Vintage Vamp: Solid Gold Dancer Darcel Wynn

If you grew up in the ‘80s, chances are the glitzy-good pop song countdown show,“Solid Gold,” ruled your Saturday nights. The music was fabulous, but the real magic of “Solid Gold” (aside from the sax-heavy, Dionne Warwick-sung theme song) was the jazz-tastic Solid Gold dancers. Each week, from 1980 to 1988, they performed slinky choreographed numbers to the top ten songs of the week—and principal dancer Darcel Wynn was their fearless leader. For five seasons, this Pittsburgh native turned America out with her gold-lame awesomeness, fierce unitard collection, fearsome nails and that glorious ’80’s weave (the style of which varied from ankle-length braids to a waterfall of huge, pre-Jody Watley waves). Her look was major, but her dancing was everything—you haven’t seen anything until you’ve witnessed Wynn writhing around on the floor in a gilded full-body catsuit to the Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand.” Darcel, we are not worthy.