'Footloose' Cabaret Law Repealed By Mayor In Bushwick Nightclub

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — Everybody cut footloose — the Cabaret Law that outlawed dancing in most New York City nightclubs has been repealed.

Mayor Bill de Blasio put an end to the Cabaret Law at Elsewhere in Bushwick Monday night after a months-long effort from City Councilman Rafael Espinal and a slew of dancing protesters.

“Nightlife is part of the New York melting pot that brings people together,” said de Blasio. “We want to be a city where people can work hard, and enjoy their city’s nightlife without arcane bans on dancing.”

The Cabaret Law — which mandated that city dancing venues with food or drink service procure a notoriously-difficult-to-obtain license — was nixed after protesters stormed City Hall to demand its repeal.

Critics argued that the law, which was first established at the height of the Jazz Age in 1926, was designed to prevent people of color from owning small businesses.

“It’s an overreaching and overbearing policy that has always been about targeting people, with moral, monetary or malicious intent,” said State Senator Martin Malavé Dilan. “Requiring a permit to dance, in this day and age, and in this city, is silly."

Espinal lobbied for the Cabaret Law repeal because of the impact it had in Bushwick, a neighborhood whose culture is centered around DIY venues, he told Patch.

"We have a Footloose situation in New York City," Espinal said in April, comparing the Cabaret Law to the 1984 film about a town where dancing is outlawed.

In a city with thousands of restaurants and bars, only 104 were licensed to allow dancing.

Said Espinal in a statement on Monday, “Artist, musicians, businesses owners, workers, and everyday New Yorkers looking to let loose will no longer have to fear the dance police will shut down their favorite venues.”

Photo courtesy of Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photography Office/Flickr