APLA Dance-A-Thon 1989

@aplatweets

Madonna dancing at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles for APLA Dance-A-Thon on February 26, 1989.

Madonna at the 3rd Annual APLA Dance-A-Thon

@aplatweets

On April 21, 1991 at The Sports Arena in Los Angeles - where a year earlier Madonna did 5 nights of her Blond Ambition Tour (and yes, I was there every night) - Madonna hosted the 3rd annual APLA Dance-A-Thon. She brought along her friends Herb Ritts, Juliette Hohnen and the Blond Ambition dancers and back up singers.

3 years earlier she had done the first ever APLA Dance-A-Thon with her mentor Christopher Flynn who died of AIDS shortly after in 1990. At a time when the consensus was that AIDS was only a homosexual disease, Madonna - the biggest star in the world - not only crusaded for but also tried to convey to the public that it could affect anyone and had been doing so since the beginning of her career.

Don't know who filmed that fabulous footage but I'm glad they did. Madonna visibly clocks at the end but she knew that camera was on her the entire night. Trust. Ha! xo

I always loved this day - so cool and beautiful here. Just Sex Sex Sex - great outfit, great hair, great Madonna.

Christopher Flynn

Along with Mrs. Fellows, Christopher Flynn gets his (constant) love and appreciation, as well as a resurrection of pieces from older posts. If it wasn't for him, we may never have had Madonna. Christopher Flynn xo.

Madonna and Christopher at the AIDS dance-a-thon 1989




Madonna and Christopher jamm'n in 1989

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From the Interview Magazine piece with Gus Van Sant.

Madonna: In fact, the character that Richard E. Grant plays in the film I directed, Filth and Wisdom [2008], is this blind professor who was based on my ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn. Growing up in Michigan, I didn't really know what a gay man was. He was the first man-the first human being-who made me feel good about myself and special. He was the first person who told me that I was beautiful or that I had something to offer the world, and he encouraged me to believe in my dreams, to go to New York. He was such an important person in my life. He died of AIDS, but he went blind toward the end of his life. He was such a lover of art, classical music, literature, opera. You know, I grew up in the Midwest, and it was really because of him that I was exposed to so many of those things. He brought me to my first gay club-it was this club in Detroit. I always felt like I was a freak when I was growing up and that there was something wrong with me because I couldn't fit in anywhere. But when he took me to that club, he brought me to a place where I finally felt at home. So that character in Filth and Wisdom was dedicated to him and inspired by him.

Eugene Hütz reading 'a book' by Christopher Flynn in Madonna's directorial feature film debut Filth and Wisdom.

Click HERE & HERE for the full original Christopher Flynn posts.

1989 APLA Dance-a-Thon Footage

APLA dance-a-thon. February 26, 1989