Into the Groove

Dancers showed off their moves at a M.A.C. Cosmetics\' Gold Fever event in Toronto.

Part of the atmosphere for Collaboraction's Beggars' Banquet fund-raiser in Chicago last October included a trashed hotel room installation�”complete with ripped-up sofas and old pizza boxes.

A wrecked hotel room scene was also part of the YouthAIDS gala after-party in October in Washington. A display with a rumpled bed (and a vacuum for housekeeping) tied into the rock 'n' roll theme.

Diesel's 30th anniversary in Brooklyn in October had a "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" theme, which featured sideshow acts, performances from Hot Chip and Franz Ferdinand, and even merchandise tables with T-shirts and caps.

M.A.C. Cosmetics studded a branding event in Toronto in September with golden mirror balls, bare-skinned servers with gold-colored trays and cocktails, and a slew of go-go dancers.

In October, the New York launch of Absolut Disco�”the mirror-covered bottle holder from the vodka brand�”evoked the original Studio 54. One installation included a mannequin dressed in reflective era-inspired clothing styled by Patricia Field.

Aussie Hair Care celebrated 30 years in business with tributes to each of those decades at an October event in New York. Planners revisited the era of big hair and teen pop stars like Tiffany, who performed five songs for the crowd.

Cyndi Lauper sang "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" in Chicago in June for Macy's Glamorama fashion show; MC Hammer also performed "U Can't Touch This." The catwalk soundtrack furthered the '80s vibe with hits from Prince, George Michael, and Michael Jackson.

The Chicago chapter of Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS celebrated its 20th anniversary with a 1980s nightclub setting that included disco balls on tabletops, dancers on cubes, menu courses named for famous clubs (Limelight, Exit, and Shelter), and plenty of era-appropriate music.