upcoming events

nyc events list

past events

Ongoing: Russian Banya Parties 12.31.13 - The Bootleggers' Ball 10.26.13 - Masquerade Macabre #5 08.09-11.13 - G&S 10th Anniversary (First-ever NYC Steampunk Weekend) 10.27.12 - Masquerade Macabre #4 12.31.12 - Black & White Masked Ball 08.11.12 - The Lost Circus 04.12.12 - The Drowned Ball 02.11.12 - Meet Me in Paris 12.31.11 - The Glitter Ball 10.31.11 - Speakeasy Dollhouse 10.29.11 - Masquerade Macabre #3 08.21.11 - Black & White & Red All Over Ball (Coilhouse Magazine BDay party) 07.16.11 - The Lost Circus 07.14.11 - Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing 2011 - Swing House 12.31.10 - The Bootleggers' Ball 10.30.10 - Masquerade Macabre #2 07.31.10 - The Lost Circus 04.24.10 - Swing House 2-Year Anniversary 03.07 & 21.10 - JaNk! 02.14.10 - The Vault of Golden Vapors 12.31.09 - The Bootleggers' Ball 10.31.09 - Masquerade Macabre 07.17.09 - Nouvelle Époque Cabaret-Salon 06.27.09 - Hobos & Mermaids on the High Seas 04.03-05.09 - Luminous Flux NYC - video art weekend 03.15.09 - Swing House 1-Year Anniversary 11.01.08 - Halloween Vintage Masquerade Ball 10.31.08 - Voodoo Culture Clash 2008 - Swing House vintage dance monthly 02.14.08 - Get Off...Line VI: Roaring 20th 08.18.07 - Radiate Fire! 10.31.06 - Halloween Parade Afterparty II: Devils n Dolls 10.31.05 - Halloween Parade Afterparty: Mardi Gras 06.21.05 - Exotica: Tiki Lounge Shindig 02.14.05 - Get Off...Line III: Say Cheese (and Chocolate) 02.14.04 - Get Off...Line II: Code Red

02.14.08: Get Off...Line VI: Roaring Twentieth

A trip through the 20th century and beyond with scorching live music, silent film, blazing burlesque, hot dance and performance art to make you swoon.

Bootleggers and speakeasies...wild dancers and smart mouths...art that sizzles and music that roars... With over a dozen performers giving you the best of the last 100 years and what you haven't yet imagined, and two rooms of dancing through the night with amazing DJs dropping beats from the whole century. Plus: human statues, fire performers, hoopers, oh my. Dust off your sequins: costume theme is "vintage glamour."

With:
  • Free Charleston/Lindy dance class before the event!
  • Free champagne toast to kick off the night!
  • Silent films with live score! (Sxip Shirey)
  • Live authentic 1920s hot jazz orchestra! (Michael Arenella & his Dreamland Orchestra)
  • Dreamy standards! (Nat & Kat Duo)
  • Glorious burlesque! (Molly Crabapple & Veronica Varlow)
  • Dazzling dance numbers! (Angela Harriell's Love Show Dancers)
  • Mini-variety show inside the variety show! (The Gong Show)
  • Spandexed hijinks! (Amelia Zirin-Brown and Amber Martin)
  • Live electro-karaoke laptop mayhem! (Project Jenny, Project Jan)
  • Brilliant bellydance! (Una Mimnagh)
  • Future space music with beatboxing, theremin & bike wheel! (Adam Matta)
  • Time-travel DJs spanning a century with their beats! (Dhundee, Vintage DJ, Zemi17, Moldover)
  • And hosted by uber-fabulous MC Christopher Hardwick!

See below for details on all the performers.

Full club event at Galapagos Art Space, 70 N 6th St, Williamsburg, BK

Photos by Indierotica (full coverage)

Photos by Gene Hun (full coverage)

More on our artists:

1900s-10s: Silent films with live score!

