance Association hosted a ribbon cutting for the newly resurfaced Venice Beach Skate Dance Plaza on July 14th, 2019. And Venice Paparazzi was on the scene. View pics below!

Jeffrey Young, Terrell Ferguson, Mad, Kyle Johnson, Larry Pitts, Dee Upshaw, and James Adkins

Venice Beach Skate Dance Association’s Vice President Pamela Pine

Re-live last year’s 2019 Venice Beach Roller Disco!

Venice Paparazzi was on the scene, and hosted a fun disco themed photo booth at the first event Saturday Night Venice Beach Roller Disco on Aug. 10, 2019. View pics below!

Center: Venice Beach Skate Dance Association’s Vice President Pamela Pine and Dee Upshaw

Center: Venice Beach Roller Disco event producer Wendy Waltz

Terrell Ferguson, James Rich and friends enjoying the Venice Paparazzi photo booth. Need a photo booth for your next event? Hire Venice Paparazzi

Click here to view all Venice Beach Dance Plaza photos by Venice Paparazzi

Hash tag #venicebeachrollerdisco and photo credit @VenicePaparazzi
Need photographers or a photo booth for your post- Covid-19 event? Hire Venice Paparazzi