Thursday Night Fever: A 70's Disco Party

Featured Reader: Priscilla lounging  outNabout in Kent,  Washington (State)



One time… the ad agency I work for, decided to throw our annual holiday party at the end of January! We were so busy with a huge business pitch this past December, that the powers that be decided to postpone the party till the end of January (1-29-09). Was it worth the wait? Totally.


It was a 70’s Disco party held at the Tribeca Film Center in NYC. A costume party! Having just worked the Studio 54 party as a dancer at the Hollywood Casino for New Year’s Eve, I knew exactly what I needed to wear: A John Travolta-esque tight fitted pants (that showed off my ass); long sleeved unbuttoned shirt with a gold chain (showing off my hairy chest);  a vest; slicked back hair and dark shades.

The Tribeca Film Center is the perfect venue to throw a 70’s Disco themed party. Loungy rooms both upstairs and downstairs with bars that were big enough to hold our entire company, yet small enough to create the intimacy of a chic nightclub. They even had a movie theatre, and... A large spinning disco ball!



Desiree, Herbelicious, AnnMarie and I got to the venue early to take pictures (before the crowds came) as well as to get changed. Once we were dressed, the staff of the film center (decked out in their tie dye T-Shirts) confused us for the band that would be playing that night (I think that is why they let us put our things backstage rather than in coat check). I was decked out in my Saturday Night Fever get-up; Desiree in her 70’s Go-Go Girl dress; Herbelicious in his “Rico” costume complete with Afro and feathers for his hair; and AnnMarie in her 70’s Flower Power outfit.

In the main bar, we began snapping pictures of the venue for the event planner.




We had a hard time just taking pictures of the venue. We were too cute. We started posing: Charlie’s Angels; the staircase; and of course, some scandalous Studio 54 shots of Desiree’s legs.


We headed downstairs to the Bacardi Lounge to the FREE photo booth! First Herbert and Desiree, Then Me and Herbert, then Herbert and AnnMarie, then me and Desiree (And later me and Geia).
The Bartender downstairs offered to take some of the margarita salt and make some lines for us on the bar to do some “authentic” 70’s cokehead pictures. We decided to pass on those types of pictures. Don’t want that kind of "gossip" being passed around the work place.

After the photo booth fun, people started arriving for the party. We headed back upstairs to the main party room. Coming up the stairs, Herbelicious and I realized that people did not recognize us.

They especially didn’t recognize Herbelicious under all that hair, and no one seemed to be looking at my face while I was wearing those tight pants. “Nice Pants” people shouted to me from down the hall (lucky I was wearing a dance belt so that it wasn’t too vulgar—well maybe my ass was).




Not too many people came in costume, but those who did went all out. Big Afro’s seemed to be the theme of the night. My favorite afro was the big blonde afro worn by Chauncey-- she could have been Beyonce straight out of the Austin Power’s movie. Chauncey won the contest for the best outfit.


After a couple of announcements by Herbelicious (shouting RICO!) and Desiree pretending to be a singer,  the “real” singers came out. They started off with "Disco Inferno".
The dance captain from my New Year’s Eve Casino gig was right. Every time I heard that song, I would feel the intense need to perform the choreography. Herbelicious and Desiree took to the floor jive dancing and go-go dancing. Herbelicious in his wig and funktified clothes looked strangely real and natural.



The lead girl of the band looked strangely like Drag Goddess/Sex Kitten Heather Daniels from the Atlanta gay scene; who also looks like Paulette from the movie Legally Blonde!

After a quick bite to eat of the really greasy food, on our way back downstairs to the Bacardi Lounge, Herbelicious and I ran into my boss. She seemed to recognize Herbelicious, but not me! I swear I heard her say “Nice Pants!” (Later she put 2 and 2 together).


Back upstairs, the band brought out two of their own go-go dancers decked out in gold-outfits and gold wigs. I must say, that I was a little jaded that my own company didn’t hire me to do this gig. The company I danced for would have had 8 dancers and did choreography, not just shake our asses like these girls did. They brought out hula hoops but couldn’t seem to spin them. Desiree showed them up! She not only did one, but 3! I too had to show these go-go girls up-- I decided to flag.

I flagged on the side as the band performed YMCA and Macho Macho Man. But then the lead singer came down to me and said “I want you with that-- up here on stage”.  Being the attention whore that I am, I put on a show. Pictures were snapped left and right because straight people aren’t familiar with this gay dance form. Someone in the audience said “that boy has Broadway skills”. Another person said “He use to spin fire in a hula show in Hawaii”. Our finance guy moaned “this is turning into a gay club!”

The party was in full swing now. People were drinking and dancing and having a dynamite tubular time. They even had the movie “Saturday Night Fever” playing up on the video screens. People were snapping pictures of Desiree’s and my gold chains: Sexy and Single.



It was starting to get late, and since Tribeca Film Center is near the Bottom of Manhattan, and Herbelcious, me,  and Desiree live in the Bronx, we decided to head home.
We went backstage and changed our clothes. There was no way we could head home on the subway like that. Desiree commented that we were like models just finishing a funky photo shoot.

On our way home, Herbelicious commented that he had nothing to eat at the party because the food wasn't so great. We decided to grab pizza at Famiglia on 44th and 8th, one of the usual pizza stops after a late night of partying. We so hungry! We WERE like starving supermodels who had just finished a funky photo shoot. We took the train to 145th street before Herbeliciouis said “screw this, let’s take a cab the rest of the way”. That is what we did.


For Real. Seriously.