Sxip Shirey

Sxip Shirey, real life circus composer and maestro of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, The Daredevil Opera Company & gypsy punk ensemble Luminescent Orchestrii will be doing a rare silent film accompaniment. With an amazing array of toys and gadgets (The Industrial Flute, Mutant Harmonica, Regurgitated Music Boxes, Obnoxiophone) Sxip will be creating unbelievable sounds to special effects pioneer's George Méliès' "A Trip To The Moon." Shirey developed the work for a showing of Méliès' films at The Museum of the Moving Image in conjuncion with Brian Selznic, creator of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." The book has sold 130,000 copies in hardcover, is a New York Times children's bestseller, the winner of 2008 Caldecott medal, and finalist for a National Book Award in young people's literature. Méliès was a big inspiration for Selznic in the book's creation.

"Haunting" - The New York Times
"Sxip conjures a world of infernal calliopes and cotton candy machetes wielded by Gypsy crones with angel feet" - SF Weekly

1920s: Live authentic hot jazz orchestra!

Michael Arenella & his Dreamland Orchestra

An 11-pc ensemble steeped in the hot-dance band tradition of the Roaring Twenties, The Dreamland Orchestra is authentic. Arenella transcribes by hand their entire repertoire from period recordings. Their delivery, as well as their instruments, attire, and equipment - are faithfully accurate. Arenella's strong yet vulnerable baritone lacks pretense or sarcasm. He treasures each lyric, and has faith in the songs he sings. Even the most optimisic Tin Pan Alley tune has a disarming quality in his hands.

1930s: Dreamy standards!

Nat & Kat Duo

Operatic songstress Natalie Wilson and classicaly trained pianist Kat Sherrell deliver Broadway gems from the '30s and '40s. With songs by the greats: Porter, Gershwin, Berlin and Kern, these ladies will transport you to a time when love was Delovely, and even heartache was just 'Swonderful.

1940s: Glorious burlesque!

Veronica Varlow

Perfectly embodying the classic vintage spirit, Veronica Varlow is pure Bettie Page meets Jessica Rabbit at their femme fatale best. Aside from being an award-winning actress and an international burlesque star, Veronica runs the DangerDame.com website and online boutique, featuring 1950s style pin up photos galore and the vampiest pin-up dresses you've ever wanted to rob a bank in. Want to see her put her dangerous fashion into action? Veronica is the star of the not-yet-made neo-noir indie movie Revolver, the trailer for which won the Golden Trailer Award in the Best Trailer No Movie category. She robs convenience stores, and gets into bar brawls, car chases and shootouts--all in curvalicious dresses, spiked heels and the batting-est lashes this side of Hollywood.

"Projects an image of a siren so alluring you simply can't resist her, even when you know you're headed straight for hell (or jail)" - The Gothamist

1950s: Glorious burlesque!

Molly Crabapple

The lovely Molly Crabapple wears many hats (only some of which come with giant plumes). She's an illustrator for fine places like Marvel Comics, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Playgirl; creator of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School, a cabaret-life-drawing class with nearly 50 branches around the world, and its companion book, "Dr. Sketchy's Official Rainy Day Colouring Book"; and artist for "Backstage," a murder mystery webcomic set in the burlesque halls of old New York. Oh yeah, she's also a burlesque dancer.

1960s: Dazzling dance numbers!

Angela Harriell's The Love Show

Angela Harriell's narrative choreography is both autobiographical and universal, witty and sexy. The Love Show performances have been named "pick of the week" by L Magazine and the Village Voice and have been seen at venues all over the city, most recently at Theater For The New City with their second sold out run of Nutcracker: Rated R, Harriell's twisted take on the children's classic ballet. Collectively, The Love Show dancers all haveimpressive resumes, performing with such companies as The Rockettes, Ballet X, Randy James Danceworks, Brooklyn Ballet, Jerboa Dance, Buglisi/ForemanDanceCo., Pearl Lang Dance Theater, Lydia Johnson Dance, and the LizGerringDance Company. For this event, the troupe will present a Freaky Deaky 60's LoveFest called "Sarah's Sweet Sixteen"...when the kids get all experimental, man...

"It was The Love Show that really turned on the crowd" - Ortgeist.com
"Harriell's visual witticisms are wonderful" - OffOffOnline.com
"It sure isn't your New York City Ballet Nutcracker, but it's a hell of a lot more fun" - BackStage.com

1970s: Mini-variety show inside the variety show!

