It’s a sanctuary an escape another world where everyone speaks the same body language rollerskating I want them to feel like this is family the mix play more roll rink in Euclid has become more than a place to lace up your skates and glide across the floor yeah because it’s
Rich with history offering refuge to the community for decades and now Amanda Van Allen shows us and this news 5 original it’s uniting generations old and new I think it’s important to bring the culture back to Cleveland because as well need it it’s fun safe and we love it [Applause] the bright lights from the heavens fall to the faithful down below back in the eighties here was a huge who is day confused for the parishioners lined with beads the higher power at this church rollerskating and overlooked art form transforming age with music and dance
And shrines like mix play more in Euclid keep that love alive lead Lonnie Wilson and Dorian Porter we came together to try to bring it out there man our skating partners who have embraced the art form within this sanctuary which also serves as a refuge away from the
Troubles outside on the games away from away from the bully younger generations now feel that same love of skating and express it through their own styles they got rubber legs you used to do all that jumping himself jo Ann and Jim Perkins have been married 59 years we met 1960
Their love of rolling together goes back even further we used to do all the dances where their first date was so long ago used to be in this gate we three or four days a week and their love continues so now we just fumble around the floor because we don’t escape like
We used to even through hard times now you have the little dimension he’s forgotten a lot but Joanne remembers the electricity of the spots where they fell for each other it was the go-to place for black entertainment Dinah Washington The O’Jays and BB King all played the play
More they had a built-in stage right to stage and there was one cleveland skating icon he was center stage to everything those skaters heaven Maurice Cooke aka the dazzling and we all believe in being sparkly road into hearts across the country and they would come over in the segregated south I was
The only black in the place he got his start at the original break because of some new man the fellas do for obvious reasons so you’re telling me started rollerskating for a girl he loves to reminisce about the good times the play blowin just special to me it was to
Everybody and dreads remembering the bad like the day the play more was no more that place burned down a lot of sad people I was one of them Oh Allwood situation decades went by before the flame war place bucket rose up again under some of the leaks miguel sanders bought this brink about a year ago by any means necessary it’s called Meg’s play more gateman it’s me now he’s working to bring back what was so alive decades ago why don’t you
Get it and get that vibe in you it’s hard to get rid of and it’s no easy task because the sanctuary kind of sucks it’s falling apart 10,000 square feet of roof needs replacing the roof may cost more than the building itself but he feels people love this place it’s worth it in
Order to help the black skating culture survive long as everybody comes out to support net we will support them and so do the faithful who will preach and then matter what color you are about the joys of rollerskating how old you are how young it’s just a lot of fun as they
Continue to fill this church with new believers as time I want them to feel like this is found goes on in Euclid ahead of an hour news 5
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