The dance, an annual event put on by the UNC student-run radio station, drew hundreds from both the campus and the community at large.
The crowd was young, rowdy and costumed. Outfits ranged from the simple, like ripped jeans and T-shirts, to the ornate, such as fishnets, patent-leather boots and sequined tops.
A contingent of punks decked out in studded leather jackets, Minor Threat patches and mohawks avoided the dance floor but joined in the general retro fun.
WXYC disc jockeys kept dancers moving by pumping a continuous stream of memorable '80s hits through the Cradle sound system.
"Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners, the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and the Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" were a few of the more famous numbers. The latter was the first music video ever aired on fledgling cable network MTV.
Most of the dancing was comical but refreshingly tasteful, with only a few exceptions.
Doug Stuber, area artist and musician, was ejected from the Cat's Cradle for rude and disorderly conduct.
"The girls didn't seem to like the 'condom-tongue dance,'" he said.
Many dancers were returning this year for a second or third time, like Katy Miner, a third-year UNC graduate student. She was dressed in a huge red skirt, leather boots, enormous earrings and a side ponytail.
