Westgay, a frisky gay dance party in the West Village, ended last summer when the building was sold to condominium developers.
PrettyUgly,
a twink-filled dance party at the Diamond Horseshoe in Times Square,
ended its run this year. New owners, new directions.
JB Saturdays, a party in Hell’s Kitchen that drew about 1,600 shirtless gay men every week for three years, stopped in January.
And in February, Escuelita,
a Latin-flavored gay dance club that throbbed for decades near the Port
Authority Bus Terminal, shuttered its doors after a liquor license
dispute.
Seemingly
overnight, New York City has become a real-life “Footloose” — at least
for dance-happy gay men who feel as if they have nowhere to boogie these
days. While smaller gay bars abound (there are at least 17 in Hell’s
Kitchen alone, by my count), the number of large gay clubs and weekly
dance parties has waned in recent years.
“It’s tragic,” said Adam Barta,
36, a singer who lives in the Bronx. “People used to have to show up to
a dance club to have a social life. In this digital age, clubs have
been usurped by the right swipe.”
Night life veterans point to a variety of reasons, including cultural shifts, real estate pressures and technology.
Brandon Voss,
36, a club promoter and co-producer of several gay parties including
Zoo, which ended last year, said that the demand for dance parties has
declined. “The new generation just doesn’t support large dance clubs,”
said Mr. Voss, who no longer regularly hosts dance parties. “They spend
money on special events I do, like my RuPaul’s Drag Race, Pride and Halloween events. But the days of the weekly dance party are over, at least for now.”
Mr.
Voss also blames the advent of hookup apps like Grindr, as well as
music streaming services like SoundCloud and Spotify for replacing D.J.s
as the way to learn about new music. “Why pay an expensive cover charge
and deal with rude bouncers when you can just swipe on your iPhone?” he
asked.
Susanne Bartsch,
who in 2014 hosted four weekly gay-friendly dance events and now has
only one (a summertime party at Le Bain at the Standard), agrees that
technology has upended gay night life.
“Social
media changed the landscape of going out,” Ms. Bartsch said. “One
doesn’t have to have dancing to be part of flirting and hooking up
anymore.”
The reasons gay men flocked to the dance floor have changed, too. In the age of same-sex marriage
and transgender rights, gays no longer rely on nightclubs as safe
places to congregate. Indeed, instead of all-night dances, Mr. Voss now
hosts a Sunday brunch at Señor Frog’s in Times Square. And it’s been packed.
“Who
would have thought a drag queen brunch at a Mexican restaurant would be
easier than a Saturday night dance party?” he asked.
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