06/30/11 The music was blasting on the National Mall Thursday night as the  Soul Train dance party kicked off the Folklife Festival music and dance series.

DJ Questlove, drummer for The Roots

The party coincided with the announcement of a donation from Soul Train to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

From the release . . .

“Soul Train was the longest-running first-run, nationally syndicated program in television history. It is known for its on-set performances by R&B, soul and hip-hop artists; it is best known for its Soul Train dance line: two lines of dancers with a space in the middle for a continuously moving line of spotlighted dancers showing off their best moves. During its 37-year run, beginning in 1971, the show featured performers as important and diverse as Ike and Tina Turner, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, DavidBowie, Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé.

The acquisition for the museum includes five iconic pieces from the show, including a 10-foot-long, neon “TRAIN” sign, the Soul Train neon award sign and silver African heads from the Soul Train Awards.”