Author: Mad Kate

with … Anita Drink, Mad Kate, ReveRso, BLEACH, Julia Runova and a cast of characters

An EXIT Tea Dance is a place to dance to our favorite vinyl records (house, soul, disco, cosmic, electro, darkwave, punk, you name it!) with the daylight streaming in. We are a mixed event of drinkers and non drinkers but we focus on dancing and hanging with friends in a relaxed intimate space that doesn’t charge for entry. We offer elegant sweet and savory VEGAN treats made with love by Julia Runova. As usual we sell our EXIT designs by Juan Chamié and in the back we are letting go the entire contents of Mad Kate’s Carni Closet — a trading space for costumes. Please come and take our crazy hats and wigs away!

A tea dance is an afternoon social event centered on dancing and refreshments, originally adapted from 19th-century British traditions where guests enjoyed tea and light music.  In gay history, this format was repurposed in the 1950s and 1960s as a discreet venue for same-sex interaction, primarily attended by gay men in the United States to evade legal prohibitions and police raids. 

Origins and Function: These events emerged in New York, particularly at Fire Island resorts like Cherry Grove and the Pines, often on Sunday afternoons to allow attendees to return to the city before Monday morning work.  By serving tea instead of alcohol, organizers created a seemingly respectable gathering that avoided liquor license revocations, as it was illegal at the time for bars to knowingly serve alcohol to known homosexuals. 

Safety and Evolution: To circumvent laws against same-sex dancing, participants adopted “no touching” protocols and line dances, enabling them to quickly swap partners for mixed-gender pairings if police raided the venue.  While the tradition declined in the 1990s as legal protections improved and nightlife shifted to nightclubs, tea dances have seen a recent resurgence in LGBTQ+ communities as a way to honor this legacy of resilience and community building.