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The city that never sleeps doesn’t want you to dance. At
least that’s how some might interpret the gradual eradication of
Manhattan’s
nightlife venues. Thanks to the rising price of real estate and the
draconian policies of the past two mayoral administrations, as well
as Manhattan’s Prohibition-era “no-dancing” restrictions on any
establishment without a cabaret license, it’s becoming harder and
harder to shake your booty in the Big Apple.
Fortunately, there are some who won’t
stand still. While some promoters have thrown in the towel, there
are others still willing to wage the good battle for us to get our
groove on. Take
Ric Sena, for example, who, over the
course of eight years, has had to move his
Alegria party into three different
locales. Now ensconced in the
East Village landmark, Webster Hall, Alegria
appears to have found a perfect home—and not just because
Webster Hall was recently designated a
landmark, thereby keeping it safe from realtors’ greed and the
wrecking ball.
Roughly the downtown equivalent of
Roseland,
Webster Hall has history—and the bones to
prove it. A massive four-story structure built in 1886, Webster
Hall was the nation’s first nightclub and rumored to be owned by
gangster Al Capone (which was perhaps one reason the city’s police
turned a blind eye to the hedonism within the club’s walls).
On Wednesday, March 19th of this year, the City
of New
York designated Webster Hall an historic
landmark—just in time for the first Alegria party held there,
Alegria Xtreme 8. Since that night, Sena
and the Webster Hall management have been making changes to the club
within, in order to better serve the Alegria tribe.
As anyone who’s ever worked with any landmark preservations
committee knows, progress can be halting—and yet, Sena and his crew
have been remarkably successful at pushing through renovations that
might send most contractors running. Brand-new bathrooms, for
example—right off the dance floor. And a new sound system on the
Main Ballroom. Furthermore, the front part of the mezzanine balcony
has been replaced with an iron railing, thereby improving sightlines
to the dance floor. And downstairs in the deliciously seductive
Marlin Room, there’s another brand-new sound system and bar—and an
overflow capacity of 500-600 (always a good thing for Alegria Pride,
the biggest Alegria of them all).
According to Sena, the Webster Hall management has been extremely
supportive—not only about the ongoing renovations, but also in their
desire to work with the Alegria crew to insure that the Alegria
party becomes a long-term resident at this historic hall.
The invitation for this year’s edition of
Alegria Pride showcases the dancing waters of the
Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas—and if past Alegria Prides are
any indication, attendees can expect to be awestruck by Sena’s
production values. Past Alegria Prides have run the gamut from
Moulin Rouge to The Greatest Pride on Earth, as well as
Space Odyssey, Spectacular Spectacular, and last
year’s stupendous riff on the Caribbean Pirates trilogy called
The Pride of Alegria.
This year’s Alegria Pride will be the first to be held at Webster
Hall, and with the theatre’s massive proscenium and its ornate
ceilings, Webster Hall would appear to be a perfect venue for Sena’s
expansive imagination.
As for the music? For the first time, Alegria will have three dance
floors, with three different deejays working to keep the boyz
dancing all through Saturday night and Sunday morning. That means
Rosabel (aka Ralphi Rosario and Abel) in the Main Ballroom,
Eddie Elias in the Marlin Room, and
Dudu Marquez in the Balcony Lounge. And just in case, the
all-volunteer MedEvent will be on hand to insure that all patrons
are well cared-for during any time of need.
And speaking of firsts, this is the first Saturday Alegria Pride.
The party starts at eleven on Saturday night and, in all likelihood,
will run right through to Sunday at noon, just in time for the
kick-off of the Pride Parade down Fifth Avenue. Given that tickets
are limited due to capacity limitations, it’s probably a good thing
to purchase your tickets to this Alegria Pride in advance. Because
as all good Alegria tribe members know, this is one party that
always sells out. You wouldn’t want to miss history in the
making—and besides, you know you want to help Manhattan keep
dancing.
PRESERVING THE
RIGHT TO DANCE WITH PRIDE
Alegria Pride: 2008 @ Webster Hall
Webster Hall,
125 East 11th Street, New York
City,
DJs
Rosabel,
Eddie Elias,
Dudu Marquez
Saturday 28 June 2008,
11 pm until
For more information about
Alegria Pride go to
www.alegriaevents.com.
Click here to
PURCHASE TICKETS.
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