Danceteria
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| Danceteria | |
|---|---|
| Name | Danceteria |
| Address | 30 West 21st Street (original location) |
| City | New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Opened | 1979 |
| Closed | 1986 (original) |
| Owner | Rudolf Piper (original) |
| Genre | New wave, punk, post-punk, dance, alternative |
Danceteria was a multi-level New York City nightclub that operated primarily in the late 1970s and 1980s and became a nexus for emerging music, art, fashion, and media scenes linked to figures such as David Bowie, Madonna, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol. Founded by entrepreneur Rudolf Piper and promoted by nightlife impresarios connected to venues like CBGB and Studio 54, the club quickly attracted crowds from the same networks as Patti Smith, Blondie, The Ramones, Talking Heads, and Iggy Pop. It served as a laboratory for artists, DJs, and promoters associated with labels and organizations including Sire Records, Island Records, Rough Trade Records, MCA Records, and EMI Records.
History
Opened in 1979 near Chelsea, Manhattan and later operating in other Manhattan locations, the club emerged amid a vibrant nightlife ecosystem that included Max's Kansas City, The Mudd Club, The Saint, The Limelight, and Paradise Garage. Early nights featured promoters and tastemakers from venues like The Roxy and figures such as Nicky Siano, Arthur Russell, Larry Levan, Michael Musto, and Rupert Murdoch-era media outlets that covered downtown culture including The Village Voice, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and Interview (magazine). The venue's evolution intersected with industry events such as the rise of MTV, the influence of John Peel-style radio, and the careers of managers and agents associated with Bill Graham Presents, Seymour Stein, Clive Davis, and Gary Kurfirst.
Danceteria's timeline overlapped with cultural shifts marked by art institutions and festivals like New York Fashion Week, Whitney Museum of American Art, Guggenheim Museum, MoMA PS1, and the Venice Biennale, as well as commercial shifts involving properties and developers such as Donald Trump (businessman), Ian Schrager, and Steve Rubell. The venue's prominence contributed to downtown-to-uptown migration patterns observed in urban studies by scholars connected to Jane Jacobs-influenced debates and municipal policies debated at City Hall.
Venue and Design
The multi-room layout included areas akin to performance spaces at Apollo Theater, gallery-like walls reminiscent of Pace Gallery, and sound systems that invited comparisons to setups at Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. Visual aesthetics drew from collaborators and contemporaries such as Basquiat, Haring, Keith Richards-associated photographers, and art directors linked to Vogue (magazine), The Face (magazine), and i-D (magazine). Lighting and projection work echoed techniques used by multimedia collectives associated with Nam June Paik, Bill Viola, Laurie Anderson, and production crews that later worked for tours by Prince, David Byrne, and Madonna (entertainer).
Design choices reflected influences from theater and architecture circles connected to Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired preservationists, stage designers who worked for Broadway, and set builders formerly employed by Andy Warhol's Factory and independent film collectives involved with Jim Jarmusch and Spike Lee.
Music and Nightlife Scene
Musical programming blended performances and DJ sets by artists and DJs intersecting with labels and movements involving Blondie, Talking Heads, Patti Smith Group, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Joy Division, Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Echo & the Bunnymen, R.E.M., The Smiths, Prince, Madonna (entertainer), and Michael Jackson. DJs curated mixes referencing producers and remixers such as Kraftwerk-admiring electronic acts, Arthur Baker, Shep Pettibone, François Kevorkian, Tony Humphries, and club scenes tied to Manchester and Detroit techno innovators like Juan Atkins and Derrick May.
The club connected scenes from New York City to international circuits including promoters and tour managers who worked with Factory Records, 4AD, Sire Records, and festival circuits like Glastonbury Festival and Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in later decades. It also intersected with radio and print tastemakers such as John Peel, Z100 (New York) personalities, and critics at NME, Melody Maker, and Spin (magazine).
Notable Performers and Events
Acts and events at the venue involved performers, filmmakers, and artists linked to Madonna (entertainer), David Byrne, Iggy Pop, Neneh Cherry, Grace Jones, Laurie Anderson, The B-52's, Sonic Youth, The Replacements, Patti Smith, Blondie, The Ramones, The Cramps, Siouxsie Sioux, Marc Almond, Boy George, Bryan Ferry, Tina Turner, Robert Plant, Sting (musician), U2, The Police, De La Soul, Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Fab 5 Freddy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Richard Hell, Television (band), Lou Reed, and filmmakers like Jim Jarmusch and Jim Carroll-linked events. Special nights included video art projections connected to Nam June Paik-style work and fashion showcases featuring designers from Vivienne Westwood, Betsey Johnson, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Donna Karan.
Cultural Impact and Legacy
The club influenced trajectories of artists and scenes that shaped mainstream culture through entities such as MTV, Sire Records, Warner Bros. Records, Sony Music Entertainment, and independent labels like Rough Trade Records and Factory Records. Its role is cited in biographies and documentaries about figures including Madonna (entertainer), Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and historians writing for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. The club's model informed later nightlife projects by entrepreneurs like Ian Schrager (Studio 54 co-founder), hospitality ventures by Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, and venue designs by firms that later worked with Björk and Kylie Minogue.
Legacy extends to academic and cultural institutions—exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and archives at New York Public Library—and to oral histories compiled by journalists at The Village Voice and producers of documentaries screened at Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival.
Incidents and Controversies
The venue's history involved disputes and incidents similar to controversies faced by nightlife institutions like Studio 54, Paradise Garage, and The Limelight, including licensing issues adjudicated by municipal agencies and legal actions involving landlords and developers such as entities linked to Donald Trump (businessman) and property firms that later faced scrutiny in reporting by The New York Times and New York Post. Safety concerns and policing responses mirrored debates around club regulation raised by elected officials at City Hall and law enforcement practices covered by outlets like The Village Voice and New York Daily News.
Allegations and legal disputes involving promoters, managers, and patrons led to coverage in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and court reporting that engaged attorneys and publicists associated with entertainment law firms representing artists and venues. The cultural controversies fed conversations in academic venues including panels at Columbia University, New York University, and The New School.