Short shorts, miniskirts, tight jeans, halter tops, cut-out T-shirts, and blazing neon colours were the order of the night as ladies came dressed in various fashions from the past in keeping with the Fashion Ova Style theme at last Saturday’s staging of Footloose.

The retro party series, which continues to attract a large turnout of patrons, provided a nostalgic ride back in time for partygoers to relive the hits from yesteryear.

With the experienced DJ Marvin and ZJ Liquid on the musical wheels of steel, one couldn’t expect anything less than seeing bodies swaying, rocking, and dancing up a storm.

When the Jamaica Observer team entered the venue at minutes to midnight ZJ Liquid was in full flight as he navigated his way through dance hits of the 1980s.

A serving of Whitney Houston songs I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me), So Emotional, How Will I Know, made way for Madonna’s 41-year-old hit Like a Virgin.

ZJ Liquid turned back the hands of time as he drew on Gloria Gaynor’s 1979 Grammy-winning disco chestnut I Will Survive before diving into some local repertoire.

Beres Hammond’s attempt at crossover success with No Disturb Sign, Shalome’s 1999 runaway hit I’ve Got News for You, Buju Banton’s God of My Salvation and Love Sponge, Terror Fabulous’s Jah Works, Junior Tucker’s 1993 #1 hit Love of a Lifetime, Mad Cobra’s Tek Him, Shaka Shamba’s 1991 RJR chart hit
Reggae Fight, Little Lenny and Professor Grizzly’s 1988 hit combination My Shining Star, and the Shabba Ranks and Krystal classic Twice Me Age, kept the good vibes flowing as patrons sang along.

In an interview with the Observer shortly after he finished his set, ZJ Liquid explained how he prepares for a retro party such as Footloose.

“When mi a prepare, whether for Footloose or any other show, mi always try to go back to the last staging and try nuh follow the same playbook. Wi just add some special songs to the playlist or to the set and jog the people dem memory. Always a try mek di people dem have a different experience every time,” ZJ Liquid told the Observer.

He continued: “Fi this Footloose, mi just look fi a part inna di party weh mi can really tek it to the next level, and mek di people dem just explode, ‘cause mi always waan dem reach dem highest level of energy and get dem real high pon di music.”

DJ Marvin took over from ZJ Liquid and his set featured hip hop jams from the 1990s.

Montell Jordan’s 1995 #1 Billboard hit This Is How We Do it struck a chord with patrons as the ladies danced up a storm, while Snoop Doggy Dogg’s 1994 gold-certified hit Gin and Juice was an anthem among the men in attendance.

Naughty by Nature’s Hip Hop Hooray was another crowd-pleaser, so too were the hip hop mix of Super Cat’s Ghetto Red Hot and It’s a Party by Bounty Killer.