New York City turns up the heat with the opening of The DiscOasis, a glittering, theatrical and distinctly New York immersive roller disco experience coming to Central Park’s iconic Wollman Rink. Created and produced by Constellation Immersive in partnership with Live Nation and Los Angeles Media Fund, The DiscOasis will offer exciting evening skate times & programs featuring theatrical performances through October 1 with an array of live DJs, artists and special guests, as well as open skate sessions during the daytime. The sonic elements of the experience will be curated by world-renowned hit producer and event Groovemaster Nile Rodgers (CHIC, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Daft Punk, Lady Gaga). Located in idyllic Central Park, Wollman Rink will be reimagined as an oasis within an oasis — inviting guests to skate, dance, and let loose in a botanical paradise where music flows and magic grows.
With a glittering roller rink fantasia as its centerpiece designed by Tony Award-nominated David Korins and lighting design by award-winning David Weiner, The DiscOasis features nightly theatrical shows directed by soon-to-be-announced Tony Award-nominated director & choreographer. There are also interactive installations inspired by Nile Rodgers’ iconic catalog, a dance floor, live roller-dance performances, food and beverage service, and more. Groovemaster Nile Rodgers is curating a special playlist of skate-worthy, groove-inducing tracks for each night’s local DJ to spin fresh for skaters and dancers.
Tickets are on sale now at thediscoasis.com and will offer WRAP (Wollman Rink Access Program) tickets on an ongoing basis.
Nile Rodgers said, “I’m a lifelong New Yorker and, for me, Central Park was always the place where big things happened — from watching Sly & the Family Stone and Diana Ross, to sharing the first moon landing and the inaugural Earth Day. Since The DiscOasis is all about celebrating New York culture, there’s no other place for it to be.”
Constellation Immersive’s CEO, Thao Nguyen said, “The DiscOasis was created as a movement to celebrate community, inclusivity, and positivity. We’re tapping New York City’s rich history — both as the birthplace of disco and its longtime connection to the urban roller-skating experience — providing an ideal and unique opportunity to gather again. We’re fortunate to have this opportunity to bring this unique immersive experience to iconic Central Park thanks to our wonderful partners, Nile Rodgers, Wollman Park Partners, Live Nation and Los Angeles Media Fund.”
Live Nation’s Geoff Gordon, Regional President Northeast said, ”Disco started here in the heart of New York City, inspiring a movement and celebration of inclusiveness, love, and beauty. The DiscOasis immersive experience, which drew record crowds last summer in Los Angeles, will recreate that magic and bring Disco home to New York City. We’re excited to partner with Constellation Immersive, Los Angeles Media Fund, and the amazingly talented Nile Rodgers to reimagine the Disco movement through this immersive, musical, and moving experience for residents across New York City and beyond in legendary Central Park, home to many memorable and celebratory cultural and musical experiences.”
Los Angeles Media Fund’s Jeffrey Soros and Simon Horsman said, “We are so excited to be working with such excellent partners to bring what we feel is the perfect summer-long party for this moment in New York City.”
Wollman Rink’s Vice President & General Manager, Stefanie Tomlin said, “On behalf of the Wollman Park Partners and our principals – Josh Harris and David Blitzer, Founders of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment; Jeff Blau, CEO of Related Companies; and Harvey Spevak, Executive Chairman and Managing Partner, Equinox Group – we are thrilled to host The DiscOasis at Wollman Rink this summer. After an incredibly hard two years of COVID, where New York City was one of the hardest hit places in the nation, the joy and sense of normalcy that roller skating will bring to the City’s residents and visitors alike is a moment we’ve all been yearning for. Roller skating is an activity everyone can enjoy and is in line with Wollman Park Partners’ mission of creating a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive space that will, in tandem, bolster NYC’s economic recovery. We look forward to working with The DiscOasis to bring this vision to life in a new and immersive way.”
An earlier iteration of The DiscOasis was presented in Los Angeles, where its sold-out run was a 2021 highlight event. The Los Angeles Times wrote, “The party of the summer is a secret roller-skating disco at an LA botanical garden,” and Fast Company named Constellation Immersive one of its Top 10 Most Innovative Live Events Companies ”for reviving the roller disco and just in time.”
A portion of the proceeds from The DiscOasis benefits the We Are Family Foundation, which creates and supports programs that promote cultural diversity and empower youth who are changing the world with bold ideas. The Foundation takes its name from the 1979 disco hit “We Are Family,” sung by Sister Sledge and written/produced by “Groovemaster” Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards.
New Yorkers have been avid roller skaters for more than a century — in parks, on streets, and at the city’s roller rinks — with skating clubs and regular events continuing today. Roller skating’s dynamic heyday was the disco era, with its accompanying infectious, danceable tracks and diverse gatherings at legendary ‘70s & early ‘80s dance clubs like Studio 54, Paradise Garage, Funhouse, Xenon, and many others. The DiscOasis continues this bastion of self-expression & inclusivity today with a classic and new soundtrack carrying the torch.
