Nightlife Advisory Board Says Dancing Should be Allowed in More NYC Locations

By: Ellen Cans

Nightlife industry leaders say what New York needs for its recovery is more dancing.

As reported by Crain’s NY, last week the city’s 14-member Nightlife Advisory Board presented a report to Mayor de Blasio’s office requesting the city permit dancing in more city buildings. “Dancing is restricted to certain Use Groups in the zoning resolution, thus limiting where the free expression of dance may occur at restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and other venues in the five boroughs,” the board said in the report. Zoning laws restrict dancing to only one of 18 city use groups, namely use Group 12, which includes auditoriums, arenas and pool halls, leaving many venues without the opportunity to offer dancing.

The board, formed in 2017, is requesting the Mayor appoint a panel of expert stakeholders to review the city’s zoning resolution and to make recommendations on areas in commercial establishments where dancing permits should be added. The zoning resolution must be updated because it remains an underlying issue, said Andrew Rigie, chair of the advisory board and executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance. “When you think about it, dancing is part of so many cultures and who we are, it’s what people do when they go out and eat and drink,” Rigie said. “Maybe you’ll just break the law, which is ridiculous. If someone wants to get up and dance, they should be able to dance.”

Radha Agrawal, co-founder of Daybreaker, which has held several morning dance parties in the city since reopening in May, said getting together to dance is a part of the city’s recovery. “This is not an endeavor to make money,” Agrawal said. “It’s to bring New York back, to the ‘Soaring 20s,’ to be the place that is the epicenter of culture, to be a cheerleader for New York City life, community, and art to come back.”

As per Crain’s, the board’s report, which was delayed due to the pandemic, offered 15 recommendations including better integration between nightlife businesses and community organizations, affordable commercial spaces, and tax incentives for new and existing nightlife businesses. It also suggested adding more funding into nightlife, upping the city’s Office of Nightlife budget, and providing a part-time staff member and a budget for the advisory board. Its previous report, released several weeks ago, also recommended 24-hour nightlife in some low-residential density areas. NY’s party-hours end at 4 a.m., which is comparatively late. The board asked to work on pilot areas where those hours would be extended, so that more events can be legal and regulated rather than underground.