NYC to repeal law against dancing in bars and clubs
[Photo by: Ardian Lumi/Unsplash]
If we learned anything from Footloose, it’s that we shouldn’t ban dancing. And it looks like New York City is finally letting bars become dancing zones once again. The Cabaret Law is to be struck down, meaning club and bar owners will no longer be “living in fear,” as The New York Times explains.
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The City of New York's website says that it licenses “bars, clubs, taverns, and discos that allow dancing.” If a place is open to the public and sells food or drinks, it must have a Cabaret License to “allow customers to dance,” they explain.
The Cabaret Law was created during the Prohibition to patrol speakeasies, and only 97 out of around 25,000 eating and drinking places have a cabaret license because they’re so expensive to obtain, the NYT explains.
However, Ben Sarle, spokesman for the mayor, tells the news source that they’ll have to up security requirements, as the law requires, such as cameras and “certified security guards.”
The law, originally enacted in 1926, is expected to end on Tuesday.
It has changed in complexity over the years, even shutting down venues if they violated a three-musician rule, which didn’t allow unlicensed venues to host more than three musicians without the license. And as NPR explains, everything from jazz to folk were affected by the law.
And NYC residents are excited to see the law finally set to be repealed:
everyone is missing the true news of the day which is that THE CABARET LAW IS GOING TO BE REPEALED
cabaret law retire bitch!!
— jessie lochrie (@jessielochrie) October 30, 2017
Goodbye NYC Cabaret Law, which has prohibited dancing in many city bars since 1926. Let’s Dance! We need it! pic.twitter.com/n1hJwYqaZx
— Brendan Connell, Jr. (@bdanconnell) October 30, 2017
Congrats NYC rave fam for repealing the cabaret law!!!!!!! So cool how grassroots nightlife movement fought The Man AND WON
— EDM 666 (@MichelleLhooq) October 30, 2017
NYC's archaic cabaret law is reportedly set for defeat. Yay! Getting out my boogie woogie (orthopedic) dancing shoes.
— michael musto (@mikeymusto) October 30, 2017
The bullshit, racist Cabaret Law is finally being repealed. Let my city dance!!!
— Richard J Spookyname (@sanspoint) October 30, 2017
As they say: It’s time to cut loose, footloose—and get those dancing shoes out.