The Gong Show

All the over-the-top 1970s goodness you can handle, celebrity judges and stupid human tricks included! Featuring bellbottomed polyester hilarity from
 
- Magic Brian: outrageous comedy-magic with a dash of classic sideshow
- Anna Copa Cabanna and Breedlove: an all-singing, all-dancing, all spandexed fantasy romance duo
- and our very own Unknown Comic

1980s: Spandexed hijinks!

Jingle Jangle Sisters (Amelia Zirin-Brown and Amber Martin)

Celebrated solo performers Amelia Zirin-Brown and Amber Martin merge as the Jingle Jangle Sisters in an explosion of pop song, performance art, spiritual aerobics, and comedy. Zirin-Brown is also known as the charming chantuese Lady Rizo in the cult caburlesque hit Lady Rizo and the Assettes and Tiff in the Varsity Interpretive Dance Squad (VIDS). She has a webseries on E! online, sings and records with multi-platinum recording artist Moby, and was nominated for an MVPA for the choreography of his video of New York, New York featuring Debbie Harry.

Amber Martin's solo show, Hi! earned the artist a 2003 Drammy Award for Best Solo Performance, appeared in the TBA (Time Based Art) Festival and opened to critical acclaim for a 3-week run at the Greenwich Village Center Theatre. Her solo shows have premiered in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Mexico, New York City, Amsterdam. Martin opened for Puppetry of the Penis, during their national tour and performs monthly at the Cutting Room.

1990s: Brilliant bellydance!

Una Mimnagh

Una Mimnagh is a professional circus performer and aerialist, thrilling audiences in dark cabarets, sunny circuses, and weird television all over the world. Owner of Circus Una Productions LLC, she has produced Motorcycle Highwire Thrill Shows at the World Famous Steel Pier in Atlantic City. Lately, her gypsy soul has moved her feet and arms and heart to the rhythm of American Tribal Style Bellydance.

Now: Live electro-karaoke laptop mayhem!

Project Jenny Project Jan

No, Brooklyn's Project Jenny, Project Jan has neither a Jenny nor a Jan, but the music of vocalist Jeremy Haines and electronic maestro Sammy Rubin will find you hard pressed to pigeonhole.

"This is a band that should be taken seriously, even while singing about homemade sex tapes and the Chinatown bus" - Gothamist.com
"a shocking, dynamic, danceable and hilarious affair" - Billboard Magazine
"irresistibly danceable and always brings the party" - Cool Hunting
"more pop music should have this much fun" - Popmatters
Album praise: 'XOXOXOXOXO' Top 25 Albums of 2007 - CMJ; 'XOXOXOXOXO' Best of 2007 - WOXY; "320" Best Music of 2007 - Pruning Shears; One of Top 10 Bands To Watch Out for in 2008 - Ear Farm

Future: Beatbox, theremin & bike wheel!

Adam Matta

Adam Matta is a beatboxer and vocal performance artist. With an arsenal of vocal instrumentals including brass, beats, vocal scratches/turntablism, and mechanical sound effects, Matta references blues, rock, rap, heavy metal, drum-and-bass, freestyle jazz, and Middle Eastern, sometimes all in the same composition. Adam is a 2007-2008 Artist in Residence at Cornell University. He is appearing in an online ad campaign by Stride Gum, and his music has been heard on NPR's "All Things Considered."

"His ability to remix his own voice is remarkable, at first singing over a synced beat and then slowing it down, speeding it up, dubbing, scratching, even using the layrngeal equivalent of a wah-wah pedal" - Village Voice
"beatbox maestro" - Wired Magazine; "virtuoso" - Flavorpill; "brilliant...like sonic abstract expressionism" - Ithaca Times; "incredible" - Art or Something Like It, CUNY TV

DJ: Jazz-infused broken beats!

