An upcoming event in New York aims to raise awareness of the continuing need for cabaret law reform-–by encouraging the very activity the laws prohibit.  The organizers of Metropolis in Motion, the group behind a dance party scheduled to take place near Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s house, say their message is clear: dancing is not a crime. 

They have reason to be assertive. Spring of 2006 was a tough time for New Yorkers in the nightlife scene. On April 1, five Manhattan clubs were temporarily closed as a result of undercover drug buys.  Days later Judge Michael Stallman dismissed attorney Paul Chevigny’s suit claiming that dancing is expressive behavior and that the City’s cabaret laws, which restrict what venues may allow dancing, are irrational and unconstitutional. 

Chevigny and co-counsel Norman Siegel plan to appeal the decision this fall. "I continue to believe social dancing is an expressive activity and should have New York State constitutional protection," Siegel said in a Village Voice article published after the decision. But protecting dancing is only one part of the challenge.  As the repetitive cycle of club closures reveals, nightlife-–and dancing--continue to be caught up in drug war hysteria, as well as heated debates about noise and crowding.

The members of Metropolis in Motion want to place the emphasis firmly back on the bottom line issue: the dancing. Julie Ziff Sint, one of the organizers, says that Mayor Bloomberg and City Council members should "regulate the issue at hand.  If the issue is noise, then you focus on noise regulations.  If the issue is crowd control, venues have legal capacities." In their efforts to bring cabaret law reform back into the spotlight, these New Yorkers plan to do what they do best: dance.    

If you want to be able to bust a move in every corner of the five boroughs without worrying that your favorite bar, club or restaurant might be fined thousands of dollars, join Metropolis in Motion on Saturday, July 22 from 2 – 4PM on 79th and Fifth Avenue!  Bring your enthusiasm and your dancing shoes.  See Metropolis in Motion's website for more information.