The Park Avenue Armory Is Turning Into A "Social Distance Dance Club"

by Stephanie Maida · March 25, 2021

    Don't know about you, but when it comes to dream dance party locations, the Gilded Age fortress that is the Park Avenue Armory is way up on our list. Just picture it: gliding from the lavish reception rooms to the 55,000-square-foot drill hall that feels like an industrial warehouse or empty train station, recalling the vibes of those old school army dances you see in movies about World War II. Clearly, we've thought about this a lot, and next month our fantasies finally have a chance to become reality.

    The posh New York palace, which has gone from military facility under Lincoln, to social club, to storied cultural institution beloved by artists, musicians, and, notably, Marc Jacobs during Fashion Week, will be transforming itself into a "social distance dance club" - just in time to scratch everyone's revitalized party itch this spring. 

    Part performance piece, part disco, SOCIAL! the social distance dance club invites attendees to experience an interactive and communal sense of catharsis through movement and music. A curated playlist by David Byrne (Talking Heads), Christine Jones (set designer for Spring Awakening, American Idiot, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), and Steven Hoggett (choreographer and movement director for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), mixed by DJ Natasha Diggs, will blast through the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, inspiring participants to let loose in their own socially distanced spotlights. An instructional voice over by Byrne will add to the experience, dictating choreographed moves by Yasmine Lee. You can choose to dance in sync with the group, or channel your energy into freestyle movement. Either way, it's sure to be a magical (and much-needed) moment on the dance floor.

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    Previews begin on April 9 and the experience will open to the public, with plenty of COVID safety procedures in place, on April 13, running through April 22. Snag your tickets HERE!

    [Photo by James Ewing via @parkavearmory]