DISCO AT THE MONSTER ON 12/1 FROM 6-10

NEXT MAGAZINE by KaREEM MCJAGGER: Lady Bunny brings her disco party to The Monster on Sundays and gets the dance floor bumpin'

Call us presumptuous, but we’re declaring that no one in the New York nightlife scene takes dancing more seriously than the disco queens of the West Village. When we heard that The Monster was bringing in Lady Bunny for a monthly disco tea dance, we knew it would be a must-see and must-hear event. It was manager and fellow DJ Mitch Ferrino who had the idea to bring Bunny to The Monster. “It just seemed to make sense with Splash closing... Lady Bunny, disco, and The Monster just all seemed like the perfect recipe for something magical.” Lady Bunny, who started spinning back in the days of Pyramid, Limelight and Panty Girdles, was happy to fill the void left once Disco Sundays at Splash were no more. “I really miss playing that kind of music on a regular basis. The Monster approached me and asked to do it the first Sunday of each month, and it seemed perfect... I used to go to The Monster’s Sunday tea dance years ago and have a blast! When they played vinyl, ok?” The diverse crowd, was living for Lady Bunny’s set, especially that shirtless muscle queen lip-synching every word to the circle of spectators surrounding him. Speaking of lip-synching, we spotted Bunny’s Hot Mess cast mate and Drag Race alumna Dwayne Milan in the crowd as well as her longtime friends and nightlife personalities Angel and Brandon Olson. At its peak, the density of the dance floor rivaled that of a Saturday night, but once a bit more space opened up, couples took the opportunity to show off their partner-dancing skills, earning cheers and applause from their fellow patrons. “Something takes over in us gays when disco is playing,” Mitch added. “It’s like we all remember at the same time that this is OUR music, and we say ‘Oh, that’s right, we’re gay! Which means we really actually care about each other!’ There's a sense of camaraderie and love that takes over the entire club.” “This is an age group who didn’t sit on the dance floor with cellphones,” Lady Bunny pointed out, “They danced. With parrots and poppers! So it’s a thrill to get them revved, and I love to interact with them on the floor to songs like ‘Hot Shot’ and ‘Don't Leave Me This Way’.” Bunny was ecstatic to team up with The Monster to start a new party in her own historic back yard, bucking the uptown trend in gay nightlife. “I live within walking distance of it, and I love the idea of not all gay nightlife being in Hell’s Kitchen… I say let’s preserve our neighborhoods. And not just with a Stonewall plaque, either. Let’s head on down there and keep having fun!” NEXTMAGAZINE