Opened in 1950 and reopened last year under new operators WPP, Wollman Rink (830 5th Avenue) has been a favorite New York destination for decades.The rink’s mission is to promote an inclusive, welcoming and healthy environment for all visitors in partnership with its community partners that include Great Performances, Celebrity Chef Melba Wilson, YMCA of Greater New York, Ice Hockey in Harlem, Figure Skating in Harlem, The Boys’ Club of New York and Green City Force. Ice skating at the rink is one of the most popular activities for residents and tourists alike along with numerous year-round programming and events It provides a magical skating experience, under a star-filled sky while surrounded by the splendor of the Manhattan skyline. The iconic rink is less than a five-minute walk from the Park’s south entrance at W. 59th Street and 6th Avenue. It has been featured in many films, including Home Alone 2, Lost in New York, and Serendipity.
ABOUT CONSTELLATION IMMERSIVE
Constellation Immersive is an experience-based producing studio specializing in original content. We collaborate with world class talent and iconic brands to create inspiring spaces at the convergence of pop culture, storytelling, design, and technology. Constellation Immersive is an affiliate of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA); Crossroads Live, a global theatrical entertainment company; Baroda Ventures, a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm; and 30WEST, an investment company specializing in entertainment. Its mission: To create and innovate live storytelling that inspires and transforms.
ABOUT NILE RODGERS
Nile Rodgers is truly exceptional. He’s a multiple GRAMMY-winning composer, producer, arranger and guitarist who’s been inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. As the co-founder of CHIC, Rodgers pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like “Le Freak,” (the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records) and sparked the advent of hip-hop with “Good Times.” Nile transcends all styles of music and has made amongst the most important and successful albums in the careers of Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Duran Duran and Daft Punk amongst a legacy that is responsible for over 500 million record sales. Currently, Nile helms the critically acclaimed Apple Music 1’s “Deep Hidden Meaning Radio with Nile Rodgers” and is the Co-founder and Chairman of the We Are Family Foundation, since 2002. His unforgettable live performances with CHIC cover his entire discography and have been included in “festival best performances” at both Glastonbury and Coachella resulting in a BBC Music Awards nomination for “Best Live Performance”, and the LA Times stating, “Nile Rodgers influence stretches all over Coachella, beaming the sound of a better future.”
ABOUT WE ARE FAMILY FOUNDATION
We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) is a not-for-profit organization co-founded by legendary musician Nile Rodgers and is dedicated to the visions of a global family by creating programs that promote cultural diversity while nurturing and mentoring the vision, talents and ideas of young people who are positively changing the world. Find more information about WAFF, its programs and global community at wearefamilyfoundation.org and @wearefamilyfdtn.
ABOUT LIVE NATION
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprising global market leaders Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com
ABOUT LOS ANGELES MEDIA FUND
LAMF LLC (d/b/a Los Angeles Media Fund) (LAMF) was founded by Jeffrey Soros and Simon Horsman in 2014 with a mandate to finance and produce feature films and scripted television. In that time, LAMF has produced 14 features and diversified its business to include unscripted content, Broadway and athlete management. LAMF recently released a feature documentary on Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World, on FIFA+, and is currently in production on a ten-part docu-series for Hulu on the Los Angeles Lakers with Antoine Fuqua directing. LAMF is also co-producing a feature documentary, The Color of Cola, directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson and Jacqueline Olive. LAMF is in pre-production on a feature called Magazine Dreams to star Jonathan Majors. LAMF plans to go into production this year on Rob Peace, based on an adaptation by Chiwetel Ejiofor (who will also star) of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. LAMF’s subsidiary, Very Tall Productions, developed and produced the first season of Red Table Talk featuring Jada Pinkett Smith and family. Another subsidiary of LAMF’s, InventTV, has produced numerous unscripted shows and regularly works with Oprah Winfrey to produce her interview specials. In 2019, LAMF won a Tony Award for the revival of the Broadway musical, Oklahoma! LAMF owns a sports agency called Beyond Athlete Management (see: www.beyond.am), which represents over 80 athletes playing in the NFL, the NBA , and in Europe.
ABOUT WOLLMAN PARK PARTNERS
Wollman Park Partners (WPP) is a coalition of New Yorkers representing decades of experience across multiple sectors; including sports and entertainment; finance; health and wellness; diversity, equity, and inclusion; real estate; culinary; non-profit; youth development and sustainability. The companies and organizations that make up WPP include Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Related Companies, Equinox and community partnerships include Ice Hockey in Harlem, Figure Skating in Harlem, Great Performances, Melba’s Restaurant, YMCA of Greater New York, The Boys’ Club of New York and Green City Force. With this expertise, and a deep passion for New York City, WPP offers an energized, year-round experience of Wollman Rink NYC to both New Yorkers and visitors, with an emphasis on creating a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive space that promotes equitable economic opportunity and recovery in our City.
THE DISCOASIS ON THE WEB
Website
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For more information on The DiscOasis, please contact:
Shore Fire Media
Rebecca Shapiro
Allison Elbl
Shannon Cosgrove
DiscOasisPR@shorefire.com
Ike Richman Communications
Ike Richman
ike@richmancommunications.com
For more information about Nile Rodgers, please contact:
Fran DeFeo PR
Fran DeFeo
For more information about Wollman Rink & Wollman Park Partners, please contact:
Edith Morris
Heather Scott
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