The Thin Blue Dance Line

 

Babylon Bee 

 An alleged mugger is still believed to be at large in the city today after fleeing the scene of the crime as soon as the New York Police Department Dance Squad arrived.

The incident, which authorities believe to have occurred early this afternoon near Midtown Manhattan, was still in progress when witnesses say the perpetrator saw the NYPD Dance Squad approaching, causing the aggressor to break off his attack and run away in terror.

"He took off once he saw the dancers got here," one eyewitness said. "It was obvious that he wanted no part of them. Honestly, who can blame him? If I saw that group rolling up toward me, I'd want to get as far away from them as I could. I've never seen such a strong crime deterrent."

As word of the NYPD Dance Squad has continued to spread throughout the city's underworld, officials reported a noticeable decrease in criminal activity. "It's had a surprising effect on crime," said an NYPD source. "The mere mention of the dance squad sends criminals scrambling away in horror. We told the inmates at one of our local detention centers that we'd bring the dancers in if they didn't shape up, and we've never seen such model behavior."

Dance troupe misses out on city's arts and culture recovery

 

QNS

 

As New York City moves toward its COVID reopening May 19, the renaissance comes too late for a dance company in Astoria.

The board of the Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre announced Thursday that it is dissolving the organization, closing its Astoria-based dance center and the dance company due to “the ongoing difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic,” effective immediately.

“On behalf of the board, we’re saddened to announce the dissolution of the organization and the closure of the RIOULT Dance Center,” former Chairman of the Board Hope Greenfield said. “We had expected many great things for the future of the company, especially with our new center in Astoria, but the pandemic has sadly brought an end to our plans.”

For nearly three decades, the Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre was part of the city’s dance community performing 12 of its New York seasons at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan. The dance company also performed at theaters and festivals across the country including: New York City Fall for Dance; Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors; Central Park SummerStage; the American Dance Festival in Raleigh, N.C.; the Annenberg Center; and Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California.

International venues included the Cannes International Festival, Maison de la Danse in Lyon, France, the Tamaulipas International Festival in Mexico as well as venues in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Japan.

The RIOULT Dance Center opened in October 2018 in Astoria and quickly became a safe and welcoming space for dancers from all across the New York City area to take classes, rehearse and create, as well as function as a home for the dance company. The school was dedicated to community-based arts programming, providing an educational resource for western Queens.

“I am sorry that my dream of establishing a home for the company and school that celebrates the diversity and richness of dance has come to this unfortunate end, and has necessitated the closure of the dance company,” Founder Pascal Rioult said. “I am grateful for the dedication of my Board, my staff, my dancers, my teachers, and the artists who made the center a vibrant place. I am proud of the reputation RIOULT Dance NY has garnered over 27 years. My entire life has been dedicated to dance and even though this chapter is closing, my choreographic career has not come to an end.”

 

Land of a thousand dance guidelines

 

Queens Chronicle

You make me feel like dancing — sort of.

More like you make me feel like canceling.

The state announced Saturday that when wedding receptions return March 15, guests will be allowed to dance only with members of their immediate party, household or family seated at the same table.

Dancers will need to wear face masks and stay within their own “dancing areas or zones.” Spaces should be at least 36 square feet in size and positioned at least 6 feet apart from other dance zones and tables.

Live entertainers are allowed but if they’re unmasked or playing a wind instrument they need to be separated from attendees by 12 feet or a physical barrier.

Mickey King, owner of Antun’s in Queens Village, said he has had seven cancellations since the announcement.

“They don’t want to go through the hassle,” he said.

King said potential customers have asked why the measures are necessary if everyone inside has tested negative for the virus.

“I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I don’t have an answer to give them. I felt silly,” he said.

Some customers have pushed weddings back to 2022, “which just leaves me with an empty date, so now I have a date with no revenue,” King said.

“I cannot win. Every time [Cuomo] adds a rule I lost parties.”

He said he is still deciding whether to mark off the dance floor with tape or to just space tables even more apart.

“We’re still playing with different ideas,” King said.

