Bicol Express redux
It was the summer of 1964 and I had just completed my third year of elementary education. My parents bundled us up – the entire caboodle of six kids with me as the eldest – and two aunts who served as our nannies. We were bound for Manila on board the storied Bicol Express.
I don’t recall how we all managed to squeeze into two economy seats. What I still vividly remember was the exhilaration of riding in a train and the rising expectation of seeing the great city, a big deal for me who grew up amidst the ricefields and dusty streets of the then parochial Calabanga in Camarines Sur.
While my elders complained of the heat, I simply soaked in the ever-changing scenery (including the awe-inspiring view of Mt. Banahaw) and the cacophony of sounds emanating from the train which, for a 9-year-old barrio kid, further heightened the excitement and even the mystery of that summer outing. The Bicol Express did live up to my expectations!
As I grew up, the Bicol Express seemed to bookmark the times of my life. In the early 1970s, my girlfriend Gina (who eventually became my wife) and I used to take the Bicol Express back to Naga during semestral breaks at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños. Having hopped onto the train at the College (the name of the barangay where UPLB is located) station, we usually found that seats were no longer available. We made do with the platform connecting two train coaches. Oh, we didn’t mind the 10-hour ride and the danger lurking on that platform. Of course, for people in love, nothing else matters – and the Bicol Express could very well attest to that!
When President (Ferdinand) Marcos declared martial law in 1972, the Bicol Express again played a role (supporting or otherwise) in what would turn out to be an unraveling chapter in my young adulthood.
Distraught by the uncertainties of the times but somehow consoled by the unexpected and protracted vacation, I, along with 14 other UPLB schoolmates who were members of the UP Sarong Bangui, decided to go home via the Bicol Express. As the train stopped at the Lucena station, a squad of Army troopers in full battle gear boarded the train coach we were in and arrested 13 of my companions. The experience was terrifying, to say the least. And so traumatized was the other guy who wasn’t arrested that he actually joined the Philippines Marines a few months later.
The Bicol Express did safely bring the two of us back to Naga but our lives – and the lives of the rest of our group – would be drastically altered.
Soul Train Line - News
It's open to the public every day of the week except for holidays. At the free Friday Night Groove, which runs from 6 to 8 pm on Fridays, a guest DJ spins 70s music, which, on opening night led to a Soul Train line.
For 37 years, "Soul Train" was the "hippest trip in America," a dance show that was made here in Chicago. It did its iconic thing while fulfilling a role not only as the black "American Bandstand," but as a tastemaker. The "Soul Train line" spawned all
If only for this then, the national government must ensure the long-term viability and stability of the newly resuscitated train line so that the current and coming generations will also have their collective memory of a reliable yet economical
Soul line dancing class. Spend your Monday night getting a workout at Laguna Town Hall. This 6:00 pm class, taught to R&B and hip-hop tunes, is aimed at beginners. Call (916) 405-5600 to register. Hotel housekeeper: Here's what DSK did to me.
Whether you're dancing in the aisles with the Ringmaster; rapping to The Sugarhill Gang; volunteering for the "Soul Train Line;" singing 2200-part harmony with the kids to Sponge Bob Square Pants, or enjoying a musical finale with the entire cast
Soul Train Line | Wedding Entertainment - Myrtle Beach and Nationwide
The familiar routine Face-Off Dance Floor
I love it when the dancers just spontaneously form two columns and dance their way to the middle as couples or small groups. This happens automatically with most people who love to dance, know each other well and are comfortable showing off their moves and make their welfare-thing in front of others.
I haven't been in a soul train line in a hot minute
@ you know I'm all about the Soul Train. /dances down the line cc: @
@ ;-) Funky. How about some Soul Train? Line dance down the mall! 
And of course every black function has to have a "Soul Train" line.
That NABJ Soul train line was something serious. Soul Train Line - Bookshelf
Vibe
Sure, climbing aboard now and pop-locking down the Soul Train line might not be as popular as it was back in the days of polyester pantsuits and Afros, ...Life Is Like a Soul Train Line
Billboard
Keeping the program on track were its famous dancers, dubbed "the Soul Train Gang." The gang's "Soul Train Line" segment, wherein individual dancers strut ...A critical history of Soul train on television
Also, during the "Soul Train Line" segments, the show no longer roughly jumped from one line to the other. Instead, Lobue provided a "wipe" of the new ...Somebody Scream!, Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power
Now with the whole country watching and enjoying (and copying) those dance moves — especially in easing down the "Soul Train Line" — while looking great, ...Day-to-day Posts Directory
Soul Train - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Soul Train was an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October ... They dance down the Soul Train line (to the song "Dancing Machine" by ...
Soul Train
Presents history, profiles, and other information on the series and its awards specials.
Soul Train Line
Soul Train Line is for fans of the infamous dancing routine called the Soul Train Line. View Soul Train videos, wedding lines, parties, and other Soul Train line ...
Train
Official site for the band with pictures, lyrics, sound clips, tour schedules, and news.
Videos | Soul Train
i LOVED DOMITA JO FREEMAN ON SOUL TRAIN... I STILL REMEMBER HER AND JOE TEX WITH I ... damitajo freeman she was and still is 1 of my favorite soul train dancers. ...