Today is 20 years since Gerald “Bogle” Levy was murdered.

The 40-year-old dancer, a member of the flamboyant Black Roses Crew, was shot by gunmen at a service station in the Corporate Area just minutes after leaving the popular Weddy Weddy dance.

The incident robbed the dancehall scene of one of its bona fide stars. His rise from a ghetto ‘legs man’ to world-famous choreographer helped take that genre to the mainstream during the 1990s, when acts like Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, and Buju Banton were red hot.

His gravity-defying moves like the Bogle, Urkle and World Dance were staples at dances and in music videos by top acts.

No one has ever been charged for Bogle’s murder.

Patrick Roberts, founder and CEO of Shocking Vibes Records, knew Bogle from their days in Stax United Youth Club, which was based in Jones Town.

Roberts is from the Craig Town section of that community while Bogle was from nearby Arnett Gardens.

“Him was always a jovial youth, very easy-going. I never see him dance until later down when Black Roses an’ di dancehall craze,” Roberts told the Jamaica Observer.

The Black Roses Crew was led by William “Willie Haggart” Moore, a charismatic enforcer from Arnett Gardens. Their outrageous costumes and frenetic dance routines attracted fans to their Lincoln Crescent (Black Roses Corner) base, the hottest dances at hip venues such as Cactus and House Of Leo, or matches involving the Arnett Gardens football team.

By the mid-1990s, Bogle was a full-fledged celebrity who inspired a new generation of dancers, including Lonsdale “Boysie” Guy and Sheldon “Shelly Belly” Lewis.

“Bogle a mi idol, a Bogle inspire mi ‘bout dancing. If a neva him, mi wouldn’t pick up dancing. A Bogle dance dem alone mi do from mi a likkle yute,” said Shelly Belly. “Bogle first dance a di Bogle, my first dance a di Shelly Belly…suh mi learn good.”

Other urban dancers like John Hype and Ice cited Bogle as a big influence on their decision to make dancing a career.

Roberts said as ghetto youth they saw the impact he had on artistes from a similar background.

“Beenie, Bounty, an’ Buju made di songs, but Bogle put di icing on di cake. Bogle made di moves to their songs which made dem even more interesting,” he noted.

Roberts recalled being at home when he got news of Bogle’s death. That week, he visited Roses Corner and the dancer’s family.

Bogle’s funeral service at Kencot Seventh-day Adventist Church on February 5 was an extravagant affair attended by dancehall’s elite and politicians. Representing the Government-appointed Entertainment Advisory Board, musician Ibo Cooper hailed the fallen dancer.

“Jamaica has not seen for a long time such a great dancer. Bogle shall go down in history as one of the greatest dancers ever,” he said.