Latasha Smith, CEO and president of Occasions Banquet and Catering Hall in Jamaica, said the governor keeps handcuffing business owners. “Cuomo has already decimated our industry and he’s really put us so far in debt and then they just keep doing it,” she told the Chronicle Wednesday, saying the rules are “really frustrating.”

Homeless crisis, subway murders and dancing in the street

The whole world is a stage, so we’re bringing live performances BACK to New York City! Our streets will be filled with music, performances, and dance thanks to our #OpenCulture program. Applications open March 1: https://t.co/lp0DfJiK7X

pic.twitter.com/ioD1kRQnx6

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) February 15, 2021

Inside Queens strip clubs

From the Queens Tribune:

Nuni, who had begun to strip in her home state of Colorado while obtaining her bachelor’s degree, said she prefers “white strip clubs” over “black strip clubs” because of what happens behind closed doors.

According to Nuni, the clubs are labeled “black” or “white” based on the clientele. Manhattan strip clubs generally have a mostly white and wealthy clientele. She said the strippers at those clubs are 65 percent white, 10 to 20 percent black, 20 to 30 percent Latina and less than 10 percent Asian.

Queens is generally home to clubs that mostly feature black and dark-skinned Latina strippers with synthetic bodies, dancing for a mostly black and Latino clientele, usually with rappers and special guests in attendance.

Nuni said a big difference between the two types of clubs is the dancing.

“White strip cubs are mostly talking and black clubs are mostly twerking,” said Nuni.

Nuni, who was used to dancing in what she called “a liberal college town,” said she experienced a huge culture shock when she moved to New York and danced for the very first time at Angels.

“I had already danced on and off for three years so I felt like I was equipped to dance in New York,” said Nuni. “I danced for one day at Angels. It was terrible. I didn’t last more than five hours.”

When Nuni was called by Angels to come in, she said the manager told her she wouldn’t have to be topless. However, when she arrived wearing a red leather mini dress, she was asked, “You’re used to white clubs, aren’t you?” and was then told, “You need something more revealing like a two-piece, so put that on.”

In addition to the uncomfortable change of attire, Nuni said she was charged the $60 house fee at the start of the night. The house fee is a set number that dancers are expected to pay the club in order to dance there.

“I was surprised that the house fee was drastically low,” said Nuni. “If a club has a high house fee, it means they expect you to make a lot of money to pay them. But if a club has a low fee, it means they don’t want to hear you complain at the end of the night that you don’t have enough money to pay them.”

Nuni, who was used to walking up to men and engaging in conversation, said at Angels the strippers walked up to men who had stacks of one-dollar bills and just began dancing on them.

“I tried talking to some guys at first, but it was like they weren’t used to speaking to women,” said Nuni. “It was weird. I was confused. To me it was like I’m trying to make you feel special so you can spend money on me. Also, when you twerk for them, they get to touch you and at white strip clubs, it’s a no-no.”

So you think you have talent? - Speaker edition

It's Friday. The City Council Speaker candidates didn't have a care in the world (except jockeying for position to kiss the king's ring) when they boogied down at Joe Crowley's holiday party. You might hit the eggnog extra hard yourself when you realize what we're in store for over the next 4 years. Go ahead and caption this photo.

Council Member wants more clubs to open

From City & State:

While aimed at illegal speakeasies, the law was often used in discriminating fashion. From targeting largely African American jazz venues at its inception to requiring mid-century musicians to carry a “cabaret card” to Rudy Giuliani’s use of the law as part of his “broken windows” policing, the selective nature of its use has found plenty of opponents, which is why the law’s repeal was widely championed throughout the city.

But while proponents were celebrating the move, a look at the legal implications suggests there’s much further to go for the city that never sleeps to dance away its insomnia. Specifically, the zoning for any establishment that wants to host dancing and music still needs to be addressed, which is not lost on City Councilman Rafael Espinal, who was the key sponsor of legislation to establish an office of nightlife and repeal the Cabaret Law.

