Check it Out: The legal defination of "dancing"!

[djmikedr]

if there is three or more people moving in synchronized fashion.

taken from:

The city began a system in Prohibition-era 1926 to control entertainment in clubs. All clubs were required to obtain a cabaret license to operate, which remains a labyrinthine process controlled entirely by the city. It1s

widely believed that the city was legislating in the view that the origins of jazz music and dancing in black culture were a moral degradation.

The law states that an establishment must be licensed if the club features three or more musicians, or if any of the instruments is percussion or brass, or ********* if there is three or more people moving in synchronized fashion.

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Nightclubs are also restricted in zoning, meaning cabaret licenses are only granted to venues in major commercial centers, industrial or manufacturing districts, effectively making it illegal to dance in any residential area.

The permit process is long, costly and uncertain. Approval is required from the Department of Consumer Affairs, the NYC Planning Department, the Fire Department, the Buildings Departments and local community boards, among others, all of whom work independently from each other. In 1960 there were

12,000 cabaret licenses in the five boroughs. In 2001 there is 296.

In the late eighties, after a decade long legal battle, the courts declared the three musician rule unconstitutional and accepted live music in zones where bars and restaurants are permitted. But nothing was done to save dancing.

In 1997 Rudy Guiliani created the multi-agency Nightclub Enforcement Task Force to crack down on clubs as part of his "Quality of Life" campaign. Deputy Mayor Rudy Washington goes on the record stating, ""We1ve been closing down these little buckets of blood (nightclubs) for about three years and paralyzing them." Coney Island High, Baby Jupiter, Hogs &

Heifers, Vain, Rivertown Lounge and Lakeside Lounge are just a few of the places that have been fined or padlocked for illegal dancing.

A survey by Audience Research and Analysis reports that approximately 24.3 million people come to NYC1s music and dance clubs per year, exceeding the combined attendance of Broadway theatres, city sports teams, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Empire State Building‹while contributing $2.9 billion to the city's economy and providing over 27,000 jobs.

There are currently over 5,000 liquor licenses in the five boroughs but less than 300 places where patrons can legally dance. You are not allowed to dance to the jukebox or DJ at your local bar. You are not allowed to move

to the rock band or jazz group at your neighborhood club.

Dancing is a right, not some unsafe or dangerous action that need be licensed or regulated by a legislative body. The act of dancing is simply the physical expression of emotion, which much like verbal expression, need not ever be controlled or limited. This does not mean we don1t support strict compliance with all fire safety codes, capacity numbers, noise ordinances, alcohol and drug laws, only that the act of dancing never be

restrained in any manner.

NYC has made an invaluable contribution to global music culture with its renowned music, musicians, and clubs - from jazz to disco, salsa to house, rock to hip-hop. Dance music culture and nightlife has brought untold millions of dollars to the city and its coffers. It is wrong that the cabaret laws stifle these cultural treasures, inhibit artistic expressions, and discourage the economic development of New York City nightlife.

Name: Unknown!