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In Popular Culture

Through three displays on skating in comics, movies, and music, see how roller skating has influenced and is influenced by everyday life.

On the Screen

Incredibly popular for nearly a century, American cinema continuously incorporates ideas from other areas in American culture, including roller skating. From Charlie Chaplin's "The Rink" to "Xanadu" with Olivia Newton-John, skating has a long history of gliding across the screen.

Comics

Roller skating has appeared in the comics medium for decades. Characters like Dazzler, Skateman, Iron Man, Harley Quinn, and Ramona Flowers have all put on a pair of skates.

Music

“Trying to run a roller rink without music would be about as successful as operating a restaurant without food,” a 1926 rink owner’s guide stated. Indeed, sine the beginnings of roller rinks, operators regarded music as an essential component to running a successful rink. Learn about the influence of orchestras, organists, disco on roller skating.

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