Espinal added that he is looking forward to working with the office of nightlife and advocates “to explore our city's archaic zoning code to see how we can build on this progress."

Those “archaic” zoning laws have less to do with how long they’ve been on the books and more to do with a lack of clarity. While it’s been widely reported that only 97 out of the roughly 25,000 eating and drinking establishments in New York City had a cabaret license in 2017, unless the zoning changes, many of these establishments are still not permitted to allow dancing, even without any requirement to obtain a cabaret license, Derek Wolman, chairman of the restaurant and hospitality practice group at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, wrote in an email to City & State.

New York City neighborhoods are zoned into three categories: residential, commercial and manufacturing. Within those zones are “use groups” that determine specifically where and how different businesses can operate within a zone. Making things difficult for proprietors who wish to hold music events is that they fall under “Use Group 12,” which spans both commercial and manufacturing.

Wolman broke it down in all of its complexity:

“Use Group 12 (eating or drinking establishment with entertainment and a capacity of more than 200 persons or establishments of any capacity with dancing) are permitted in C2 zoning districts (with Special Permit from the Board of Standards and Appeals), C3 zoning districts (with Special Permit from the Board of Standards and Appeals), C4 zoning districts (with Special Permit from the Board of Standards and Appeals) [permitted as of right or by special permit in C4 districts, depending upon location], C6 zoning districts [permitted as of right in C6 districts with conditions], C7 zoning districts, C8 zoning districts, M1 zoning districts [permitted in M1-5A, M1-5B, M1-5M, and M1-6M districts only as provided by special permit under Zoning Resolution Section 73-244], M2 zoning districts and M3 zoning districts.”

Yes, it means you can't keep sleeping children up at night with thumping music and you can't turn manufacturing space into clubs without jumping through hoops. Oh, the horror!

Developments in Crowley vs. Spotorno congressional race

Sinatra impersonator vs. Travolta impersonator

Residents upset with Astoria S&M club

From the NY Post:

An S&M dungeon that shares a building with a dance academy for young girls in Queens has some parents begging the kinky group to find a new place to get their freak on.

Isabella, a parent who asked that her last name not be used, came across Iron Bell when she started looking for a dance school for her 10-year-old daughter.

A friend recommended Astoria Fine Arts, which, coincidentally, was not far from Isabella’s home. But when she looked up other tenants in the building, the results shocked her.

Since 1998, a city ordinance has barred X-rated businesses from being within 500 feet of schools and residential areas.

So Isabella on Thursday submitted a formal complaint with the city, asking officials to investigate the Iron Bell’s operations, records show.

A spokeswoman for the Buildings Department confirmed the building on 23rd Avenue sits in a residential zone and is registered as a facility for offices and storage. The agency will investigate the X-rated claims.

Well, I'm not going to comment on the proclivities of the Astoria crowd. But just check out this piece of crap across the street!

It took a lot of effort to create something this fugly.

UPDATE: The dungeon was evicted.

CB1 objects to dance club

From the Daily News:

A dance club aficionado who wants to open a new hotspot in Astoria is vowing to move ahead with his plan despite neighborhood opposition.

Community Board 1 on Tuesday rejected a cabaret license application by Ivan Diaz Young, who wants to open a Latin dance club called Club 4 on the fourth floor of the Astoria Sports Complex on 38th St.

Young vowed to forge ahead with his plan, and expects to open the velvet rope in three months.

"We'll do whatever needs to be done. We've invested not only a lot of money but a lot of time," said Young, 43, of Fresh Meadows.

Young told the community board that he has installed sufficient sound proofing, but the board unanimously denied his license application.

Young's lawyer, Kerry Katsorhis, said the board doesn't have the final say.

"The community board's recommendation is a recommendation." he said, noting that his client can still request a hearing for a license from the city Department of Consumer Affairs. The City Council would then make the call.

The Astoria Sports Complex previously rented out its fourth floor to another Latin dance club called La Oveja Negra, which received noise and safety complaints before it closed in May.

David the Dancing Machine

Mr. Weprin can really get down!