Menu Visit The Boston Globe
Business
    Next Score View the next score

    Wonderland and its dancers give way to time

    Comment on this Scroll to top of page

    • Wonderland Ballroom in Revere is headed toward demolition and a likely future as a hotel.
      Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe
      Wonderland Ballroom in Revere is headed toward demolition and a likely future as a hotel.
    • The dance floors were once crowded with waltzing couples in suits and full skirts, like Nathan and Beatrice Ginsburt of Revere, seen in this 1974 image.
      David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/File
      The dance floors were once crowded with waltzing couples in suits and full skirts, like Nathan and Beatrice Ginsburt of Revere, seen in this 1974 image.
    • December 15 1986 / Globe photo by Jan Housewerth / Connie Polito of Dedham is spun around by Joseph Malino of Milton at Wonderland Ballroom wonderlandballroom
      Jan Housewerth/Globe/File 1986
      Joseph Malino of Milton spun Connie Polito of Dedham around on the floor.
    • Longtime orchestra leader Tony Bruno Jr. told the Globe in 1986 he once tried to sneak in a fox-trot at the end of a waltz set, an experiment he never tried again due to the negative reaction.
      Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe
      Longtime orchestra leader Tony Bruno Jr. told the Globe in 1986 he once tried to sneak in a fox-trot at the end of a waltz set, an experiment he never tried again due to the negative reaction.
    • The Bridgettes-Geritol Cuties Tap Dancers performed at a fund-raiser and self-esteem booster for the elderly.
      Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff/File 1996
      The Bridgettes-Geritol Cuties Tap Dancers performed at a fund-raiser and self-esteem booster for the elderly.
    • Mary-Jean Distefano with her father Joseph Distefano waltzed on the dance floor. The elder Distefano had bought the facility in 1994.
      Yunghi Kim/Globe Staff/File 1995
      Mary-Jean Distefano with her father Joseph Distefano waltzed on the dance floor. The elder Distefano had bought the facility in 1994.
    • Current owner Robert Merowitz has tried to keep ballroom dancing alive after he bought the venue in 2002, but attendance dwindled.
      Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe
      Current owner Robert Merowitz has tried to keep ballroom dancing alive after he bought the venue in 2002, but attendance dwindled.
    • The facility was also temporarily converted into an entertainment complex featuring the Latin nightclub Club Lido.
      Lane Turner/Globe Staff/File 2003
      The facility was also temporarily converted into an entertainment complex featuring the Latin nightclub Club Lido.
    • The club reverted back to Wonderland Ballroom, hosting Latin, hard-rock, and reggae shows on weekends.
      Lisa Poole/File 2011
      The club reverted back to the name Wonderland Ballroom, hosting Latin, hard-rock, and reggae shows on weekends.
    • "You got on the dance floor and you just danced, and all there is is you, your partner, and the music," said former Wonderland dancer Rachel Joaquim.
      Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe
      "You got on the dance floor and you just danced, and all there is is you, your partner, and the music," said former Wonderland dancer Rachel Joaquim.
    • Sometimes, Joaquim twirls around her living room, waiting patiently each time for an imaginary partner to ask her to dance.
      Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe
      Sometimes, Joaquim twirls around her living room, waiting patiently each time for an imaginary partner to ask her to dance.
    Most Popular in businessRight Arrow
    Real journalists. Real journalism. Subscribe to The Boston Globe today.