DANCE, DANCE REVOLUTION
With the repeal of the archaic Cabaret Law, New Yorkers can finally cut loose, footloose
N EW YORKERS can finally dance like there’s no one watching.
In October, the City Council repealed the Big Apple’s 91-yearold Cabaret Law, which required bars to have a special license in order for patrons to legally strut their stuff. The law has an ugly history. It was put on the books during Prohibition as a way to stifle interracial cavorting at Harlem bars and to suppress speak-easies. After years of lax enforcement, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s administration used the law to shutter some bars and clubs that didn’t abide by the rules. Before the repeal, only 104 of the city’s 20,000 bars and restaurants had cabaret licenses.
“It’s a restriction on our culture and my personal freedom as a dancer,” says Greg Miller, founder of the annual Dance Parade and Festival and one of the main advocates of the Cabaret Law repeal. “In the early 2000s, we’d see signs in clubs that said ‘no dancing.’ ”
John Barclay, owner of Bossa Nova Civic Club, a bar in Bushwick, says the repeal signifies a major cultural shift.
“In the past few months, we’ve seen the city change its attitude toward culture and nightlife,” Barclay says. “They went from fighting the right to allow New Yorkers to dance to praising dancing in New York City.”
But some bars have a few more legal hurdles to overcome before allowing dancing in their venues.
“There are still zoning codes that a lot of people are confused about,” says Miller. “It’s a complicated puzzle.”
Here’s a look at some of the city’s nightspots that are now in step with the new rules — and where you can groove this weekend and beyond.