DJ Dhundee

DJ Dhundee is known for his eclectic and soulful sets that fuse delicious 1920s-30s jazz and broken beats. From his extensive music collection filled to the brim with classic gems, popular songs, and rare finds, he serves up the sounds with his signature style and seamless flow. Performing throughout New York, with appearances from LA to London, Dhundee also curates the legendary party "Brooklyn Bounce" alongside DJ partner Stimulus of The Real Live Show. He has spun at private parties for Comedy Central, Istar Financial, Spike TV 2006 US Tour, Straight No Chaser Magazine, Good Magazine, HOME Magazine, Wired Magazine, David Torres Productions, and Danny Simmons Gallery. Winner of four gold International Promax/BDA Awards for its music compositions for Comedy Central and MTV, Sugarcuts, Dhundee's boutique music production company, also supplies such top TV networks as Showtime, Nickelodeon, VH1, FUSE, Spike TV, and many more.

DJ: Warm vintage audio treats!

Vintage DJ

Through the rich warm splendor of vaccuum tubes and vintage vinyl, immerse yourself in a sonic time warp. From standards to stuff you've never heard, sample a mouthwatering selection of audio delicacies from the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's & early 70's, and travel to a prohibition era speakeasy, a roadside juke-joint, a mod London hotspot, or an explosive Afro-Cuban nightclub. The Vintage DJ spins all original vintage vinyl on two Audiotronics Classroom record players. Embark on a trans-temporal sonic adventure with your ultimate guide: THE VINTAGE DJ. Time travel is possible.

"No retroist holds a tallow candle to Jonathan Jacobs, the Vintage DJ...he zig-zags from old Johnny Cash to...the uneasy-listening piano stylings of '60s duo Ferrante and Teicher, all without missing a beat" - TimeOut New York

DJ: Mad mash-ups!

Moldover

Grabbing pop culture by the balls, live mashup artist Moldover twists classic tunes into fresh new, party rockin' jams, completely on the fly. Using his custom software mixing system and Frankensteined computer controller, he brings the art of the DJ to a whole other level. Moldover is creator of the Warper Party (NYC's biggest live-electronic music showcase), The Octamasher (an interactive music installation), and Controllerism.com.

"Literally throwing away the rule-book and reinventing the wheel" - Remix Magazine
"People went nuts" - BigShot Magazine
"An encyclopedia of modern pop culture in sound format, the milestone of ultimate digitally-assisted live performance, the best example of how to use modern technologies to enhance and extend musicianship and artistic vision" - Chain DLK

DJ: Future space haus!

Zemi17

Composer, musician and DJ Zemi17 creates some of the most unusual music you'll have ever heard on the dance floor. He sources his sounds from custom digital samples he's collected over the years like a vacationer does photographs. He's sampled archaic electronics, ancient sacred gamelan orchestras, frogs from 4 continents, and insects from the rainforest to the desert. Sometimes the sounds are sampled live, then cut and layered as a sonic college. The sound sources are relayed through various digital and analog effect processors, then syncopated into multi-layered tapestries of sound that range in style from ethnic Indonesian and African traditions, to ambient soundscapes, and techno. Zemi can usually be found spinning his magic at the best underground parties in NYC, weaving an infectious groove that keeps the dance floor moving long after the sun has come up.

Our most fabulous emcee!

Christopher Hardwick

A consummate compere, Christopher has been emceeing for the past seven years. Events he's presented include Kostume Kult's Village Halloween Parade float 2004-2007, Hullaween Ball as co-host to Bette Midler, Cirque du Soleil 2005, AmsterJam 2005 (Randals Island), The New York Mercantile Exchange Holiday Party 2001-present, The Sarah Ferguson Foundation 2007, Healthy Halloween 2007 (Tompkins Square Park) and numerous corporate gigs throughout the country on a weekly basis. He's also been crowned Mr Black Rock City 2007 at the Burning Man festival.

Our lindy-licious dance teachers!

Malcolm Holt and Lisa Casper

Malcolm Holt and Lisa Casper have been dancing together for three years. Malcolm grew up in Cleveland where he taught and performed with Get Hep Swing. Lisa started competing in ballroom dance and swing when she was 15 in her hometown in Massachusetts. Their performances have included events at Lincoln Center, The 92 Street Y, Julliard School of Dance, and The New York Swing Dance Society. They also perform with The Big Apple Lindy Hoppers Dance Company. For more information please contact them at Seaadream *at* aol.com

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